James Austin Kern (born August 14, 1934) is an American naturalist, conservationist, hiker and author. He is the founder of the 1,300 mi (2,100 km) Florida National Scenic Trail (FT).
Education and career
editJames Austin Kern was born in New York City and grew up in Leonia, New Jersey. In 1966, Kern founded the Florida Trail and the Florida Trail Association.[1][2][3][4] On March 28, 1983, the United States Congress added the Florida Trail to the National Trails System. National Trails System[5] In 1976, Kern co-founded the American Hiking Society with Bill Kemsley, founding publisher and former editor of Backpacker magazine, and Paul Pritchard, past president of the Appalachian Trail Conference.[6] From April 1980 through May 1981, Kern organized and directed HikaNation, a historic 14-month cross-country backpacking trip from Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California to the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.[7][8] The American Discovery Trail evolved from HikaNation.[9] In 1990, Kern founded Big City Mountaineers, a high adventure program for disadvantaged teens.[10][11]
Kern currently lives in St. Augustine, Florida and Highlands, North Carolina. [citation needed]
References
edit- ^ Ash, Agnes (2 April 1967). "Blazing a 550-Mile Hiking Trail in Florida". The New York Times Archives, Section Resorts and Travel. p. 511. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ "Jim Kern started the Florida Trail five decades ago; he's still waiting for the Legislature finish it". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
- ^ "Path to Completion: Looking to bridge gaps, the creator of the Florida Trail seeks solutions". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
- ^ "Footprint Magazine – Florida Trail Association". floridatrail.org. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Act of Oct 2, 1968; PL. 90-543, 82 Stat. 919, 16 U.S.C. §§ 124l-51.
- ^ "Three Decades of Protecting Our Nation's Trails" (PDF). American Hiking Society. Fall 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "HikaNation". hikanation.com. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
- ^ Thomas, Gregory (12 April 2022). "Hikanation: How a historic cross-country backpacking revolution started on the Bay Bridge". San Francisco Chronicle, Special Report. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "American Discovery Trail Background". American Discovery Trail ™. 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
- ^ "The TIME Vault: November 4, 1996". Time. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
- ^ "Mission & History". Big City Mountaineers. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
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