The Overland Trail

I am pleased to have this opportunity to send greetings to each of you celebrating National Trails Day.

Millennium Trails is a public/private partnership led by the White House Millennium Council, the United States Department of Transportation and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Park Service, American Hiking Society and a committed group of federal agencies, national organizations and private companies. New coalitions are being formed every day to continue the nationwide effort to connect every community in America through a network of Millennium Trails. These trails carve a path through urban and rural areas, reintroduce us to our landscape, make it possible for us to walk or bike to work and school, and help us understand and celebrate our history and culture.

In June of 1999 Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater and I designated National Millennium Trails that reflect defining aspects of American history and culture. Governors from across the country nominated fifty Millennium Legacy Trails that were recognized last fall. Today we are honoring hundreds of Community Millennium Trails across the land. Millennium Trails are tangible gifts to the future that represent a commitment and an investment in the kind of country we want to create in the 21st century. It is my hope that the energy that has sparked this growing national movement well be sustained and nurtured so that trails are a part of our nation's heritage for many generations to come.

America's trails are the product of many hands and I want to thank all of you who devote time and effort to developing these valuable resources. You have my best wishes for a wonderful National Trails Day event.

Sincerely yours,

Hillary Rodham Clinton