The “Decade for the National Trails” project led by the Partnership for the National Trails System and American Trails, our partner organization supporting America’s national recreation trails, commemorates the 40th Anniversary of the National Trails System Act in 2008 and prepares the way for the 50th Anniversary of the Trails Act in 2018 .
Activities, projects, and initiatives undertaken during the “Decade for the National Trails” will make the National Trails System fully available to Americans and international guests. These initiatives will also permanently preserve trail resources and assure that dedicated public and private partnerships have the enduring capacity to sustain the trails for many years into the future.
These goals will be achieved by collaborating nonprofit organizations and public agencies through measurable objectives and specific actions undertaken for both the individual trails and the System as a whole. Many actions will build on known successes, while others will break new ground. Benchmarks will be set in two year increments throughout the Decade to determine progress.
To learn more, please read Decade Goals Priority Actions – adopted 12/2009, updated 5/2012 and this description from Pathways Across America.