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National Recreation Trail designations announced for 2007

Secretary Kempthorne Designates 40 New National Recreation Trails in 22 States.

Washington, D.C. - The country's 1,000th National Recreation Trail will honor one of the heroes of September 11, 2001. The Rich Guadagno Memorial Trail in Oregon will commemorate the life of the devoted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge Manager who died aboard Flight 93. The Guadagno Trail is one of 40 newly designated National Recreation Trails announced by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne to coincide with the annual celebration of National Trails Day on June 2.

"The National Recreation Trail System connects Americans with the beauty of the great outdoors," said Kempthorne. "It is entirely fitting that the 1000th trail be named after Rich Guadagno, a man who dedicated his life to preserving nature and sharing his passion for the land with others."

The Guadagno Trail is located in the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge where Guadagno once worked. The 1.75-mile pathway meanders through rare Oregon white oak savanna and woodlands, offering views of the Willamette Valley which contains the world's largest population of the endangered Fender's blue butterfly. The trail will be formally dedicated in a ceremony led by Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett at 4 p.m. PDT on Saturday, June 2, 2007. The new National Recreation Trails showcase the diversity of the American landscape. They range from the quarter mile Balfour Riverwalk Trail in downtown Attleboro, Mass. to the 1,500-mile long Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail, considered by some as the water version of the Appalachian Trail for its length and scenic features.

National Recreation Trails are components of the National Trails System and recognize already existing trails that connect people to resources and improve their quality of life. The program is jointly administered by the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program and the U.S. Forest Service in conjunction with other federal and nonprofit partners, notably American Trails. Each of the trails inducted into the system will receive a certificate of designation and trail markers. They join a network that contains more than 11,000 miles of trails. More information is available at the National Recreation Trails website, hosted by American Trails. Following are the 40 additions to the National Trails System named by Secretary Kempthorne:

The projects nominated for National Recreation Trail designation are listed below by state, and include the trail name and land manager. Click on any state name to see more on some featured NRTs in that state:

Alaska:

• Campbell Tract Loop Trail: BLM Anchorage Field Office

Arizona:

• Palm Canyon Trail on the Kofal National Wildlife Refuge

Colorado:

• Alamosa South Bluff Trail on the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge
• Clear Creek Trail: City of Wheat Ridge
• Monte Vista Walking Trail on the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge
• Rio Grande Nature Trail on the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge

Florida:

• J.R. Alford Greenway: Leon County Division of Parks & Recreation
• Centennial Trail on the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
• Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail: FL Dept. of Environmental Protection, Office of Greenways & Trails
• Gayle's Trails: City of Panama City Beach, Parks & Recreation
• Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway: Leon County Division of Parks & Recreation
• Timucuan Multi-Use Trail: Little Talbot Island State Park and other agencies

Iowa:

• Chichaqua Valley Trail: Jasper County Conservation Board and other agencies
• Sauk Rail Trail: Sac County Conservation Board and other agencies
• Three Rivers Trail: Humboldt County Conservation Board and other agencies
• Wabash Trace Nature Trail: Southwest Iowa Nature Trail, Inc.

Louisiana:

• Marc Dupuy, Jr Wildlife Trail on the Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge

Maryland:

• Rock Creek Trail: Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission - Montgomery County

Massachusetts:

• Balfour Riverwalk Trail: City of Attleboro, Dept. of Parks and Forestry
• Quinebaug River Canoe Trail: US Army Corps of Engineers

Minnesota:

• Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Greenway Trail: Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota

Missouri:

• Prairie Creek Greenway: Platte County Parks and Recreation

Montana:

• Display Pond Trail on the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge

Nebraska:

• Oak Creek Trail: Lower Platte South Natural Resources District

New Jersey:

• Delaware River Water Trail - Middle Delaware Segment NJ, PA Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area*

New York:

• Orange Heritage Trail NY Orange County Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Conservation
• Wallkill Valley Rail Trail NY Wallkill Valley Rail Trail Association, Inc.
• Walt Whitman Trail NY Suffolk County Department of Parks & Recreation

North Dakota:

• Lostwood Refuge-Prairie Hiking Trail ND Lostwood NWR
• Wetlands & Waterfowl Trail ND USFWS, Valley City Wetland
• Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Greenway Trail: Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota

Oklahoma:

• Cussetah Bottoms Boardwalk Trail: Deep Fork NWR
• Horton's Slough Trail on the Sequoyah National Wildlife Rufuge

Oregon:

• Rich Guadagno Memorial Trail (formerly known as the Baskett Butte Loop Trail and Observation Platform): Baskett Slough NWR

Pennsylvania:

• Schuylkill Trail at Schuylkill Banks: Schuylkill River Development Corporation

Texas:

• Willows Trail on the Anahuac National Wildlife Rufuge

Utah:

• Fisher Towers Trail: Moab Field Office, BLM
• Wetland Wonders Walk: USFWS, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

Virginia:

• Fairfax County Cross County Trail: Fairfax County Park Authority
• Virginia Capital Trail: Virginia Capital Trail Foundation

Wisconsin:

• East Bank Trail: Milwaukee County Dept. of Parks, Recreation, and Culture

Each year nominations for designation of new National Recreation Trails may be submitted. The National Park Service and USDA Forest Service jointly administer the NRT program with help from other federal and nonprofit partners, notably American Trails, which hosts the National Recreation Trails website (www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails). The National Recreation Trail Program recognizes trails that provide opportunities for all Americans to enjoy the out-of-doors and improve the quality of life of our communities.

The nomination process follows an annual timetable which results in official designation by the Secretary of the Interior each June. See the 2003 U.S. Department of Agriculture NRT Designations page for additional trails on National Forests and Grasslands.

The Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program and the USDA Forest Service administer the program in conjunction with a other federal and nonprofit partners, notably American Trails, which hosts the National Recreation Trails website. RTCA is a community resource of the National Park Service which provide technical assistance to community groups and local, State, and federal government agencies to help conserve rivers, preserve open space, and develop trails and greenways.

Each year nominations for designation of new National Recreation Trails may be submitted. Details of the program may be found on the NRT website hosted by American Trails: (www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails). The National Recreation Trail Program recognizes trails that provide opportunities for all Americans to enjoy the out-of-doors and improve the quality of life of our communities.

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