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Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Op-Ed | Present Day Graffiti Vs. Historical Graffiti In National Parks – What’s The Difference?

Vandalism in its many forms, seems to be continuing unabated in the national parks. The Leave No Trace Seven Principals don’t appear to apply to those who wish to let others know they were there in the form of acrylic paint on 180-million year old sandstone and gouges into rock and living trees in places like Zion, Joshua Tree, Olympic, and Redwood national parks? Is modern graffiti on protected lands considered art and future history for archeologists, much like the ancient petroglyphs and pictographs now safeguarded within the boundaries of natural parks, national memorials, and other park units? Or is it a despoiling of protected National Park Service lands by a selfish few who apparently learned no respect for keeping the landscape unblemished for the enjoyment of present and future generations? Contributing editor and photographer Rebecca Latson offers her own thoughts on the subject.

UPDATE | Supreme Court Says Gas Pipeline Can Cross Appalachian Trail

In a 7-2 ruling Monday the U.S. Supreme Court said an energy company could run a gas pipeline across the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Virginia, holding that the National Park Service controls just an easement to the land traversed by the iconic foot path without authority to block the project.
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Appalachian National Scenic Trail near Thunder Ridge Overlook Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 74

A portion of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail making a leading line through the forest near the Thunder Ridge Overlook

The National Park Service calls this 2,180+ mile long trail a "footpath for the people" as it takes the wanderer through lush forests and pastoral landscape, and along the Appalachian Mountains.

National Park Service
Appalachian National Scenic Trail near Thunder Ridge Overlook Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 74

Groups Support Efforts To Keep Pipeline From Crossing A.T., Blue Ridge Parkway

Any gas pipelines that cross the Appalachian National Scenic Trail or the Blue Ridge Parkway need to be approved by Congress, not simply the U.S. Forest Service, according to an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court by former National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, the trail's former superintendent, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks.
PDF icon acp_amicus_brief.pdf PDF icon 4th_u.s._circuit-atlantic_coast_pipeline.pdf

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