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"American Frontiers: A Public Lands Journey" Begins Trek
BLM is joining several federal agencies in "American Frontiers: A Public Lands Journey," a trek that begins in Canada and Mexico and converges in Utah on National Public Lands Day in September.
Two four-member teams kicked off the trek on July 31, with one team starting in Canada and one in Mexico. The current plan is for the two groups to meet in Northern Utah on September 28, this year's date for National Public Lands Day. The journey will travel on Public Lands for the entire trek. More than 30 special events are planned along the routes, including events involving the following BLM lands*:
Southern trek:
- July 31-August 2: Hiking and 4X4 on BLM Lands, from the Mexican Border to Lake Valley, near Las Cruces, NM;
- September 5: Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, AZ
- September 7: Tour of Paria Canyon Area near Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, AZ
- September 12: Tours and school programs at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT
- September 23: Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry National Natural Landmark, UT
Northern Route:
- August 4-5: Two-day backpacking trop in the Great Bear Wilderness Area, Montana
- August 16: Horseback Ride in Staple Pass and Meyers Hill, Montana
- August 24: Tour of Humbug Spires Primitive Area near Butte, MT
- September 13: Wild Horse & Burro Adoption, Rock Springs, Wyoming
- September: Fontenele Reservoir; WY
- September: Green River near Flaming Gorge Reservoir and National Recreation Area; WY
The adventure is designed around six themes that touch on the history and ecology of public lands: Conservation, History, Lands, Lifeways, Nature, and Resources. For the latest information on the trek, visit American Frontiers: A Public Lands Journey website at http://www.americanfrontiers.net
PLIC's Online Public Lands Museum is planning to develop online exhibits for each theme, some of which will include video clips of the Public Lands Journey. Teachers and students will be able to follow the trekkers online as they report their adventures during the journey beginning in August.
The National Geographic Society Education Foundation is featuring the American Frontiers trek as part of its "Geography Action" program for 2002. Geography Action is an annual conservation and awareness program designed for teachers and students.
The overall theme for Geography Action 2002 is "America's Backyard: Exploring Your Public Lands." For more information on this program, visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geographyaction/backyard/.
Geography Action major partners include
- American Honda Motor Co.
- Bureau of Land Management
- National Interagency Fire Center
- National Park Service
- Public Lands Interpretive Association
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
For more information on the "American Frontiers" trek, contact Dave Mensing at BLM.
*Final route is subject to change.