Ribbon-cutting on Aspen interpretive trail.

Residents of the Glennallen area gathered in July to celebrate the completion of the area's first community trail. The Aspen Interpretive Trail consists of two, mile-long loops through mixed forest, wetlands and meadows on a bluff overlooking the Tazlina and Copper river valleys. Local schoolchildren researched, designed and built interpretive signs, assisted by the Wrangell Institute for Science and the Environment. Staff from the NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program worked with the community for two years to identify a good location for the trail, located on Alaska Bible College land, and to develop a cooperative management agreement. Public workshops demonstrated a critical need for summer walking trails off major state highways in this remote community. The result--a trail suitable for a pleasant walk, with trailhead parking, interpretive signs and a trail map--demonstrates how collaboration among community interests, with assistance from state and federal partnership programs, can enhance quality-of-life for residents and visitors alike.

For more information, please contact Cassie Thomas, outdoor recreation planner, at [e-mail] or [phone].