North Country National Scenic Trail Route Adjustment Act

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands and my cosponsor, the lead sponsor, Mr. Nolan. I also want to thank Chairman Bishop.

Chairman Bishop, I want to thank you as well. You did something for us in Vermont with the Missisquoi River, and everything is working out. You had your same skepticism of certain agencies, but Vermonters are very grateful. You helped us then, and you are helping us now.

I will take issue with a little thing you said. You presented the fact that this is going to go into Vermont. I heard it as an afterthought. I may be a little sensitive, but the whole point of walking 4,600 miles is to get to Vermont. That is what it is about.

This is covering all these States, starting up in the Plains and coming around that bog hopefully, and it is going to connect up to the Appalachian Trail that not only runs through Vermont, Mr. Nolan, but runs by my house. I am going to wave to you next year when you have the time of being a retired Member of Congress and you are marching across that trail, when you get to Vermont, we are going to say hello and invite you in.

The points you made are true. The economic benefit of this is really substantial. It gets people out and around and into the communities. The spin-off economic benefit is very substantial. In Vermont, our whole trail system, which we are very proud of, as I note you are in Minnesota, we estimate that about one in seven Vermont jobs depends on outdoor recreation, about 51,000 jobs and about $5.5 billion in consumer spending. And that is a big deal.

The other point you alluded to is something I really think is important. It is good for the bottom line, but it is good for the soul: the camaraderie, the family participation, the connection that people have to where they live and the beauty of where it is they live.

It is interesting you have got sponsors from all of the States through which this trail goes, and it didn't matter if it was Republican or Democrat because all of us have so much engagement with our citizens and ourselves where they have a sense of place in that location where the trail goes through their land, and they get out there, like you say, with the chain saws, and the amount of volunteer work that goes into making these trails passable in winter and summer is extraordinary.

So this whole effort on this trail and in all of our trails is something that I think Congress should be doing as much of as it possibly can. It is good for the economy, it is good for the heart, and it is good for the soul.

This is very, very important to us in Vermont. The Appalachian Trail goes through part of Vermont. The Green Mountain Corridor goes through all of Vermont, and we have a number of other trails that sometimes link up with snowmobile byways, some of which go across the land my wife and I own. And your legislation I think is building on a very, very ambitious and wonderful trail, the North Country National Scenic Trail.

When you think about it, a person--you showed it on the map--can walk all that way. Do you know what? There are people who are going to do it. They are doing the Appalachian Trail, they

are doing the Pacific Coast Trail, and it becomes a lifetime effort for them. They plan it, and they arrange with friends to meet and do it. Whether you can do all of it, like Mr. Bishop probably could, and you could, or some of it, which I could do, it is an opportunity out there that awaits us, our kids, our grandkids, and future generations.

So, Mr. Nolan, I have got to say that it has been an enormous pleasure to serve with you in Congress. You are one of the most direct and forthright people whom I have seen here. I think as a piece of legislation to pass upon the soon departure of your second round here in Congress, this is really something that generations of Americans, generations of Minnesotans, and generations of Vermonters are going to have very, very fond feelings, look back and thank you, Rick Nolan, for taking up the leadership on this tribute to our land and to our people.

I want to thank you for letting me be part of this effort.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bishop for his thoughtful

consideration of this legislation and his very apt, clear, and concise explanation of what it does. I also want to thank our ranking member, Mr. Grijalva, and thank the bipartisan sponsorship for this legislation adjusting, expanding, and finishing off this great North Country National Scenic Trail.

As Chairman Bishop explained, it starts up here at Sakakawea State Park and then travels all the way through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Superior National Forest through Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania, all the way up to beautiful Lake Champlain and will connect with the great Appalachian Trail, which my family and I have enjoyed hiking on as well in years past.

So I want to now note with gratitude the fact that virtually all--I am not sure everyone--but most all of the Members, Democrats and Republicans, whose district this trail goes through are cosponsors on the legislation. It enjoys wonderfully good bipartisan support.

Mr. Speaker, there are millions of people in this country who really enjoy hiking and the camaraderie, the exercise, and all the good things that go along with that. So with this in mind, Chairman Bishop has already explained the fact that it gets us through this 100 miles of bog. Hats off to the State and local officials and the private landowners. All have agreed to do this without any cost to the public and without any exercise of eminent domain.

Also hats off to the volunteers who enjoy so much of this hiking. I have actually worked on some of the trails myself. Of course, coming out of the sawmill and the pallet construction business, why, I feel pretty good with an ax, a hatchet, and a chain saw, so I have been out myself and volunteered my services to expand these trails.

So with that in mind, I want to thank my good friend from Vermont (Mr. Welch) for his work, help, and support in bringing this trail all the way up to that beautiful Lake Champlain and then connecting it with the great Appalachian Trail as well.

I think it is important to note that this legislation is not just about trails. It is about good jobs, and it is about good economic development. The fact is that there are millions of Americans who are out here hiking on these trails all the time. They get hungry and they get thirsty. They want to stop somewhere, have a refreshment, have a bite to eat, and support all the local restaurants.

Secondly, hiking causes some exertion, which is why it is good exercise. So they get a little tired along the way, and they want to stop and spend a night or two in local hotels along the way. Of course, they also need some additional equipment or repairs or a new pair of shoes.

The American Hiking Society has determined that, applying the multiplier effect here, this reaches and results in about $196 billion a year and supports about 768,000 jobs. I explained here how that happens.

So along with the good-paying jobs, there is this enormous health factor. Experts are telling us now that our youth have a nature deficit in their thinking. In fancy terms it means the kids just don't get out enough anymore. One study indicated that each day the average kid spends 7 minutes outdoors and 7 hours in front of a computer or a TV screen. So we need to get our kids outdoors so they can learn the values and appreciation of the great outdoors. They are probably not going to get a chance to spend any time at Walden Pond, but we can get them out and exercising.

So it is a good bill for economic health; it is a good bill for business and economic development. I want to again thank the chairman for his support in his committee for this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful the House recently passed H.R.1026, the North Country National Scenic Trail Route Adjustment Act under suspension of the rules by voice vote. My office received a number of letters in support of H.R. 1026 I am including. in the Record.

Specifically, we received letters from the North Country Trail Association, the American Hiking Society, and the Partnership for the National Trails System.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to timely action in the U.S. Senate to ensure enactment of this bipartisan, commonsense measure before the end of the 115th Congress.

Partnership for the

National Trails System,

Madison, WI, June 1, 2018.

Re H.R. 1026.

Dear Member of Congress: We urge your support for the

passage of H.R. 1026, the North Country National Scenic Trail

Route Adjustment Act, which is scheduled for a floor vote in

the House on June 5th.

We ask this on behalf of:

Local communities in northeastern Minnesota and Vermont

directly affected by this bill, in order that they enjoy the

many economic, recreational and quality of life benefits

through this designation of a National Scenic Trail passing

through their communities.

The North Country Trail community--now representing over

50,000 hikers, trail builders and trail maintainers--who have

worked tirelessly for over 15 years to finally see this

legislation passed.

The hundreds of thousands of American families who use the

North Country National Scenic Trail to enjoy the many health,

recreational, and family values benefits of hiking on a

National Trail, and being connected with others who call

America's northern heartlands home.

The millions of Americans who annually are refreshed,

invigorated, educated, and inspired thru their journeys on

our 30 National Scenic and Historic Trails throughout

America.

This simple bill corrects an oversight perpetuated in the

original 1980 authorization of the North Country National

Scenic Trail, adjusts its authorized mileage to the more

accurate number and saves money by replacing the far more

costly original route in Minnesota that required traversing

wetlands with world class trail that is mostly already

constructed.

In honor of this 50th Anniversary Year of the National

Trails System our community of trail makers and trail users

requests your support of H.R. 1026 to fully realize the

public benefit envisioned by Congress for the North Country

National Scenic Trail. We hope we can count on you.

Sincerely,

Gary Werner,

Executive Director.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1026) to revise the authorized route of the North Country National Scenic Trail in northeastern Minnesota and to extend the trail into Vermont to connect with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The North Country National Scenic Trail is about 4,000 miles and links scenic, national, historic, and cultural areas across seven States. It goes from basically North Dakota through New York and will eventually end up in Vermont.

The issue at hand here is a section in Minnesota which is about 93 miles that has not been built because it is a swamp. You can't build it there.

So what this would do--and it is strange we have to pass legislation to do it--is simply authorize to build a trail and go around the swamp which may add some additional miles to it, maybe around 400. It also authorizes at the other end about, maybe 66 miles of potential road from Vermont so that they can all connect to the Appalachian Trail which will create one of the most significant trails, the longest trail that we have to be able to use in this country.

I should say the National Park Service has studied this, they have approved it; and nonetheless, it is still a good idea. I urge its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to have been able to work on a bill that makes the assumption that someone actually does want to walk to Vermont. If indeed you can find that individual, we will provide an opportunity for it to take place.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Minnesota for introducing this bill. As he said, the North Country Trail is really a gem that goes across seven States.

But I take particular interest in it because the 173 miles that we are adding today are so close to the State of Wisconsin. I know there are many outdoor enthusiasts in my district for whom it is very important to do what they can to complete the North Country Trail.

As was mentioned right now, to go through the trail you would wind up in an area that would be very difficult to get through. So I am sure there is an economic benefit to this to Minnesota, but to me far more than the economic benefit is the huge benefit so many of our American citizens take and experience in the outdoors, particularly in the area that is relatively undeveloped.

I encourage passage of the bill. Add the new 173 miles. I am sure there are plenty of constituents in Wisconsin's Sixth Congressional District who look forward to walking across each one of those miles.