12/28/2015
Santa was good to participants in the ARRL National Parks on the Air (NPOTA[1]) program, which gets under way on January 1. On December 23, the National Park Service (NPS) updated its official list of NPS Administrative Units. As a result, 18 new Scenic and Historic Trails and 29 new Wild and Scenic Rivers and have been added to the list of eligible NPOTA Units[2], increasing the number of NPOTA units from 434 to 481.
"More NPOTA units ultimately mean more fun, and we hope these additions make more activations possible for you or your club," said ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X.
Among the new Historic Trails on the NPOTA list are the five major trails associated with the westward expansion of the US in the 19th century: The Santa Fe, California, Mormon Pioneer, Lewis and Clark, and Pony Express National Historic Trails. The list also includes the North Country and Ice Age National Scenic Trails. These new trails represent thousands of miles of additional area from which NPOTA Activators may operate in 2016.
Not all of the trails and rivers added to the NPS Affiliated Areas list have been included on the NPOTA list, however, because many are administered by other federal agencies, such as the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Because NPOTA celebrates the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, units not administered by the NPS have not been added to the NPOTA list of eligible units.
While the unexpected addition of new NPOTA units is ultimately welcome, it has delayed the release of a TQSL[3] update for Logbook Of the World (LoTW[4]). ARRL staff worked over the holiday weekend to add the new units - and combinations of units - to the update, and this has required additional testing. The TQSL update will undergo final testing this week and be released as soon as possible.
The 11th hour addition of large trails and rivers also has made it necessary to revise some of the ground rules for certain types of NPOTA units. For example, large portions of some new trails are on existing stretches of highway or other roads, raising safety issues for pedestrian Activators.
"We will be reviewing these and other situations Activators may encounter, and update the rules accordingly," Kutzko said. "Activators will need to be careful only to operate from the portions of rivers and trails that are administered by NPS. It is not uncommon for several agencies to administer different parts of the same unit. In addition, many portions of rivers and trails are on private property, which should not be accessed unless you have permission from the landowner."
The National Trails System Map & Guide[5] and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System[6] website provide information on the boundaries of these units. Due diligence on the part of Activators is critical, however, to ensure that they are operating from an NPS-administered portion of these units.
Further updates and additional information will be posted on the ARRL NPOTA[7] page as soon as they are available.
New Trail Unit
Designator
State
North Country National Scenic Trail[8]
TR04
MI, MN, NY, ND, PA, OH, WI
Ice Age National Scenic Trail[9]
TR05
WI
New England National Scenic Trail[10]
TR06
CT, MA
Oregon National Historic Trail[11]
TR07
ID, KS, MO, NE, OR, WA, WY
Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail[12]
TR08
IL, IA, NE, UT, WY
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail[13]
TR09
ID, IL, IA, KS, MO, MT, NE, ND, OR, SD, WA
Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail[14]
TR10
NC, SC, TN, VA
Santa Fe National Historic Trail[15]
TR11
CO, KS, MO, NM, OK, TX
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail[16]
TR12
AL, AR, GA, IL, KY, MO, NC, OK, TN
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail[17]
TR13
AZ, CA
California National Historic Trail[18]
TR14
CA, CO, ID, KS, MO, NE, NV, OR, UT, WY
Pony Express National Historic Trail[19]
TR15
CA, CO, KS, MO, NE, NV, UT, WY
Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail[20]
TR16
AL
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail[21]
TR17
TX, NM
Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail[22]
TR18
HI
Old Spanish National Historic Trail[23]
TR19
AZ, CA, CO, NV, NM, UT
El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail[24]
TR20
LA, TX
Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail[25]
TR21
VA, MD, DE, DC, PA, NY
Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail[26]
TR22
DC, MD, VA
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Nat'l Historic Trl[27]
TR23
MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, DC
New River Unit
Designator
State
Alatna Wild River[28]
WR11
AK
Aniachak Wild River[29]
WR12
AK
Charley Wild River[30] (Affiliated Area)
WR13
AK
Chilikadrotna Wild River[31]
WR14
AK
Eightmile National Wild and Scenic River[32]
WR15
CT
Farmington National Wild and Scenic River[33]
WR16
CT
Flathead Wild and Scenic River[34]
WR17
MT
John Wild River[35]
WR18
AK
Kern River[36]
WR19
CA
Kings River[37]
WR20
CA
Kobuk Wild River[38]
WR21
AK
Koyukuk Wild River (North Fork)[39]
WR22
AK
Lamprey Wild and Scenic River[40]
WR23
NH
Maurice Scenic and Recreational River[41]
WR24
NJ
Merced River[42]
WR25
CA
Missisquoi and Trout Wild and Scenic River[43]
WR26
VT
Mulchatna Wild River[44]
WR27
AK
Musconetcong National Wild and Scenic River[45]
WR28
NJ
Noatak Wild River[46]
WR29
AK
Salmon Wild River[47]
WR30
AK
Sudbury, Assabet and Concord National Wild and Scenic River[48]
WR31
MA
Taunton National Wild and Scenic River[49]
WR32
MA
Tinayguk Wild River[50]
WR33
AK
Tlikakila Wild River[51]
WR34
AK
Toulumne River[52]
WR35
CA
Virgin Wild and Scenic River[53]
WR36
UT
Wekiva National Wild and Scenic River[54]
WR37
FL
Westfield National Wild and Scenic River[55]
WR38
MA
White Clay Creek National Wild and Scenic River[56]
WR39
PA
[1]
https://npota.arrl.org/
[2]
https://npota.arrl.org/nps-units.php
[3]
http://www.arrl.org/TrustedQSL/tQSL-help/
[4]
http://www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world
[5]
http://www.nps.gov/hfc/carto/nps-trails.cfm
[6]
http://www.rivers.gov/
[7]
https://npota.arrl.org/
[8]
http://www.nps.gov/noco/index.htm
[9]
http://www.nps.gov/iatr/index.htm
[10]
http://home.nps.gov/neen/index.htm
[11]
http://www.nps.gov/oreg/index.htm
[12]
http://www.nps.gov/mopi/learn/historyculture/index.htm
[13]
http://www.nps.gov/lecl/index.htm
[14]
http://www.nps.gov/ovvi/index.htm
[15]
http://www.nps.gov/safe/index.htm
[16]
http://www.nps.gov/trte/index.htm
[17]
http://www.nps.gov/juba/index.htm
[18]
http://www.nps.gov/cali/index.htm
[19]
http://www.nps.gov/poex/index.htm
[20]
http://www.nps.gov/semo/index.htm
[21]
http://www.nps.gov/elca/index.htm
[22]
http://www.nps.gov/alka/index.htm
[23]
http://www.nps.gov/olsp/index.htm
[24]
http://home.nps.gov/elte/index.htm
[25]
http://www.nps.gov/cajo/index.htm
[26]
http://home.nps.gov/stsp/index.htm
[27]
http://www.nps.gov/waro/index.htm
[28]
http://www.nps.gov/gaar/alatna.htm
[29]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/aniakchak.php
[30]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/charley.php
[31]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/chilikadrotna.php
[32]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/eightmile.php
[33]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/farmington.php
[34]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/flathead.php
[35]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/john.php
[36]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/kern.php
[37]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/kings.php
[38]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/kobuk.php
[39]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/koyukuk.php
[40]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/lamprey.php
[41]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/maurice.php
[42]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/merced.php
[43]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/missisquoi-trout.php
[44]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/mulchatna.php
[45]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/musconetcong.php
[46]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/noatak.php
[47]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/salmon-ak.php
[48]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/suasco.php
[49]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/taunton.php
[50]
http://www.nps.gov/gaar/tinaygukriver.htm
[51]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/tlikakila.php
[52]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/tuolumne.php
[53]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/virgin.php
[54]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/wekiva.php
[55]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/westfield.php
[56]
http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/white-clay.php
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