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Interior Secretary Deb Haaland celebrated Great Outdoors Month and National Trails Day on June 1st by designating four new national recreation trails in four different states, adding over 33 miles to the National Trails System. The trails span public and private lands in Oregon, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia and can be used for hiking, biking, horseback riding, off-highway vehicles, and river tubing.
“Every American deserves to have a safe and nearby place to experience nature,” said Secretary Haaland. “The National Trails System improves access to the outdoors while providing significant impacts to local economies.”
The law that created the National Trails System was signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968, and allows the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service to jointly manage nationally designated recreation trails, along with other federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and nonprofit organizations. The system includes a network of more than 1,300 existing trails, which may be located on land owned by federal, state, local, or Tribal governments, as well as nonprofit groups or private entities.
Check out the Center for Western Priorities' interactive Conservation Toolbox report to learn more about the National Trails System and national recreation trails specifically.
BLM outlines next steps for implementing Public Lands Rule
Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning and other officials hosted a webinar last week for employees outlining next steps and a timeline for implementing the recently finalized public lands rule. The rule will go into effect on June 10 and Stone-Manning promised it will be implemented in a deliberate fashion, including a “preliminary suite of implementation guidance” developed by “interdisciplinary and intra-organizational teams” to help guide BLM staff. “In the face of incredible challenges like climate change, our responsibility here at BLM to manage one in 10 acres in this country has never been more vital. So that’s why this rule is so timely,” Stone-Manning told staff.
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As climate change continues to drive wildfires with increased speed and intensity, we are deploying historic resources from President Biden's Investing in America agenda to better protect communities and ecosystems around the country. We will continue to leverage our valuable partnerships with state, Tribal and local governments, and the private sector to address and mitigate wildfire risk, while also ensuring that our wildland fire personnel have the support and resources they need to stay safe and be prepared on the landscape.”
