The citizen council that advises the Forest Service on the new Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail will meet in Whitefish Wednesday and Thursday. The council will make recommendations to the U.S. Forest Service on the long-term comprehensive management of the trail, including its purposes, trail uses and marking along the trail.
The Service’s plan will be subject to a series of public scoping meetings next year.
Congress designated the Pacific Northwest trail the newest of the country’s 11 National Scenic Trails in 2009. It runs 1,200 miles from the eastern boundary of Glacier National Park to the Pacific Ocean at Cape Alava in Olympic National Park.
Twenty-four people appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture sit on the trail’s advisory council, representing a range of interests. Representatives of federal and state land management agencies are also on the council.
The meetings are being held on November 2 and 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish. They are open to the public. The council will hear and accept comments both days.
Find more information on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail.
