The AT is a beloved stretch of public land and connected footpaths running from Georgia to Maine. A recent $3 million grant spotlights how a conservancy is working to boost fundraising around the trail.

Key point of this short piece comes at the end:

Of course, while donors are willing to step up, there is a dark backdrop to such donations, as protections are gutted by Ryan Zinke's Department of the Interior, leaving public lands more vulnerable than they have been in many years.