HCR 13 — Urge Congress to designate Buckeye Trail a National Scenic Trail

As(136th AdoptedGeneralAssembly) by(House Concurrent Resolution Number 13) ACONCURRENT RESOLUTION To urge Congress to designate the HouseBuckeye 136thTrail Generalas Assemblya RegularNational SessionScenic H.Trail.

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Ohio (the Senate concurring):

WHEREAS, National Scenic Trails are routes, designated by Congress, that traverse some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the United States, providing unique opportunities for hiking, biking, and experiencing nature.

These trails are recognized for their outstanding scenic, natural, and recreational values, often showcasing diverse ecosystems, picturesque vistas, and cultural heritage along their paths;

and WHEREAS, National Scenic Trails, like theAppalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, are managed by various federal and state agencies and offer well-maintained paths that attract outdoor enthusiasts from across the country.

They often intersect with local communities and provide significant economic benefits through tourism;

and WHEREAS, The Buckeye Trail is an existing long-distance hiking trail that creates a loop extending approximately 1,454 miles from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, through the farmland of northwest Ohio, the hills ofAppalachia, the Black Hand sandstone cliffs of the Hocking Hills region, and the Bluegrass region of southwest Ohio;

and WHEREAS, The Buckeye Trail was established in 1959 by the Buckeye TrailAssociation, a nonprofit organization that currently administers the trail;

and WHEREAS, The National Park Service is conducting a study to provide information to Congress on the feasibility and desirability of designating the Buckeye Trail as a National Scenic Trail.

By objectively examining established criteria, the National Park Service's study will assess how well the trail aligns with the federal designation requirements, which emphasize public access to and the preservation and conservation of the trail's unique characteristics;

and WHEREAS,At the conclusion of the study, the National Park Service will submit its findings to the Secretary of the Interior, who then makes a recommendation to Congress for consideration;

now therefore be it RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 136th GeneralAssembly of the State of Ohio, upon completion of the feasibility study, urge Congress to designate the Buckeye Trail as a National Scenic Trail;

and be it further RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate, Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, members of Ohio's Congressional delegation, and the news media of Ohio.

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13 2025-2026136th RepresentativesG.A. Hoops, Robinson Cosponsors:

RepresentativesSpeaker Grim,__________________ Rader,of Piccolantonio, Lett, Lorenz, Daniels, McNally, Miller, M., Brennan, Pizzulli, Mathews, A., Jones, Troy, Bird, Synenberg, Hiner, Salvo, Johnson, Workman, Abdullahi, Abrams, Barhorst, Brent, Brewer, Brownlee, Callender, Claggett, Click, Cockley, Deeter, Denson, Dovilla, Fischer, Fowler Arthur, Ghanbari, Hall, D., Jarrells, King, Kishman, Klopfenstein, Lawson- Rowe, Manning, Mathews, T., Miller, J., Mohamed, Newman, Peterson, Plummer, Ray, Robb Blasdel, Roemer, Rogers, Russo, Schmidt, Sigrist, Sims, Thomas, C., Upchurch, White, A., White, E., Williams, Willis A C O N C U R R E N T R E S O L U T I O N To urge Congress to designate the BuckeyeHouse Trailof asRepresentatives. a 1 National Scenic Trail.

2President BE__________________ ITof RESOLVEDthe BYSenate. THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO (THE SENATE CONCURRING):

WHEREAS,Adopted National_____________________, Scenic20____ Trails are routes, designated by 3 Congress, that traverse some of the most breathtaking landscapes 4 in the United States, providing unique opportunities for hiking, 5 biking, and experiencing nature.

These trails are recognized for 6 their outstanding scenic, natural, and recreational values, 7 often showcasing diverse ecosystems, picturesque vistas, and 8 cultural heritage along their paths;

and 9 WHEREAS, National Scenic Trails, like the Appalachian Trail 10 and the Pacific Crest Trail, are managed by various federal and 11 state agencies and offer well-maintained paths that attract 12 H.

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13 Page 2 As Adopted by the House outdoor enthusiasts from across the country.

They often 13 intersect with local communities and provide significant 14 economic benefits through tourism;

and 15 WHEREAS, The Buckeye Trail is an existing long-distance 16 hiking trail that creates a loop extending approximately 1,454 17 miles from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, through the farmland of 18 northwest Ohio, the hills of Appalachia, the Black Hand 19 sandstone cliffs of the Hocking Hills region, and the Bluegrass 20 region of southwest Ohio;

and 21 WHEREAS, The Buckeye Trail was established in 1959 by the 22 Buckeye Trail Association, a nonprofit organization that 23 currently administers the trail;

and 24 WHEREAS, The National Park Service is conducting a study to 25 provide information to Congress on the feasibility and 26 desirability of designating the Buckeye Trail as a National 27 Scenic Trail.

By objectively examining established criteria, the 28 National Park Service's study will assess how well the trail 29 aligns with the federal designation requirements, which 30 emphasize public access to and the preservation and conservation 31 of the trail's unique characteristics;

and 32 WHEREAS, At the conclusion of the study, the National Park 33 Service will submit its findings to the Secretary of the 34 Interior, who then makes a recommendation to Congress for 35 consideration;

now therefore be it 36 RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 136th General 37 Assembly of the State of Ohio, upon completion of the 38 feasibility study, urge Congress to designate the Buckeye Trail 39 as a National Scenic Trail;

and be it further 40 RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives 41 transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the 42 President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate, 43 H.

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13 Page 3 As Adopted by the House Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, 44 members of Ohio's Congressional delegation, and the news media 45 of Ohio.

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