A major portion of the Metacomet Monadnock Mattabesett (MMM) Trail System has a new moniker: the New England National Scenic Trail. The rare National Scenic Trail (NST) designation, bestowed on just 11 trails in the country, will help protect the MMM's future.
The designation was made official on March 30 when President Obama signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act into law. This broad package of legislation will protect 2 million acres of wilderness nationwide, and includes the first National Scenic Trails designated in 26 years.
The MMM meanders for 190 miles from the peak of Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire through central Massachusetts to Middletown, Conn., and encompasses diverse ecosystems, mountain vistas, rare wildlife, and historic landmarks. Public lands along the route will first become part of the National Scenic Trail, and private landowners will have the ability to opt in to the legislation individually. New Hampshire chose to not be included in the NST designation, though that portion of trail could be added in the future.
AMC's Berkshire Chapter is the MMM's primary steward in Massachusetts. Trails Committee Chair Pat Fletcher first hiked the Massachusetts leg of the trail two decades ago, but he still vividly recalls the magnificent views and the wildlife. The experience made such an impact on the rookie hiker that he soon became involved in caring for the trail. Trail maintenance, Fletcher says, "becomes addictive, and it's just as important as getting out on the trail."
Fletcher is one of many volunteer custodians of the historic route. In fact, the MMM owes its very existence to volunteer labor, dating back to the Connecticut trail crews that began work on the Mattabesett Trail in 1931 and the Massachusetts crews—on which AMC was well represented—that extended the trail to New Hampshire in the 1950s.
Maintaining this route has been no small task. With more than 2 million people now living within 10 miles of the MMM, and more than 1,070 parcels of land belonging to 613 individuals and organizations making up the trail itself, development has become a real threat. "We exist because of the property owners who allow use of their property," says Fletcher.
Until recently there had been no comprehensive and current list of landowners, and thus no easy way to communicate with them. A study of the MMM, completed in 2006, identified all of the landowners, set forth a blueprint for management, and concluded that seeking NST designation would be the best way to protect the trail.
"I have hiked every mile of the trail through Massachusetts, and, while some segments are very well protected, other sections have suffered serious encroachment," says U.S. Rep. John Olver of Massachusetts' First District, a sponsor of the NST legislation. "Not only will designation provide an opportunity for maintenance assistance, but it will also help ensure that we don't lose the trails to residential subdivision growth. This legislation...marks the culmination of an effort that has been nearly a decade in the making. I feel honored to have been able to join the president at the White House as he signed this bill into law."
Following the blueprint for management will now be the charge of a newly formed Stewardship Council consisting of, among others, trail partners such as AMC and the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, municipalities, landowners, user groups, and the National Park Service (NPS). Under the blueprint, the NPS will neither own land nor acquire land by eminent domain. The NPS will assist with trail management, mapping and signage, communication with landowners, and capital improvements, as well as the disbursement of any federal funds obtained for the trail, if funding is provided (no money is guaranteed). If funded, the NST designation also provides landowners with access to a liability protection fund.
Among the Stewardship Council's first priorities will be a rerouting in the area of Leverett, Mass., and a 14-mile extension in Connecticut, all the way to the Long Island Sound.
LEARN MORE
Read more about AMC's trail stewardship >>.
Appalachian Mountain Club Applauds Congressional Approval of New England National Scenic Trail Designation (March 26, 2009)
For more information on the trail and how you can get involved, see www.newenglandnst.org.
