Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Essential Cooperation: Public and Private Efforts to Develop and Maintain the Appalachian Trail
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The Appalachian Trail spans almost the entire length of the Appalachian mountain chain. Composed of over 2,000 miles of trail, it has become the model for environmental protection and stewardship. Conceived by Benton MacKaye in 1921, the trail was to be a barrier separating the beauty and majesty of the Appalachian Mountains from the threat of urbanization. A culmination of early environmental thought and the back to nature movement would bring MacKaye’s conception to life. Public hiking organizations across the Appalachian Mountains would come together building the trail section by section from Maine to Georgia. Although the development of trail required an immense amount of organization and planning it would not be crux of its history. After WWII, suburbanization along with post war development would threaten the trails existence. Again public organizations under the Appalachian Trail Conference would have to come together working with the Federal Government and private citizens to relocate the trail off public roads and private properties and back into the hinterlands. Government legislations such as the 1968 National Trails Systems Act would further the efforts to protect the trail and provided legislation for a corridor along the entire length of the footpath. Together, National Park Service representatives and Appalachian Trail volunteers spent years acquiring land from diverse, concerned and inquisitive private owners in order to establish a protective federal zone.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Jacob Williams is an undergraduate history major with a minor in environmental sciences at California University of Pennsylvania. He has researched the Appalachian Trail and environmental history as part of his senior research project
Essential Cooperation: Public and Private Efforts to Develop and Maintain the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail spans almost the entire length of the Appalachian mountain chain. Composed of over 2,000 miles of trail, it has become the model for environmental protection and stewardship. Conceived by Benton MacKaye in 1921, the trail was to be a barrier separating the beauty and majesty of the Appalachian Mountains from the threat of urbanization. A culmination of early environmental thought and the back to nature movement would bring MacKaye’s conception to life. Public hiking organizations across the Appalachian Mountains would come together building the trail section by section from Maine to Georgia. Although the development of trail required an immense amount of organization and planning it would not be crux of its history. After WWII, suburbanization along with post war development would threaten the trails existence. Again public organizations under the Appalachian Trail Conference would have to come together working with the Federal Government and private citizens to relocate the trail off public roads and private properties and back into the hinterlands. Government legislations such as the 1968 National Trails Systems Act would further the efforts to protect the trail and provided legislation for a corridor along the entire length of the footpath. Together, National Park Service representatives and Appalachian Trail volunteers spent years acquiring land from diverse, concerned and inquisitive private owners in order to establish a protective federal zone.
