Press Release of Senator Cantwell

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thursday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed a bill sponsored by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) that will designate the 1,200 mile Pacific Northwest Scenic Trail as a National Scenic Trail.  National Scenic Trails provide recreation, conservation, and delight of significant scenic, historic, natural, or cultural qualities. Representative Norm Dicks (D-WA-01) introduced identical legislation, the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Act of 2008, which will promote the protection and maintenance of the Pacific Northwest Trail.

 

“Washington state, and the Pacific Northwest in general, is home to some of the most pristine nature and breathtaking scenery this country has to offer,” said Cantwell. “The Pacific Northwest Trail, zigzagging from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Coast, offers all of these spectacular views. This is one more important step in to designate the Trail as a National Scenic Trail, which will give it the proper recognition, bring benefits to countless neighboring communities, and promote its protection, development, and maintenance.”

 

The National Trails System was created in 1968 by the National Trails System Act. This act authorized a national system of trails to provide outdoor recreation and promote the preservation of outdoor areas.  Washington state is currently home to one of the nation’s eight National Scenic Trails – the Pacific Crest Trail – that runs from the Canadian border south to the Mexican border.

 

During a hearing held earlier this year, Jon Knechtel, Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association, testified about his efforts to bring greater recognition to the trail.

 

“Creating a Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail makes sense,”said Knechtel.  “From East Glacier National Park the PNT is a direct connector; tying the already designated Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trails to one another, with the possibility of someday tying the PNT to the North Country Trail and creating a Sea-to-Sea Trail.  This was all part of the vision in 1968 of a National Trail System tying the country together, north-to-south, and east-to-west.

 

The 1,200 mile Pacific Northwest Trail, running from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean, ranks among the most scenic trails in the world. The trail includes the Rocky Mountains, Selkirk Mountains, Pasayten Wilderness, North Cascades, Olympic Mountains, and Wilderness Coast and crosses three national parks and seven national forests. The Trail has received National Recreation Trail status in the three national parks it crosses (Olympic, North Cascades, and Glacier) and has also received Millennium status from the Clinton Administration.

 

Cantwell has long emphasized the need to protect and promote recreation on America’s public lands, including in our National Parks and National Forests.  Adding the Pacific Northwest Trail to the National Trail System has gained the support of Commissioners in Clallam, Jefferson, Island, Skagit, Whatcom, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille Counties in Washington and Boundary County in Idaho. 

 

# # #