The USDA Forest Service has extended the deadline for volunteers interested in serving on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Advisory Council to submit applications to July 31, 2020. The extended timeframe is in recognition of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on tribes, state and local governments, communities, and stakeholders.
All seats on the council are currently open. The council will be comprised of approximately 25 and no more than 35 members.
Designated by Congress as a national scenic trail in 2009, the Pacific Northwest Trail travels through some of the most scenic terrain in the northwestern United States, connecting diverse landscapes and communities along a 1,200-mile route through Montana, Idaho, and Washington. The council, established under the National Trails System Act, provides recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture through the Chief of the Forest Service about matters relating to the administration and management of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (Pacific Northwest Trail or “PNT”).
Members of the advisory council will be appointed to serve two-year terms, from 2020 to 2022. The Secretary may choose to reappoint members for an additional term. The advisory council will meet approximately twice a year. Its work will focus on broad, trail-wide issues. Interested candidates should have a desire to protect the nature and purposes of the Pacific Northwest Trail while considering the overall context of land management, natural resources, and community interests.
The advisory council does not make decisions about the location of the Pacific Northwest Trail route, which was designated by Congress and can only be relocated in accordance with Section 7(b) of the National Trails System Act.
Nominations must be received by July 31, 2020.
For more information about the Pacific Northwest Trail, click here.
For information about eligibility and applying for the advisory council, click here.
