[at-l] guide books and maps - must have???

[wdaniels@bestweb.net (Walt Daniels)]

> let's get the
> ATC to think BIG - beyond its more narrowly defined present missions,
> and find some ways to act LOCALLY to locate, document, preserve and
> publish all this wonderful history.  I bet a number of universities
> would be willing to coordinate and communicate on various projects, but
> there needs to be a loose, overarching organizational aspect [ATC?} as
> well - could be a neat thing!
>

The Education, Information and Outreach Committee of ATC is working on an
interpretion plan.


Now that the T&E species inventories of the whole trail are done, NPS and
ATC are starting to work on Cultural inventories. Non T&E species is an
almost endless task, birds migrate thru - do you count them? thousands of
insects, fungae, etc. Local Audubon societies sometimes have bird lists. In
NY/NJ there is a Torrey Botanical Society that has plant lists of many parks
in the region.

Unfortunately the T&E inventories are restricted information because they
are too likely to be damaged if people know where they are. Some of the
cultural inventories will fall into the same problem, e.g. prehistoric
Native American sites.

Local management plans have some of this information. Join your local
maintaining club and help them inventory. The resources needed are huge. The
local clubs are the ones who supply the information for the guide books.

A few of the cultural things on the 18 miles I supervise are, 1700s mile
markers on Old Albany Post Road, Rev. War smallpox innoculation station and
hut foundations, mill stone of uncertain vintage, iron mines, etc.

All of the above take time and sometimes money.