Appalachian Trail Centennial Act
The Appalachian Trail Centennial Act would establish a stronger, more formal framework for the preservation, maintenance, and management of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and other national historic and scenic trails. The bill creates a structured partnership model that explicitly recognizes federal agencies, volunteer organizations, nongovernmental partners, and local communities as shared stewards of these trails. Key elements include designating a “Designated Operational Partner” for each trail (beginning with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for the AT) to coordinate operations, planning, land protection, and visitor services, while preserving core federal authority and land ownership where applicable. It also embeds planning requirements (comprehensive plans and addenda), a process for protecting rights and handling property issues, funding provisions (including use of the Land and Water Conservation Fund), and periodic reporting to Congress. The measure emphasizes volunteer-driven management, public-private partnerships, and community engagement, aiming to advance long-term trail development beyond the initial designation. It envisions up to 20-year cooperative agreements with volunteer partners, enhanced land protection planning, segment-based visitor capacity planning, and regular assessments of economic impact on gateway communities. Overall, the bill seeks to institutionalize cooperative management and mobilize a broad network of partners to sustain the trails into their centennial and beyond.
Key Points
- 1Designated Operational Partner framework, starting with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail within one year, with the Secretary empowered to designate additional eligible partner entities for other covered trails.
- 2Expanded cooperative management model, authorizing shared administration, management, and operation between federal land managers and designated partners, including long-term cooperative agreements (up to 20 years) with volunteer organizations to operate and maintain trails.
- 3Land protection and funding mechanisms, including the creation of proposed priority lists for land and resource protection, prioritization of federal and partner-supported parcels, and use of Federal funds (with reporting to Congress) to advance land protection; authorization of appropriations for planning and facility development.
- 4Comprehensive plans and visitor capacity, requiring incorporation of comprehensive plans into management, establishing process for plan addenda, and segment-based determination of visitor capacity to reflect site-specific conditions and capacities.
- 5Accountability and property rights provisions, including a formal process for addressing trespass or infringements through Designated Operational Partners, potential cost awards to partners for successful redress actions, and rules governing surplus Federal property transfers to partners for trail purposes under strict conditions.