Discount offered on AT license plates

From the Appalachian Trail Conservancy

APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY OFFERS DISCOUNTS ON TENNESSEE A.T. LICENSE PLATES THROUGH EASTMAN CHEMICAL COMPANY FOUNDATION GRANT

(KINGSPORT, Tenn, January 19, 2010)—A grant from the Eastman Chemical Company Foundation is allowing the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) to underwrite discounts on the fees for the next 500 people to apply for an Appalachian Trail license plate in Tennessee.

Once 1,000 applications are received and the state begins producing tags, ATC’s share of the renewal fees will serve as a permanent funding source for the organization's work to protect and maintain the 280 miles of the Appalachian Trail in the state.

As a result of the grant, the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) license plates are now available for $15 instead of the usual $35 annual fee. Renewals will be at the standard $35 annual fee.
ATC is offering its own incentive as well, thanking people who sign up for the license plate with a one-time annual membership to the national nonprofit. Existing ATC members may give someone else the membership as a gift.

The specialty A.T. license-plate program will benefit the state’s natural resources and national treasure in several ways. It will broaden awareness for this resource by widely promoting the Trail on vehicles from Memphis to Bristol. In addition, each plate will generate $15.56 annually for ATC, supporting management of such programs as land conservation, volunteer-based trail and facilities maintenance, natural-resources management, and programs that introduce children and teachers to the A. T. in Tennessee.
The Tennessee State Recreation Plan calls the A.T. “Tennessee’s First Recreation Trail,” and the A.T. frequently receives accolades, such as “#2 of Top 10 USA Outdoor Adventures” (ABC’s “Good Morning, America” and National Geographic) and “Favorite Long Distance Trail” (by the readers of Backpacker magazine).
For more information and an application to take advantage of this offer, call ATC at (828) 254-3708 or go on line to www.appalachiantrail.org/tnlicenseplate.