STORY:
More Millennium Legacy Trails Announced

Hilary Clinton announces 50 more Millennium trails across the U.S.

As part of the ongoing Millennium Legacy Trails project, Hilary Clinton announced this week 50 more U.S. trails that will remain open land and will receive government funding for preservation.

The trails are located in 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They will become part of a network of greenways, water, rail and long-distance trails. They were chosen because they preserve open spaces, interpret history or encourage recreation.

"Each of them stitch a design in our landscape and help together to create a picture of America, " Mrs. Clinton told the Associated Press. "They reflect the unique spirit of their states and collective history of our nation."

This week’s announcement of 50 new trails brings the total to 66, 16 others were chosen in June. The winning trails include the Monon Rail Trail in Indiana, which displays murals painted by students. In Nebraska, the 321-mile Cowboy Trail is the country’s longest railroad to be converted to a trail. In the last group the path of Lewis and Clark’s expedition was chosen.

The White House Millennium Council, the Transportation Department and a private nonprofit group, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, selected the trails from thousands of nominations made by state governors and other officials. Winning trails will receive funding for preservation or construction. For example: National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Bill Ivey announced a $520,000 grant Thursday to support arts projects along the routes. American Express has also contributed $500,000 to the project.

In a year, Mrs. Clinton hopes to announce thousands of other community trails to finish the network. The hope is to ensure a trail within reach of every single home in America in the new millennium.

DATE: 10/27/99

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