Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC)
OUTREACH
- Stationed 30 ridgerunners along the Trail to assist thousands of day hikers, weekend backpackers and thru-hikers—providing essential Leave No Trace™ information while monitoring and maintaining the state of the A.T.
- Celebrated the 50th anniversary of NTSA with several regional events and an online interview with authors Cheryl Strayed and Jennifer Pharr Davis.
PROTECTION
- Worked with partners to add nearly 28,000 acres of open space surrounding the A.T. Land acquisitions varied from nearly 3,000 acres of scenic forestland in southwestern Virginia, in coordination with the Virginia Department of Forestry, and more than 200 prime hillside acres in Dutchess County, NY.
- Continued to oppose the Mountain Valley Pipeline near Roanoke, VA, and united 30 trail clubs in ATC’s comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding pipeline siting recommendations.
- Completed dozens of trail projects: repairing and rerouting the A.T., felling hazardous trees, improving overnight sites, and placing the final step on the trail at Bear Mountain, NY, completing a 12-year redesign and rebuild of a section of the A.T. that sees the most traffic.
- Addressed invasive species, fragmented habitat, and diminishing wildlife.
CAPACITY
- Hosted 100 “super volunteers” for two days of training and goal-setting on how best to maintain the trail and engage new stewards.
- Partnered with ten youth corps to improve the trail and overnight sites, engaging over 100 high-energy trail champions.
Unless otherwise indicated, all material in Pathways Across America is public domain. All views expressed herein are perspectives of individuals working on behalf of the National Trails System and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of the Federal agencies.
PCTA and ATC celebrated the 50th anniversary of both trails’ establishment as national scenic trails with a “Two Sister Trails, One Celebration” live, 4-hour webcast from Harpers Ferry, WV and Sacramento, CA. Photo Credit: PCTA.