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Public support is needed to get a specialty license plate for the Appalachian Trail, the legendary footpath that runs from Georgia to Maine, into production.

The Tennessee General Assembly in June approved the creation of the specialty license plate. Funds produced from the sale of the plate will be shared with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for the support and management of the trail.

Before that happens, however, the organization needs to accumulate 1,000 paid applications to initiate production of the plates.

"The last time I checked it ... we're probably a little more than 700 away," said Mark Shipley, past president of the organization. "We're in need of help. We're doing pretty well in East Tennessee, but in Middle and West (Tennessee) we've had very little participation, which is probably to be expected. We're well below half of where we need to be."

Funds for maintenance

Funds from the license plate will be used to maintain the trail, said Leanna Joyner, license plate program manager.

"We, of course, maintain a large chunk of the Appalachian Trail that runs through the state of Tennessee," she said. "It will allow us to continue to operate the maintenance of the trail and its facilities. It will allow us to work toward land acquisition projects."

A standard, numerical license plate will cost $35 and a personalized one will cost $70 ¬­-- in addition to the regular vehicle registration fee. ATC will receive $15.56 of the fees for each plate produced or renewed.

ATC is offering the first 1,000 applicants for a license plate a one-time annual membership to the conservancy once the plates go into production.

Designed by UT student

The design of the plate -- featuring a hiker on the crest of a mountain and the contemporary logo of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy -- was created by University of Tennessee graphic design student Matt Montgomery. While still subject to review by the state Department of Transportation, the organization and its volunteers anticipate it will be approved.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the 2,175-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail so that it will forever remain a simple footpath within a protected greenway along the Appalachian Mountains from Georgia to Maine. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the trail's designation as the first national scenic trail under the 1968 National Trails System Act.