Judith "Judy" Bittner

Judy Bittner was interviewed on November 2, 2021 by Karen Brewster in a conference room at the Office of History and Archeology, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, in the Robert B. Atwood Building in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. In this interview, Judy talks about the history of designation of the Iditarod National Historic Trail, the Advisory Council for the Iditarod National Historic Trail that was formed to oversee implementation of a comprehensive management plan for the trail, and the Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance, which is the current non-profit trail advocacy and education organization. She discusses collaborating with the Bureau of Land Management who is the designated trail administer, resolving land ownership, conveyance, state selection, and right of way easement issues along the trail, coordinating with local groups on trail stewardship, and the Council and Alliance’s education and outreach activities to encourage the public to support trail preservation and understand the trail’s important history, such as publications and the Alliance’s teacher training program (Iditarod Trail to Every Classroom - iTREC). She also mentions the administrative and financial workings of the Alliance as non-profit, and trail projects that they have undertaken, including construction of shelter cabins and nomination of historic structures along the route to the National Register of Historic Places.