II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 923 

To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the New England 

National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 20, 2007 

Mr. KERRY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the 

New England National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘New England National 

5 Scenic Trail Designation Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION. 

7 Section 5(a) of the National Trails System Act (16 

8 U.S.C. 1244(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(ll) NEW ENGLAND NATIONAL SCENIC

2 TRAIL.—The New England National Scenic Trail, a 

3 continuous trail extending approximately 220 miles 

4 from the border of New Hampshire in the town of 

5 Royalston, Massachusetts to Long Island Sound in 

6 the town of Guilford, Connecticut, as generally de7 picted on the maps associated with the preferred al8 ternative contained in the draft report titled the 

9 ‘Metacomet Monadnock Mattabesett Trail System 

10 National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study and Envi11 ronmental Assessment’, prepared by the National 

12 Park Service, and dated Spring 2006. The report 

13 shall be on file and available for public inspection in 

14 the appropriate offices of the National Park Service. 

15 The Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with 

16 Federal, State, tribal, regional, and local agencies, 

17 the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Connecticut 

18 Forest and Park Association, and other organiza19 tions, shall administer the trail consistent with the 

20 recommendations of the draft report. The United 

21 States shall not acquire for the trail any land or in22 terest in land without the consent of the owner.’’ 

23 SEC. 3. MANAGEMENT. 

24 The Secretary of the Interior (hereafter in this Act 

25 referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall use the Trail ManVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:30 Mar 21, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S923.IS S923

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1 agement Blueprint described in the draft report titled the 

2 ‘‘Metacomet Monadnock Mattabesett Trail System Na3 tional Scenic Trail Feasibility Study and Environmental 

4 Assessment’’, prepared by the National Park Service, and 

5 dated Spring 2006, as the framework for management and 

6 administration of the New England National Scenic Trail. 

7 Additional or more detailed plans for administration, man8 agement, protection, access, maintenance, or development 

9 of the trail may be developed consistent with the Trail 

10 Management Blueprint, and as approved by the Secretary. 

11 SEC. 4. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS. 

12 The Secretary is authorized to enter into cooperative 

13 agreements with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

14 (and its political subdivisions), the State of Connecticut 

15 (and its political subdivisions), the Appalachian Mountain 

16 Club, the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, and 

17 other regional, local, and private organizations deemed 

18 necessary and desirable to accomplish cooperative trail ad19 ministrative, management, and protection objectives con20 sistent with the Trail Management Blueprint. An agree21 ment under this section may include provisions for limited 

22 financial assistance to encourage participation in the plan23 ning, acquisition, protection, operation, development, or 

24 maintenance of the trail. 


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1 SEC. 5. ADDITIONAL TRAIL SEGMENTS. 

2 Pursuant to section 6 of the National Trails System 

3 Act, the Secretary is encouraged to work with the State 

4 of New Hampshire and appropriate local and private orga5 nizations to include that portion of the Metacomet-Monad6 nock Trail in New Hampshire (which lies between 

7 Royalston, Massachusetts and Jaffrey, New Hampshire) 

8 as a component of the New England National Scenic 

9 Trail. Inclusion of this segment, as well as other potential 

10 side or connecting trails, is contingent upon written appli11 cation to the Secretary by appropriate State and local ju12 risdictions and a finding by the Secretary that trail man13 agement and administration is consistent with the Trail 

14 Management Blueprint. 

Æ 


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