[at-l] Hot Springs Hiker Fest is This Weekend and I Need Your Help to Help the AT!

[icw@xxxxxxxxxxx (Clark Wright)]

Hey to everyone!  Some of you may recall that several months back there
was a discussion on various ways to possibly raise funds to support the
AT.  Someone mentioned specialty license plates.  Well, that got my
curiosity up, and I took that ball and have run a good, long ways with
it here in North Carolina.  To make a long story a bit shorter, I have
succeeded in getting a North Carolina legislator to introduce Senate
Bill 485 [entitled "An Act to Authorize the Division of Motor Vehicles
to Issue a 'Friends of the Appalachian Trail' Special Vehicle
Registration Plate"] in the North Carolina General Assembly.

This bill, if passed, will create a specialty license tag that anyone
owning a motor vehicle in NC could buy that would result in $20.00 being
contributed to the ATC for designated use to support AT educational
materials, trail maintenance, trail right of way acquisitions, etc. for
the 300+ miles of the AT that run through NC and on the border with TN.
  The name of the NC legislator taking the lead on this is Senator Joe
Sam Queen.  Senator Queen represents the six NC counties through which
portions of the AT run.  I just spoke with Senator Queen today; he is
confident that his bill will be reported out of committee and passed by
the NC Senate later this week, after which he thinks prospects are good
for passage in the NC House.  In other words, this idea that started
with a curious spark in my restless mind may actually become law with
his good help, and the help of many others!!

Now, here is where we need YOUR help.  Senator Queen has learned of the
Hiker Fest scheduled for this weekend in Hot Springs, NC.  On the
telephone today, he mentioned to me that he plans to come by Hot Springs
this coming Saturday afternoon during the Hiker Fest (April 12th) to
just say hello and see some of this year's AT thru-hikers.  It would
mean a HECK of a lot to me [not to mention to the AT and Senator Queen]
if a BUNCH of AT hikers and supporters could manage to look him up while
he is in Hot Springs this coming Saturday afternoon, and thank him
profusely for his support of Senate Bill 485.  If you can be there, or
can spread this message far and wide to anyone who might be able to be
there [especially to any thru-hikers!!!!!!!!], I will be eternally grateful.

Thanks a ton for any help you can give in passing the word on re this.
It could turn into something really big if we get this law passed in NC,
get a lot of people to sign up for the new tags, and then can get some
other states to do the same thing.  As an example, the "Friends of the
Great Smokey Mountains" NC specialty tag raised over $100,000 for that
organization last year alone from their NC specialty tag sales!

Thanks and Hike On!

Clark Wright
[Thru-Thinker]