AMC Berkshire Chapter

The A.T. Committee is looking for maintainers for three great sections in the southern Berkshires. These are particularly interesting sections of trail, and a volunteer needs a serious commitment to their upkeep. See http://amcberkshire.org/at-maintaining for the requirements of a Trail Maintainer.

Contact Dave Koerber dkoerber@mindspring.com for more info:

Housatonic River to South Egremont Rd (2.7miles): This mostly flat section across the Housatonic valley experiences rapid plant growth, and some parts need monthly visits May through August. Wildflowers and rare plants abound in this area.

Mt Everett Summit to Elbow Trail (1.8 miles): This higher elevation section is accessed from the Mount Everett summit road in Mt Washington Mass. It contains sections of dense laurel growth and contains about 2 dozen water bars that need annual cleaning. Two overnight sites are on this section, but are covered by other adopters.

Mt Everett Summit to Mt Race Summit (1.8 miles): This rugged section is accessed from the Race Brook Falls Trail on Rt 41. Heavy laurel growth and steep trails make this a challenging section. Great views on both summits and the satisfaction of a job well done are your rewards.

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Seven military veterans will pause from their Appalachian Trail hike to rest and meet the public in a special event at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Noble View Outdoor Center and Russell VFW on July 22.
Noble View and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6645 are offering the veterans participating in the Warrior Hike "Walk Off the War" program, including one from Orange, a meal, showers and a rest in a real bed, 19 weeks into their six-month hike from Georgia to Maine.
The public will have an opportunity to meet the hikers during the event on July 22.

AMC is partnering with the Connecticut River Watershed Council for their Annual River Celebration on Saturday, June 21 at Gillette Castle State Park in CT. This year they are celebrating the expansion of the CT River Paddlers’ Trail, a major initiative that the AMC has been hard working on.

As you may know, the American Chestnut tree used to be a prolific provider of nourishment over the winter months, and the tree was found all over the Eastern seaboard. However, in 1904 a bark blight was introduced from Asia, which spread and destroyed almost all the trees. Now, once the tree grows enough to develop bark, the fungus girdles and topples it. The tree still lives with sprouts coming from around the trunk. For many years, dedicated organizations have been trying to breed blight-resistant trees.

On Saturday, May 17, 9 AM - 12:30 PM, free workshop for educators. Join other educators and AMC's professional education staff for fun, informal activities and discussion. We will network and learn more about the AMC's educational programs for students and educators. The group will share ideas about how educators can work together with the AMC staff to provide students fun, engaging outdoor learning experiences and how we can work together to overcome any real or perceived barriers to environmental education and outdoor learning experiences.

Got "Ferry Tales?" Click here to link to our BK Paddlers' 2014 Spring Newsletter. It has all you need to check on Berkshire paddling trips, boat rentals, H20 web links and more!

For a list of archived editions goto: http://amcberkshire.org/ferry_tales.

Click on the link for the 'Getting Involved' page or go directly to the the AT Committee's Project Schedule for 2014 in PDF format.

The Mass AT Management Committee held its 12 Annual Volunteer Gathering on Sat, Feb 1st with over 80 folks filling DCR's South Mountain Headquarters to capacity! Participants included: trail Maintainers, land Monitors, Natural Heritage Monitors, Upper Goose Pond Caretakers, Ridge Runners, Overnight site Caretakers, retired volunteers and over 15 people interested in joining our volunteer efforts.