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news release
BUREAU OF OUTDOOR RECREATION	A.	Hess	404/221-4538
G. Kyle 202/343-5726
For Release:	P.M.'s.	October	12.	1977
BARTRAM SCENIC TRAIL STUDY BECOMES MODEL OF FEDERAL-PRIVATE COOPERATION
Secretary of the Interior Cecil D. Andrus today announced that the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation has arranged for assistance by the Bartram Trail Conference in a National Scenic Trail Study authorized by Congress.
The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation study will evaluate the potential of a corridor across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama,
Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana for addition to the National Trails System. The Bartram Trail is one of twenty-two trail studies called for in the National Trails System Act, Public Law 90-543, as amended.
Under the contract, the Bartram Trail Conference will collect, compile, analyze, and evaluate available information on the works and travels of naturalist-explorer William Bartram, who recorded features of the eight States in his 18th century travels.
In addition, the work will evaluate Bartram's observations and records for their significance and value to the historical, natural, and cultural heritage of the region and Nation. It will include an American Heritage conceptual plan identifying government and private actions to preserve, enhance, and make accessible those outstanding natural, scientific, historical, and cultural areas and features related to, or revealed by, Bartram's travels.
Chris T. Delaporte, Director of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, said that the cooperative effort demonstrates the Department's and Bureau's commitment to assure citizen participation in resource studies. "During the course of the Bartram Trail Study, open public meetings will be held along Bartram's route to discuss the study schedule, objectives, and findings. These will be especially designed to obtain public views and evaluation of trail proposals and action recommendations," he said.
Delaporte said, "This arrangement with the Bartram Trail Conference is unique. It will not continue to be unique, however, because we are going to use this pilot effort to develop a process whereby active citizen involvement will be a mainstay in all our resource studies."
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