Inspired and Shaped by Hundreds of Generations:

1. National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Office Inspired and Shaped by Hundreds of Generations: A presentation on conservation, landscape and the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail [for a 2012 conference in Maryland] E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

2. Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Pittsburgh Washington, DC 1968: study authorized in the National Trails System Act (NTSA) 1974: feasibility study completed 1983: Trail authorized as an amendment to the NTSA E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

3. Trail network in Maryland: • Designated Trail segments: • portion of the Great Allegheny Passage • most of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath • hiking route within Nanjemoy NRMA • bicycling route between Point Lookout SP & Oxon Hill Farm • Potential Trail segments in Maryland: • hiking route between Point Lookout SP & Piscataway Park • Eastern Continental Divide Loop Trail in Garrett County (connecting to the GAP in Penn.) • Related Trails in the National Trails System: • Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT • Star Spangled Banner NHT • Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route NHT • Potomac River Water Trail, a National Recreation Trail • other national recreation trails

4. What plan?

6. Legislation… Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin Clean Water Act “Potomac National River” Piscataway Park/The Accokeek Foundation Chesapeake and Ohio Canal bald eagles American Heritage River Chesapeake Bay E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

7. Studies… Ian McHarg, Potomac River Basin Study in Design with Nature Frederick Gutheim, The Potomac The Accokeek Foundation, Potomac River Heritage Project Potomac River Greenways Coalition: Potomac River Greenways: A Shared Agenda Karen Zachary, Landscapes of the Potomac E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

9. Interpretive Themes: The Trail is a national meeting ground of ideas and practices, reflecting a desire for the conservation of lands and waters, for educational opportunities combined with outdoor recreation, and for a celebration of regional diversity and distinctiveness. • Natural History and Diversity: Between the Chesapeake Bay and the Allegheny Highlands, the Trail corridor includes portions of five distinct physiographic regions; each, in different ways has inspired and shaped hundreds of human generations . • Boundary, Corridor and Crossroads: As a boundary between north and south and an east to west route into the North American interior, the Potomac River has been a crossroads of opportunity, diversity, and conflict. • Nation-Building / Nurturing A Nation: Routes connecting the Potomac River with the Forks of the Ohio provided an essential context for the development of the United States. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

10. Why invest in the Trail network?

11. More information: Donald E. Briggs, Superintendent Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail National Park Service don_briggs@nps.gov 304-535-4016 E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A