Trails and Rails

Trails & Rails is a program of the National Park Service offered in conjunction with Amtrak to provide National Park Service Ranger Guides and Volunteers-In-Parks (VIPs) on segments of selected routes across the country to provide interpretive program on the history, location, and biology and ecology of the area the train route covers. The program's goal is to "reach out to people who may not traditionally visit National Park Service areas" former NPS Director Robert Stanton said.[1]

Trails & Rails logo

Routes

Trails & Rails programs are offered on segments of select Amtrak routes nationwide, led by host parks across the country. This list is of the 2020 routes, offered each week during the summer.[2]

History

The idea behind Trails & Rails first formed from an Amtrak marketing director who was onboard the Sunset Limited and overheard a National Park Service Ranger talking with passengers about the sites outside the window of the Sightseer Lounge.[3] That Ranger, James Miculka, served as Chief of Interpretation at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in New Orleans, and started the program with staff from the park aboard the Sunset Limited and soon the City of New Orleans[4]. Trails & Rails officially became a nationwide program in 2000 when an agreement was signed between the National Park Service and Amtrak.[5] Since then, the program has expanded to nearly two dozen routes under the leadership of National Coordinator Jim Miculka.[6] Around 2007, NPS began a partnership with the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences (RPTS) at Texas A&M University to house the management of the program there. RPTS faculty assists in training the new Volunteers-In-Parks (VIPs) who work on the program, as well as providing logistical and technical support to the program. RPTS faculty member Susan Scott serves as the Trails & Rails liaison,[7] and coordinates training and support for the program.

Internships

Due to the unique relationship between the National Park Service and Texas A&M's Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences, students of RPTS are able to support the program through their studies, gaining hands on experiences. Host Parks in other cities around the nation also seek interns from local universities to volunteer aboard the routes in their area. The National Parks of New York Harbor have recruited students from local universities like St. John's[8] to intern with the unit, and gain experiences volunteering aboard the Adirondack, in addition to their work at the parks.[9]

References
  1. "AMTRAK TRAILS & RAILS". prezi.com. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  2. "Experience the Parks by Train - Amtrak Trails & Rails (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  3. "An Introduction to Trails & Rails". trainweb.org. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  4. "An Introduction to Trails & Rails". trainweb.org. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  5. "Volunteer New York! Official Homepage | Partner | Trails and Rails Program". www.volunteernewyork.org. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  6. "Trails & Rails Partnership with Amtrak" (PDF). NPS History. 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "Scott, Mrs. Susan". Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  8. "St. John's Forges Internship Partnership with US National Park Service". www.stjohns.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  9. "National Park Service Establishes Internship Program at St. John's University (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
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