Last updated: April 27, 2022
Article
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Spring Newsletter 2022
Read the latest project updates and completions from the National Trails Office of the National Park Service (NPS).
To print this newsletter, or save it as a pdf: CTRL + P or Right Click with your Mouse, and select "Print."
NPS Photo
National Trails Welcomes New Staff
Chad Ennis is the new Geographic Information System (GIS) Specialist addition to the Resource Information Management team. He is based out of the Salt Lake City office and joins the National Trails office (NTIR) after being a GIS Specialist with the Bureau of Land Management Eastern States Office in Washington D.C. NTIR is looking forward to the future mapping support he can provide to the office and the trail association.
Staffing Changes
Meg Frisbie, who reviewed external undertakings by other agencies and commented on their potential to affect the National Historic Trails, has moved on from NTIR. Her position is currently vacant but we are working to fill behind her as quickly as possible.
National Trails Welcomes New Interns & Fellows
Jacquline “Taylor” Holland has joined NTIR as a partner through American Conservation Experience with the role of a Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Cherokee Fellow. She started in October 2021 and will complete her fellowship in April 2023. Taylor is currently studying Native American Culture at Northeastern State University. In her free time, you will find her going on adventures with her family (especially her niece), visiting locally owned businesses, and enjoying Oklahoma sunsets. She is looking forward to the opportunity to share her Cherokee heritage and help the National Trails Office to tell diverse and inclusive stories of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
Photo/Zoe Wiesel
Zoe Wiesel joined NTIR as a Digital Media Fellow in October 2021. She is working through American Conservation Experience (ACE) Emerging Professionals in Conservation (EPIC) program doing an eighteen-month internship. She was born and raised in Corrales, New Mexico, and she has a Bachelors in Geology from the University of New Mexico. Before joining NTIR she worked as a seasonal interpretive ranger in Zion National Park in Utah. In her free time, Zoe enjoys rock climbing, cycling, and spending time with her family. As part of her fellowship, Zoe will be updating the NPS mobile application (app), websites, and writing for social media.
Photo/Sarah Scruggs
Sarah Scruggs is the American Conservation Experience EPIC fellow for NTIR's design and development team. She started in October 2021 and will complete her term in October 2022. Sarah grew up in central Virginia and holds a B.A. in historic preservation from the University of Mary Washington. Through various jobs and internships Sarah has worked in half a dozen national parks and national forests including Grand Teton and Grand Canyon. Her favorite recreational activities include hiking, biking, reading and playing piano. She is very excited to work with trail partners and do her part in helping the NTIR mission this year.
Design & Development Updates
Sign plans were completed and ordered for Shelby County, Tennessee (Memphis) and Sequatchie County, Tennessee. NTIR is working with the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in North Carolina to order a custom site identification sign for their entrance. Replacement signs are also being ordered for Hickman County, Kentucky, after some of the signs were damaged by a tornado.
Route Refinement Proposals
In March 2022, NTIR finalized the proposed Trail of Tears NHT refinement in west Franklin County and southern Crawford County, Arkansas, submitted by Carolyn Kent and John McLarty. Several other route refinement proposals are under review.
External Projects
Along with the Cherokee National Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Kentucky State Historic Preservation Officer, and Kentucky State Parks, NTIR has been participating in development of a mitigation strategy for the visual impacts of a 199-foot monopole communications tower to be placed near the Benge Route at Columbus, Kentucky. Favored ideas are preparation of a Cultural Landscape Report that focuses on interpretation, and upgrading existing wayside exhibits with “QR” codes that will link site visitors to the report, or a summary of it.
NPS Image
Site Information Needed
We need help from the site experts! NTIR is working on creating Places webpages for sites across the Trail of Tears NHT. Creating this page has a number of benefits: your site and information will be featured in the NPS mobile app and across the NPS.gov websites, bringing your site to a wider audience. And its very easy! Interested? NTIR is requesting that you fill out a Places Feature form. That's all it takes! This form prompts you for basic information about your site and the significance to the national historic trail.
Take a look at the Ross's Landing Page for an example.
Would you like to request a form? Do you have additional questions? Contact Em Kessler for more information. (Emily_Kessler@nps.gov)
Virtual Trail Stories & Experiences
Have you been following the trails on social media? You may have noticed an increase in articles, virtual visits, and virtual kids' activities. People can't travel to experience the trails in person, so NTIR has been working to bring the trails to your house. You can check out recent and past articles, become a junior ranger, take virtual visits to learn more about trail sites, and more - click the links below!