Director
Shirley, ME
EMAIL: ghsron@gmail.com
Ron is a retired Greenville schools music teacher currently living in town. As a 30-year member of MATC, he has served as a section maintainer, district overseer, committee chair, and EC director. A backpacking nut, he topped 15,000 miles last summer, and hopes to finish the 2,000 miles remaining of the 4,600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail this summer.
Manager of Lands
Trail Champions Honorary Committee Chair
Hampden, ME
EMAIL: meeser3@roadrunner.com
Dave has 65 years of volunteer Trail maintenance experience on the Appalachian Trail. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club for 54 years, including 10 years as President. He served on the Appalachian Trail Conference Board of Managers for 26 years, including six as Board Chair. From 1970-1990, MATC relocated more than 170 miles of the Appalachian Trail to place it in more scenic and protected locations. Dave designed, laid out and led the work crews to build about 115 miles of those relocations. In 1984 he designed the original corridor to be purchased by the National Park Service to protect the A.T. in Maine. He is an honorary life member of both the MATC and the ATC, and was inducted, in 2013, into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame. Dave holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Forestry from the University of Maine and a PhD from Purdue University. He taught forestry at Purdue, Yale University, and the University of Maine, where he retired in 2006 after 30 years on the faculty.
Director
Harpswell, ME
EMAIL: barretttony@mac.com
In 1998, Tony left the corporate world and moved to Maine taking on various part-time occupations – most recently in Maine’s seafood economy. With more flexible hours, he has pursued his life-long interest in trails and long-distance, non-motorized travel. He has bicycled through Europe, in the Middle East and across the United States. Tony has also thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and currently maintains a section of trail in Maine. He is a life member of MATC, AMC, ATC, Adventure Cycling and the League of American Cyclists. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. He also serves on the Board of the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust. Tony earned a BA in 1975 and a MBA in 1977 from the University of Chicago.
President
Trail Champions Committee Chair
Bangor, ME
EMAIL: president@matc.org
Lester worked as the Trails Supervisor at Baxter State Park for 22 years, spent two years with Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission, and served as the Field Team Program Coordinator for the Maine Conservation Corps until his State retirement. He owns a trail tool business, Trail Services, which provides equipment, support, and advice to trail organizations throughout the United States. He has volunteered with the Maine Appalachian Trail Club throughout his career, serving as its President for the last 10 years. Besides working on trails, Lester has enjoyed hiking and mountaineering throughout North America and in several other parts of the world. A resident of Bangor, Lester earned a degree in chemistry from Bates College in 1975 but prefers to think he majored in Outing Club.
Holly co-founded and co-managed environmentally themed camps for children ages 4-13 at both Turkey Hill Farm, in Cape Elizabeth, and Wolfe’s Neck Farm, in Freeport. Activities centered on agriculture, wildlife, pond and forest ecology. Prior to this Holly taught life science at Portland’s King Middle School.
She and her husband Steve Niles, three sons and two dogs enjoy time spent outdoors including maintaining the A.T. from Safford Notch campsite to the summit of Little Bigelow Mountain.
To find the answers and explore some MATC history check out past issues of the MAINEtainer.
Special thanks goes to Ray “Walking Home” Ronan for providing dozens of scans of the old MAINEtainer newsletter. Thanks Ray!
Read the latest issue of the MAINEtainer, MATC’s quarterly newsletter.
You can view the current year’s issues as well as look into the MAINEtainer archives.
“The highest mountain in the Hundred Mile Wilderness is easier to access thanks to recent improvements and trail relocations.”
Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust
November 20, 2020
White Cap Mountain was protected by the Gulf Hagas Whitecap project in 2017, which was completed by the Forest Society of Maine, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust.White Cap is the highest mountain in the fabled Hundred Mile Wilderness and the trail this organization maintains – the White Brook Trail – is more accessible than ever.
Take a tour of the project and learn about the ecology, history, recreation and volunteerism at White Cap Mountain.
ArcGIS StoryMaps combine photos, video, maps and text to create an innovative format for telling the story of Maine’s Appalachian Trail and some of it’s most amazing locations.
Click above for an immersive journey to White Cap Mountain from your computer or mobile device.
Your support is critical for the stewardship of incredible landscapes like White Cap Mountain. Please consider donating today to help us preserve this treasured resource.
Rocks aren’t placed by magic; it takes lots of hands and strong backs to make rock steps.
Volunteers build stone steps at Gulf Hagas using pry bars, shovels, grip hoist and pick axes.
Show your support for MATC by proudly wearing and displaying official clothing and accessories emblazoned with the MATC logo. Check out the variety of MATC branded items at our “Trading Post” – on-line store.
MATC has partnered with Spreadshirt to provide MATC branded clothing and accessories to members and supporters of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Items are available in a variety of styles and colors.
MATC is a non-profit, 501c3 charitable organization and does not make any profit on these items. Spreadshirt is a third-party, affiliated vendor who handles all sales and questions regarding their products.
