 
ATC Welcomes Franklin as Newest A.T. Community
Asheville, NC (March 12, 2010) - On March 23, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and town leaders from Franklin, N.C., will hold a ceremony celebrating the designation by ATC of Franklin as the newest Appalachian Trail Community, with a luncheon and proclamation signing. Mayor Joe Collins; ATC’s Board Chair, Bob Almand; and community representatives will speak. The ceremony will be held at Town Hall board room, 95 East Main Street, Franklin 12:00–1:00 p.m.
ATC Ramping up Tag Registrations – Deadline Approaches
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy was featured on Saturday,
March 6 in the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The article highlights the
progress of the license plate programs in Tennessee and Georgia. Read more.
Workshop Presenters Needed for Virginia Journeys 2011 Biennial
Harpers Ferry, WV (March 4, 2010) Share your knowledge and skills as a workshop presenter at the upcoming Virginia Journeys 2011 which will celebrate the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. This gathering, to be held at Emory & Henry College in southwest Virginia from July 1 – 8, 2011, will be the 38th Biennial Conference of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
Appalachian Trail Celebration & Backpacking Clinic - Amicalola Falls in Dawsonville, GA
Harpers Ferry, WV (February 17, 2010) - Amicalola Falls State Lodge Park in Dawsonville, GA will host its Annual Appalachian Trail Celebration & Backpacking Clinic on Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7, 2010. Both experienced and novice hikers and campers attend this annual event.
ATC Announces New Georgia A.T. License Plate
Asheville, N.C. (February 16, 2010)— The Appalachian Trail
Conservancy (ATC) and volunteers through its affiliate Georgia
Appalachian Trail Club announce the establishment of a Georgia
Appalachian Trail specialty license plate, to bring recognition to the
legendary footpath that starts in Georgia and ends in Maine.
ATC is Seeking Proposals for 2010 Trail Projects
Asheville, N.C. (February 5) — The Appalachian Trail Conservancy
(ATC), which awards $25,000 annually to assist groups working on projects to
benefit the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in North Carolina, announces the 2010
grant cycle.
The grant program is funded by drivers who purchase and renew their “Friends of the
Appalachian Trail” license plates.
A.T. Visitor Center Hosts Authors on Valentine's Day
Harpers Ferry, WV (February 3, 2010) Make the ATC a part of your Valentine’s Day celebration by bringing your “special someone” to hear, or perhaps share, tales of love, friendship and romance on the Appalachian Trail. The festivities, including hot cider and snacks, begin at 11 a.m. and last until 3 p.m. (maybe even longer).
A.T. Hikers Gather at the Pennsylvania Ruck
PINE GROVE FURNACE STATE PARK, PA (January 28, 2010) - Can’t wait for hiker season to start? Join past and future A.T. hikers Friday, January 29, for this year’s Pennsylvania Ruck at the Ironmaster’s Hostel in Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Activities start at 2 p.m. with a “meet & greet” hosted by hostel caretakers Ray and Lori Burt and will last until Sunday morning. This is a great chance for past hikers to reminisce about their A.T. adventures and an opportunity for future hikers to hear “words of wisdom” from those who’ve “been there, done that.”
Tennessee A.T. License Plates Provide Funding for Conservation Efforts
KINGSPORT, TN (January 19, 2010)—The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is offering Appalachian Trail specialty license plates to Tennessee residents. The specialty plates will benefit the state’s natural treasure in several ways. Funds from sales of the specialty plates will broaden awareness for this resource by widely promoting the Trail on vehicles from Memphis to Bristol. In addition, each plate will generate $15.56 annually for ATC, supporting management of such programs as land conservation, volunteer-based trail and facilities maintenance, natural-resources management, and programs that introduce children and teachers to the A. T. in Tennessee.
ATC Wins $25,000 Chase Community Giving Grant
Harpers Ferry, W.Va. (December 17, 2009) - The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is the only West Virginia nonprofit and the only trail organization nationwide to win a $25,000 grant in the first round of a Facebook-based charity campaign sponsored by the JPMorganChase Foundation, automatically becoming eligible for a chance at a $1-million one next month.
Legendary 1950s Thru-Hiker Signing Books Dec 5 at A.T. Holiday Open House
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (November 28)—Gene Espy of Macon, Ga., one of only two Appalachian Trail thru-hikers from the 1950s still living, will be signing copies of his autobiography Saturday, December 5, as the centerpiece of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s annual community open house for the year-end holidays.
“Thru-hikers” walk the length of the Georgia-to-Maine footpath in a single journey. Espy was the second to do so, hiking from May 31 to Sept. 30 in 1951.
Public Invited to View New National Geographic Channel Film on the A.T.
Harpers Ferry, W.Va. (November 7, 2009)—The public is invited to a special theater showing November 13 of National Geographic Channel’s new film on the Appalachian Trail, shot in part in the Eastern Panhandle last year.
“America’s Wild Spaces: Appalachian Trail” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. at the Robert C. Byrd Auditorium at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) main building, west of Shepherdstown on Shepherd Grade Road. No tickets are required, and admission is free.
Congress Funds A.T. Projects
Harpers Ferry, W.Va. (October 30, 2009)—Public agencies and private conservancies soon will be able to add thousands of acres of buffer lands around the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Tennessee, thanks to $9.8 million in appropriations approved by Congress late Thursday and sent to President Obama for signature before Sunday.
The funding comes as major projects along the Virginia quarter of the Appalachian Trail, supported with almost $2 million in federal appropriations last year, are close to settlement.
EPA Helps Protect the A.T.
Asheville, N.C. (October 21, 2009)—A $20,000 community stewardship grant from the Environmental Protection Agency will allow the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) to teach citizen-scientists how to monitor rare, threatened, and endangered (RTE) plants, monitor and control invasive exotic (IE) plant species, and begin restoration of ecosystems harmed by IE plants.
ATC Awarded Land Protection Grant from The Conservation Alliance
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (October 14, 2009)—A just-announced $30,000 grant from The Conservation Alliance is a major step forward for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) in its drive to protect from development 1,050 acres along the legendary footpath in south-central Pennsylvania’s White Rocks area.
Tennessee A.T. Advocates Mark Half-Way Milestone
(October 7, 2009)— The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and its volunteers in Tennessee are celebrating the midpoint in their journey to collect 1,000 applications for a specialty Appalachian Trail (A.T.) license plate that, once produced, will provide significant ongoing funding to maintain and conserve the 280 Tennessee miles of the legendary 2,178-mile footpath.
Five hundred Tennesseans have stepped forward to show their support of the A.T. with their license plate, including Elizabeth O’Conner, of Chattanooga who says she’s hoping to somehow share the magic of the trail so that others might be drawn to it and experience its wonders as she has.
A.T. Community Forum, Oct 26
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Cumberland County, Pennsylvania extend an open invitation to residents to attend the Appalachian Trail Community Forum on October 26 at the Carlisle Theater (40 West High Street Carlisle, PA). The public event will connect citizens and municipal officials who are interested in preserving the experience of the Trail.
Host a "Watch Party" to Help the A.T.
If you get National Geographic Television in your area, consider hosting a “watch party” for your friends and neighbors on November 10 for the debut of “Wild Spaces: The Appalachian Trail”. This visually spectacular 50-minute documentary covers this place we care so deeply about protecting – our own A.T.
“It offers the perfect venue for friends who cherish the Trail to say ‘ATC does important work and they really need your membership now, more than ever,’” says Laurie Wise, ATC’s Annual Fund Director.
If you plan to host a “watch party” for your friends and neighbors, please contact ATC and let us know how many people you expect. We’ll send you ATC membership information to pass along at your party, so we can all work to protect this wild space we love so much.
Request a host party packet by sending the number of guests you expect along with your name and address to info@appalachiantrail.org with the subject line “Watch Party”.
Share Your A.T Stories & Photos
There are two opportunities available to share your experiences and stories from the Appalachian Trail. One is with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (submit by Oct. 10, 2009) and the other is with USA Today (submit by Sept. 4, 2009).
Volunteers Sought for Invasive-Plants in S. Nantahala Wilderness
Asheville, N.C. (August 21, 2009) — The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is seeking volunteers to participate in an invasive-plant workshop on the evening of Friday, August 28, and an invasive exotic plant inventory on Saturday, August 29.
Volunteers Sought for Invasive-Plant Inventory in S. Nantahala Wilderness
Asheville, N.C. (August 3, 2009) — The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is seeking volunteers to participate in an invasive plant workshop on Friday, August 14 and to conduct invasive plant inventory Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16. These workdays will occur on the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness. The focus of this volunteer effort is to educate people about the threats of invasive exotic plants, and how to identify and inventory invasive species to help managers control these populations in the future. Backpacking, camping, and a three day commitment are encouraged, due to the remote location of this work project.
Barefoot Sisters Launch Book Tour at A.T. Visitors Center
Harpers Ferry, W. Va (July 28, 2009) – AT the late spring of 2000, Lucy Letcher, 25, and her just-graduated sister, Susan, 21, set out hiking the Appalachian Trail from their home in Maine to Georgia. At noon on Tuesday, August 4, the “Barefoot Sisters”—known on the trail as “Isis” and “Jackrabbit”—begin a signing tour for the first of their two books, The Barefoot Sisters Southbound, in the Appalachian Trail Visitors Center at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy national headquarters in Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
REI Supports ATC Ridgerunner Program
Harpers Ferry, W.Va (July 21, 2009)—Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) today announced that it has received a $25,000 grant from Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), a national outdoor retail co-op committed to connecting people with nature. The grant supports ATC’s ridgerunner program, a key means for educating hikers in important conservation practices and informing trail managers of real-time conditions along the most-used national scenic trail.
Great Barrington A.T. Community Partner Celebration
S. Egremont, Mass (July 25, 2009) – The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) hosted neighbors and partners of the Great Barrington Trails and Greenways Alliance on July 24 at the ATC Kellogg Conservation Center in celebration of the successful 2009 A. T. Community Partners program. This is event served as a big ‘thank you’ to the many volunteers, organizations, and businesses that have gone the extra mile to make Great Barrington and its surrounding areas a more hike, bike, and walk-friendly place.
Honorary Membership Awarded
Castleton, Vermont (July 20, 2009) - The Bylaws of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy provide for a singular award, at the discretion of the Board. It is called "Honorary Membership," a singularly modest category for what it applauds—"an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to the Appalachian Trail project."
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