Encroachment problems can range from minor to severe. The most basic of all encroachment mitigation tips is that an unreported and undocumented problem is an unresolved problem.

Although law enforcement is not a duty of the Trail clubs or of ATC, there is a lot that can be done by these A.T. management partners to resolve or mitigate encroachments without resorting to law enforcement. ATC and clubs can also complement and assist law enforcement action when it is required.

Minor problems include yard waste being dumped into the corridor and corridor neighbors extending their yards into corridor lands or parking their cars there. Volunteers will often contact trail neighbors to introduce themselves in their role as corridor monitors or boundary maintainers and explain where the boundary is. Friendly contact often resolves these minor issues.

Moderate problems include all terrain and off road vehicle use, unauthorized horse and mountain biking use, tree stands which indicate hunting on the corridor, and dumping of trash or other junk on the corridor. These issues may eventually warrant law enforcement action by the National Park Service or the local land managing agency responsible for the A.T. lands. However, law enforcement will not be effective without a sustained presence in the field.

Volunteers have proved invaluable in these situations by gathering information and discouraging further violations, and by having conversations with trail neighbors. Moderate problems are often the most difficult to resolve and may take years of combined effort by all the management partners to bring under control.

Severe problems include illegal roads cut into the corridor, illegal structures on corridor lands, timber theft, as well as large scale or toxic dumping. These warrant immediate reports directly to the ATC Boundary Program Manager and the Appalachian Trail Park Office Rangers (304-535-6171).

Additional information on encroachment mitigation is provided in the Corridor Monitoring Handbook. Please contact your club's corridor overseer or your ATC regional office for additional assistance.