National Recognition for your Local Trail
This session will provide a brief history and overview of the NRT program, as well as highlight the growing benefits available to trail managers.
by Helen Scully, National Recreation Trails Coordinator (retired), National Park Service, Stuart Macdonald, Chair, National Assoc. of State Trail Administrators
The National Recreation Trails (NRT) Program recognizes the diversity of trails across America that connect people to local resources and improve their quality of life. This session will provide a brief history and overview of the NRT program, as well as highlight the growing benefits available to trail managers. Program benefits include promotion, technical assistance, networking, and access to funding opportunities. More than 1,000 trails have been designated on Federal, State, local, and privately owned land throughout the country.
Helen Scully was the National Recreation Trails Coordinator with the National Park Service from 2008 to 2018. Helen Scully was on the dedicated National Park Service team that provides support for the National Trails System. She served as the National Recreation Trails coordinator for the Department of the Interior. Her Federal career spanned more than 24 years and took her to work in five National Park System units as well as the Washington, DC, headquarters.
Contact: HELEN_SCULLY@nps.gov
Stuart Macdonald spent 19 years as Colorado's State Trails Coordinator. He is the editor of American Trails Magazine. During 1998-99, he represented State Trail Administrators on the national committee that proposed regulations for accessible trails. He chaired the National Recreational Trails Committee, which advised the Federal Highway Administration in the first years of the Recreational Trails Program. Stuart grew up in San Diego and his main outdoor interest besides trails is surfing. He has a BA in English from San Francisco State and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Utah State.
