Appalachian Mountain Club

Most people have heard of Leave No Trace, but what exactly does it entail? At its core, Leave No Trace (LNT) focuses on education as the most effective and least resource-intensive solution to land protection. 🌿 🌍 As an LNT Provider, AMC offers detailed planning resources to help you minimize your impact on the great outdoors: https://lnkd.in/eCQxPUkF Plus, LNT provides a free online training course to get you started: https://learn.lnt.org/

It’s #NationalForestWeek! 🌲 Did you know that AMC has permanently protected over 114,000 acres of forest in Maine’s 100 Mile Wilderness? Our Maine Woods Initiative (MWI) offers 130 miles of recreational trails, 3 off-grid lodges, is an International Dark Sky Park, and is a certified responsible forestry operation with the Forest Stewardship Council. On top of that, we’ve restored native salmon and brook trout habitat, protected rare songbird populations, established community connections with local schools, and collected climate and ecosystem data for our research team across the landscape. MWI is a special place, and our work with The Conservation Fund aims to increase our protected forestlands in Maine, through the acquisition of the Barnard Forest, an ecologically significant tract of land that abuts AMC’s current forestland. You can learn more about MWI here: https://lnkd.in/e3vNrWV7 And more about supporting our Barnard Forest project here: https://lnkd.in/eNv2m57q 📸 The Conservation Fund | © Jerry Monkman/EcoPhotography.

It’s #NationalForestWeek! 🌲 Across AMC’s region, from Maine to Virginia, there are over 80.5 million acres of forested land. These include 5 national forests, 766 state forests, and countless other public and private lands. Forests are critical landscapes, providing food, renewable resources, and livelihoods for people, not to mention cleaning air and water, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change, and harboring rich biological diversity. At AMC, we’re proud to work to protect our region’s forests and encourage outdoor recreation in these special places.

AMC’s Research team is busy in the field this summer – but we were able to snag a few minutes with Dr. Jordon Tourville, our new Terrestrial Ecologist, to talk all things alpine zone, AMC research, and how he became involved. Check out our latest blog post to learn more about Jordon, and AMC’s ongoing research projects: https://lnkd.in/efcV2TWn

“Celestial events” are those special nights when the stars and planets align just right. Many of these events happen relatively regularly, you just need to know when and where to go stargazing. Not all stargazing locations are the same. Light pollution limits visibility for about 80% of the world’s population. Luckily, AMC’s Maine Lodges are located in the AMC Maine Woods International Dark Sky Park, the first and only International Dark Sky Park in New England. A DarkSky certification means an area has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep its night sky visible, and ensure it remains that way for generations to come. Here are the ones we’ll be looking forward to for the rest of 2024:

Last week, the 29th Annual Delaware River Sojourn hosted 100 paddlers for an eight-day guided paddling and camping trip. "The sojourn is an outdoor adventure geared for everyone," said Mark Zakutansky, director of conservation policy engagement for the Appalachian Mountain Club and chair of the Sojourn Steering Committee. "This year’s theme is ‘River of Inspiration’; generations of artists, outdoor enthusiasts, scientists and everyday people are inspired by their experiences on or along the Delaware River, and we plan to highlight these stories through our programming." Learn more about this year's event in this article from LehighValleyNewsdotcom:

School is out, summer has officially started, and your teen is already bored. Sound familiar? Luckily, there are still some openings in the summer teen wilderness trips with AMC! Our teen programs offer rewarding outdoor education for ages 13-16 in spectacular destinations across New Hampshire. Summer 2024 trips include: 🗺️ Outdoor Skills Adventure ⛰️ High Huts Adventure 🥾 White Mountain Adventure Girls+ 🎒 Introduction to Backpacking Sign up your teens for an adventure they'll remember forever: https://lnkd.in/eeNBQJ-U

AMC's Alpine Stewards are volunteers who hike some of New Hampshire's highest peaks, talking with hikers. By explaining Leave No Trace principles and keeping hikers on the trail, they mitigate human impact on the landscape. By sharing trail conditions and weather updates, they protect people from an unpredictable environment. Learn more about AMC's Alpine Stewards: https://lnkd.in/ea5VFgnU

We are now hiring a Content Developer! AMC's Content Developer oversees the storytelling and content presentation on outdoors.org, focusing on, but not limited to, the AMC Outdoors blog. The goal is to publish weekly posts on AMC's website that showcase our diverse, robust community; joyous, meaningful outdoors experiences; efforts to create equitable access to the outdoors; and natural climate solutions. You have a journalist's eye for finding the story and the creative mindset to present the story in the most engaging manner, whether through writing, video, interview, landing page, and more. Join us in shaping the conversation around outdoor recreation and conservation in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Apply today! https://lnkd.in/ebtFd6C4

Pick up a copy of the brand new Trail Guide to Mount Washington and the Presidential Range, an abridgment of the White Mountain Guide that’ll fit perfectly in your pack! 📖🎒 Each trail description features turn-by-turn directions and easy-to-follow statistics, charting cumulative distance, elevation, and time. Combined with essential safety, camping, and road access information, this guide is any outdoor adventurer’s shortcut to great Presidential hiking. Available now in the AMC Store: https://lnkd.in/e5zgQ3DJ