Boardman, Walter S., executive director, the Nature Conservancy. Clark, Hon. Joseph S., a U.S. Senator from the State of Pennsylvania__ Conway, Grant, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club of Washington Ervin, Hon. Sam J., a U.S. Senator from the State of North Carolina _ _ Garvey, Edward B., secretary, Appalachian Trail Conference, Washington, Murray, Stanley A., chairman, Appalachian Trail Conference, Kingsport, Nadel, Michael, assistant executive director, the Wilderness Society- Nees, Harry, New York-New Jersey Trail Conference__. Nelson. Hon. Gaylord, a U.S. Senator from the State of Wisconsin__ Ogden, Daniel M., Jr., Assistant Director, Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, Department of the Interior; and Donald Shedd, recreation specialist, Pell, Hon. Claiborne, a U.S. Senator from the State of Rhode Island........... Pyles, Hamilton K., Deputy Chief, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Robertson, Hon. A. Willis, a U.S. Senator from the State of Virginia....... Smith, Spencer, Jr., secretary, Citizens Committee on Natural Resources. Belcher, C. H., board of managers, Appalachian Trail Conference: Tele- gram to Hon. Alan Bible, chairman, Parks and Recreation Subcommittee, Brewster, Hon. Daniel B., a U.S. Senator from the State of Maryland: Letter to Hon. Alan Bible, chairman, Parks and Recreation Subcom- mittee, dated September 16, 1965. Caldwell, Horace, director, Department of State Parks, Atlanta, Ga.: Letter to Hon. Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senate, dated September 20, 1965_ Dickerman, Ernest, chairman, Conservation Committee, Smoky Moun- tains Hiking Club: Letter to Hon. Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senate, dated Eidson, J. P., president, Georgia Appalachian Trail Club: Letter to Hon. Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senate, dated September 20, 1965.- Faulkner, James L., president, Maine Appalachian Trail Club, Inc.: Letter to Hon. Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senate, dated September 16, 1965- Forbes, Miss Norma, president, Carolina Mountain Club: Letter to Hon. Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senate, dated September 16, 1965. Graydon, Leonard R., chairman, the Conservation League: Letter to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, Hiller, Herbert S., Verona, N.J.: Letter to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chair- man, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, dated September 17, 1965. Kimball, Thomas L., executive director, National Wildlife Federation: Letter to Hon. Alan Bible, chairman, Parks and Recreation Subcommittee, dated September 14, 1965. King, Hon. John W., Governor, State of New Hampshire: Telegram to Hon. Alan Bible, chairman, Parks and Recreation Subcommittee, dated September 20, 1965 McSween, Donald M., Tennessee Department of Conservation: Letter to Hon. Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senate, dated September 20, 1965. Rohrbaugh, John H., president, the Green Mountain Club, Inc.: Letter to Hon. Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senate, dated September 17, 1965Saunders, Preston H., president, Appalachian Mountain Club: Telegram to Hon. Alan Bible, chairman, Parks and Recreation Subcommittee, dated September 14, 1965 Stevens, Lawrence N., Acting Director, Bureau of Outdoor Recreation: Letter to Hon. Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senate, dated September 24, 1965 Train, Russell E., president, the Conservation Foundation: Letter to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, dated September 16, 1965. THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1965 U.S. SENATE, PARKS AND RECREATION SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a.m., in room 3110, New Senate Office Building, Senator Gaylord Nelson presiding. Present: Senators Gaylord Nelson (Wisconsin), Frank Church (Idaho), Len B. Jordan (Idaho), and Paul J. Fannin (Arizona). Also present: Jerry T. Verkler, staff director; Stewart French, chief counsel; Roy M. Whitacre, professional staff member; and Richard N. Little, minority counsel. Senator NELSON. The hearing on S. 622 will open. The Parks and Recreation Subcommittee meets this morning to take testimony on S. 622 sponsored by myself and 14 other Senators. The measure's purpose is to facilitate the management, use, and public benefits from the Appalachian Trail, a scenic trail designed primarily for foot travel through natural or primitive areas, and extending generally from Maine to Georgia; to facilitate and promote Federal, State, local, and private cooperation and assistance for the promotion of the trail, and for other purposes. Without objection, a copy of the bill and the favorable reports of the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Defense as well as the Bureau of the Budget, will be included in the record at this point. (The material referred to follows:) [S. 622, 89th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To facilitate the management, use, and public benefits from the Appalachian Trail, a scenic trail designed primarily for foot travel through natural or primitive areas, and extending generally from Maine to Georgia; to facilitate and promote Federal, State, local, and private cooperation and assistance for the promotion of the trail, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) in recognition of the public benefits already received from the establishment of the Appalachian Trail, extending generally along the Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Georgia for a distance of more than two thousand miles, and in order to promote and perfect the delineation, protection, and management of such trail, the cooperation of Federal, State, local, and private organizations and persons for these purposes, is hereby declared to be in the public interest. (b) In furtherance of these purposes, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Defense, and any other Federal officials who now or hereafter administer Federal properties traversed by the Appalachian Trail shall coordinate their efforts in providing uniform administration and protection of the trail; and they shall give encouragement to and cooperate with the States, local communities, and private organizations and persons in promoting the purposes of this Act. SEC. 2. (a) The Appalachian Trail, together with sufficient land on both sides thereof to protect adequately and preserve its character, shall comprise the Appalachian Trailway, which shall be administered, protected, and maintained so as to retain its natural or scenic character in keeping with the purposes of this Act, excluding therefrom all inconsistent and nonconforming uses wherever this can be accomplished in the public interest: Provided, That such administration shall not render inapplicable to the lands within the trailway the pertinent laws and regulations governing particular Federal areas or lands traversed by the trailway. (b) The Secretary of the Interior, with the concurrence of other Federal agencies administering lands through which the Appalachian Trail passes, is authorized to issue, and to amend from time to time, as required by circumstances, regulations to carry out the purposes of this Act and to serve as guidelines in its administration, protection, and general management. SEC. 3. In furtherance of this Act and the objectives prescribed by the basic Act relating to outdoor recreation activities approved May 28, 1963 (77 Stat. 49), the Secretary of the Interior, with the advice, consent, and assistance of the aforesaid Federal agencies, States, and others, is authorized to define, redefine, and delineate, where advisable, the route of the Appalachian Trailway in order to retain wherever possible the natural or scenic character of the trail and adjoining lands. The Secretary shall cause public notice to be given concerning the trailway route, as soon as possible after the enactment of this Act and thereafter whenever additions or changes are made, either through publication in the Federal Register, or in such other manner as he shall consider practicable. The route of the trailway may be revised from time to time, as required by circumstances, with the consent of the Federal agencies directly involved. In determining the width and location of the trailway, the following principles shall govern (a) The trailway shall be of sufficient width and shall be so located as to provide the maximum retention of natural conditions, scenic or historic features, and the primitive nature of the trailway. (b) The route of the trailway shall be selected to avoid, so far as possible and practicable, established highways, motor roads, mining areas, power transmission lines, private recreational developments, public recreational developments not related to the trail, and other activities that would be inconsistent with the purposes of this Act and the protection in its natural condition and use of the trail for outdoor recreation. SEC. 4. (a) In order to promote continuity of the Appalachian Trailway and its uniform administration as a continuous area throughout its full length, and to promote its use and management in keeping with the purposes of this Act, Federal agencies administering land through which the trailway passes are authorized to acquire, within the authorized boundaries of arcas they administer, through donation or such other manner as they shall consider to be in the public interest, any land, interests in land, rights, or easements; or they may enter into agreements with private landowners for the purpose of promoting the said Appalachian Trailway. (b) Where the trailway extends across other non-Federal lands, the Secretary of the Interior and the heads of other Federal agencies involved in administering adjacent lands are authorized to cooperate with States, political subdivisions, and local and private organizations and persons for the purpose of encouraging their acquisition of land, interests in land, rights, easements, or the consummation of agreements with landowners that will further the purposes of this Act; and if private properties within such portions of the trailway are offered for sale for purposes of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, to the extent of any funds that are made available therefor, may purchase such properties or interests therein for purposes of the trailway only from willing sellers, and he shall thereafter make such arrangements as he deems appropriate for the management of such properties. Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, D.C., August 24, 1965. Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: This responds to your request for the views of this Department on S. 622, a bill to facilitate the management, use, and public benefits from the Appalachian Trail, a scenic trail designed primarily for foot travel through natural or primitive areas, and extending generally from Maine to |