Development and air pollution are among the serious threats to the Appalachian Trail, says a new report from the National Parks Conservation Association. Development is of particular concern in the Mid-Atlantic section of the trail, which runs about 2,178 miles from Maine to Georgia, Cecelia Mason of West Virginia Public Broadcasting reports. "In the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania you have some of the fastest growing communities in the country," Ron Tipton, NPCA senior vice president for policy, told Mason during a brief hike arranged for media near Harper's Ferry, W.Va.
Air pollution's negative effects on the trail are twofold: diminished views and negative health effects for hikers. "There are times in the Great Smoky Mountains through which the trail passes where the National Park Service puts out an advisory saying it’s unsafe to hike," Tipton said. Increased energy development from power lines for transmission and turbines for wind power also posed significant challenges for the trail, the report says. (Read more)
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