published by andytarr on Thu, 03/24/2016 - 12:38pm
The A.T. Committee 2016 Work Schedule is now live at https://tinyurl.com/AT-Projects-2016. Check it out and consider giving us a day or two this summer. We've got projects ranging from rare plants to rebuilding the front porch of Upper Goose Pond Cabin, and you can choose to spend a whole or a half-day caring for the this world famous trail. Best to contact the listed leader for last minute info. Questions to at@amcberkshire.org
Join us for our next scheduled workday this Saturday on National Trails Day (Saturday, June 7). Section 08 Adopter Mike Zlogar will be leading us to finish a ¼ mile relocation just behind the Notch Visitors Center.
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.
This summer, individuals from UMass, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Nature Conservancy are collaborating on the Outsmart Invasive Species Project in an effort to stop the spread of non-native plants and insects that jeopardize the health of our environment. The Outsmart team, partnering with the Nature Conservancy's Don't Move Firewood program, will be visiting a number of music festivals, farmers' markets, and other events throughout the summer to conduct in-person training in invasive species identification.
The Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Management Committee organizes Appalachian Trail supervision and maintenance within Massachusetts. If you'd like to be a part of this, get in touch with our chair (see below)!
Boundary and corridor monitors are volunteers who keep AT Corridor lands free from boundary encroachment and misuse. They also serve as an information source for trail neighbors (abutters) with questions or concerns about AT lands.
The AT is your trail. It is primarily cared for by volunteers like yourself, not by paid professionals. Volunteers contribute over 6,000 hours of work every year in the Berkshires alone. Without this kind of support from Georgia through Massachusetts to Maine, the trail would quickly become impassable and would cease to exist.
