North Country Trail Association

Advocacy

Congress authorized the North Country Trail as a National Scenic Trail in 1980, but the work to build, maintain, and protect it continues.

Each year, Congress reviews funding and appropriations bills that benefit the trail. Other legislation, like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, is also critical for the National Trails System. It is vital that the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) has a presence in Washington DC.

The NCTA Advocacy Committee builds relationships with policy makers and their staff by communicating to them how important the trail is for the American people. This is an effort to influence legislation and management that benefit the trail and its users.

Learn what this administration’s recent executive orders mean for the North Country Trail on our blog. The post will be updated as details emerge. Select Take Action below for additional information and options.
Take Action

Contact your senators and representatives. Tell them why the North Country National Scenic Trail is important to you. Ask them to retain the staffing and funding levels from previous years for the trail’s National Park Service office. This funding is leveraged eight times by the North Country Trail Association. It supports the on-the-ground work of volunteers and partners across eight states, including theirs. Contact NCTA Executive Director Andrea Ketchmark to learn how you can get involved.

Annual Fact Sheets
State-Level Issues

Wisconsin

In the past two decades, Wisconsin has been a hotspot for new North Country Trail construction. Most the new sections have been built on lands or easements acquired with the the help of funding from the state of Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund. Future projects to close the trail gaps in Wisconsin will need this critical matching fund source. The Knowles-Nelson Fund is coming up for renewal in the Wisconsin Legislature this spring (2025). A strong advocacy effort will be needed to gain renewal. Wisconsin’s alliance of land trusts, Gathering Waters, is collecting messages from Wisconsin citizens to send to legislators at the optimum time. If you live in Wisconsin, we encourage you to send your message!