Category Archives: Announcements

Gordon Clarke – A Remembrance

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-Craig Dickstein

When we joined in the efforts of MATC in late-2005, Donna and I were asked to help Gordon Clarke with the Carrying Place section in the Kennebec District.  What a great introduction to Trail maintenance!  Not only did Gordon have (and share) the requisite skills, but his passion for the work was infectious.  The first trip out in the spring was the best as we got our annual spring wildflower lesson.  His love of wildflowers was gained from the days that his wife Karen would join him on the Trail or on one of their many wilderness canoe trips. 

A Club member since 1997, Gordon devoted much time and energy to the Kennebec District.  He was one of the Club’s first Certified Sawyers and always enthusiastic about the program.  Gordon was instrumental in erecting Maine’s first elevated bog bridge on the AT – located just north of Carrying Place Road.  Whenever I am in that neighborhood, I make a point to walk into the bog and have a quiet moment of great memories.

MATC has lost a great friend of the Trail …. Happy Trails Gordon!

See Gordon’s obituary and preferred charities here. 

Group Registrations Coordinator

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Group Registrations Coordinator

MATC’s CARE Committee (ridge runner program) is seeking a volunteer to serve as the Group Registration Coordinator. The job includes: receiving information from groups that register to use and camp along the AT; corresponding with groups to advise them on their itineraries and, if necessary, provide alternatives; communicate with ridge runners in the field to inform them of groups passing through or camping in their areas; collecting data to help improve Trail use; providing feedback to camp groups and the CARE Committee on group usage of AT resources. Recommended qualifications for the position are: familiarity with the AT in Maine and its campsites; working knowledge of computer applications for tracking, storing and distributing data; good communication skills.

For more information or to request consideration for the position contact CARE Committee Chair, Janice Clain (jclain@midmaine.com) or MATC Club Coordinator, Holly Sheehan (coordinator@matc.org).

2022 Annual Business Meeting

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Save the date! The Maine Appalachian Trail Club’s 2022 annual meeting will be held on Saturday April 9th from 9-11am on…. you guessed it- Zoom! Again, we will miss seeing familiar faces and the stories of blow-downs, privies, and flat tires. And we’ll especially miss the coffee and doughnuts! But, with the latest news of COVID-19 this is the best we can do. We are planning on a 2-hour meeting to prevent screen fatigue and stick to the tasks at hand. Based on last year’s meeting we should be able to make it within the 2 hour time-frame. We’ll send out more information, including a Zoom invite, as the date approaches. In addition, we’ll be reaching out to those without the internet to make accommodations. Below is a sneak-peek of the agenda. “See” you all on April 9th! For more information, please contact: Tom Gorrill tgorrill@matc.org

Agenda
Maine Appalachian Trail Club Spring Meeting Via Zoom
Saturday, April 9, 2022

9:00 AM Annual Business Meeting of the Club

  • Welcome – Lester Kenway
  • Approval of the 2021 Annual Meeting minutes – Janice Clain
  • Treasurer’s Report – Jonathan Ellis
  • Adoption of Budget for FY 2022-2023 – Jonathan Ellis
  • Corresponding Secretary Report – Doug Dolan
  • President’s Report – Lester Kenway
  • Recognition and awards – Peter Roderick, Lester Kenway, Tom Gorrill
  • Election of Officers – Janice Clain

10:45 AM News from Appalachian Trail Conservancy – Paige MacGregor
11:00 AM Q&A
11:10 AM End of Day

MATC Seeks Walter D. Greene Award Nominees

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by Tom Gorrill

Do you know someone who has done an extraordinary job for the MATC last year? Went way above and beyond what was expected?

Please keep that person in mind….and nominate them for the Walter Greene award that is presented at the Spring Meeting.

The Walter D. Greene Award is presented at the Annual meeting to recognize extraordinary effort or achievement by a member of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. This award is not to take the place of periodic informal recognition that all MATC volunteers should receive; i.e. a ‘thank you’ for a job well done. Nor is the award intended to recognize length of service or long hours (there is an existing ATC program for that purpose).

Walter D. Greene

Please submit names of MATC members who have exceeded expectations of their assigned duties in 2021 to recognize one-time or recurring work, for example:

  • Writing a funding grant, or
  • Making an effective presentation, or
  • Going the ‘extra mile’ at an event, or
  • Helping with an emergency trail location, or
  • Working on trail-related legislation, or
  • Spending time with the Maine Trail Crew, or
  • Accomplishing trail maintenance/repair beyond expectations.

We will be asking for these names to be presented to the Governance Committee by March 4th, 2021. The committee will then pick the award winner from those nominations.

Please submit nominees to me at tgorrill@matc.org

Flowfold Sponsors MATC

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The MATC would like to acknowledge the generous support of our most recent Sponsor: Flowfold

Launched in 2010, Flowfold makes everyday gear that is lighter, stronger, and lasts longer. Whether sewing lightweight wallets from recycled sailcloth, or making protective face shields for hospitals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, their mission remains the same: To make quality products that improve the everyday lives of the individuals and communities who use them. 

With their mission to create better, longer-lasting gear, Flowfold has always been adamant that 100% of their products are Made in the USA. Flowfold is a Maine-based brand with a global reach, committed to supporting local communities and maintaining full control of design and production. (https://www.flowfold.com/) Learn more about MATC Sponsorship here. (https://www.matc.org/index.php/sponsorship/)   

Katahdin Coffee Sponsors MATC

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The MATC would like to acknowledge the generous support of Katahdin Coffee as our most recent sponsor.

Katahdin Coffee comes from a family of coffee mongers. From 1975 to 2014, Lyons Coffee Service, founded by Stan & Hazel Lyons, provided hardworking Mainers (and New Hampshirites) with workplace coffee and supplies. Family owned and operated, we carried Katahdin Coffee as our own private brand. Eventually, we sold the office coffee operation, and Katahdin Coffee Co. began a new chapter as a stand-alone company: Katahdin Coffee.

Katahdin Coffee’s donation will contribute to sustaining the more than 25,000 hours of work done annually by the volunteers of the MATC; clearing blowdowns, digging runoff ditches, and building bog bridges and mouldering privies. Learn more about MATC Sponsorship here.

MATC Maine AT Maps Are Now Available for Your Mobile Device

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MATC has partnered with Avenza Maps to make our 7 Maine Appalachian Trail maps available to download to your mobile device. The maps can be used on the trail without Internet access or cell reception and will pinpoint your current position on the map using your device’s GPS system.

To get started download Avenza’s free app and set up a free account. Search for the “Maine Appalachian Trail Club” and you will see a listing of our 7 Maine AT maps that are available for purchase at $5.99 each. We also have a bundle of all 7 Maine AT maps for $27.99 or a “100 Mile Wilderness” bundle of 3 maps for $15.99.

Check out our website for more information: https://www.matc.org/index.php/digital-trail-maps-on-mobile-devices/

We still also offer printed maps at our MATC Store:
https://www.matc.org/index.php/matc-store/#!/

Side Trail Closure on Barren Mountain

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Details from the Monson Appalachian Trail Visitor Center: TRAIL CLOSURE ALERT: A pair of peregrine falcons with a young chick are nesting on the rock slide on the flank of Barren Mountain. If you hike near nesting peregrines, they may abandon the nest and their chicks may die. To protect this falcon family, the A.T. side trail leading to the Barren Slide has been closed. Breeding peregrines are endangered in Maine. Please respect the wildlife with whom you share the A.T. by obeying the closure.

April 17 Annual Meeting

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The Maine Appalachian Trail Club’s 2021 annual meeting will be held on Saturday April 17 on… you guessed it- Zoom! We will all miss seeing familiar faces and regaling stories of 28-inch blow-downs, shoveling out privies, and flat tires. And we’ll especially miss the coffee and doughnuts! But, this is the best we can do given the circumstances. There will be a bit of extra business to conduct this year because there was no annual meeting in 2020, but we are planning on a 2-hour meeting to prevent screen fatigue and stick to the tasks at hand. For More Information.

2021 Annual Meeting

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The Maine Appalachian Trail Club’s 2021 annual meeting will be held on Saturday April 17 from 9-11am on… you guessed it- Zoom! We will all miss seeing familiar faces and regaling stories of 28-inch blow-downs, shoveling out privies, and flat tires. And we’ll especially miss the coffee and doughnuts! But, this is the best we can do given the circumstances. There will be a bit of extra business to conduct this year because there was no annual meeting in 2020, but we are planning on a 2-hour meeting to prevent screen fatigue and stick to the tasks at hand. We’ll send out more information, including a Zoom invite, as the date approaches. In addition, we’ll be reaching out to those without the internet to make accommodations. Here’s a sneak-peek at the agenda. “See” you all on April 17th! For more information, please contact: Tom Gorrill.

Draft Agenda

  • 9:00 AM Annual Business Meeting of the Club 
    • Welcome – Lester Kenway 
    • Approval of the 2019 Annual Meeting minutes – Janice Clain  
    • Treasurer’s Report – Jonathan Ellis 
    • Adoption of Budget for FY 2021-2022 – Tom Lewis – Finance Chairperson 
    • Corresponding Secretary Report – Doug Dolan  
    • Election of Officers – Tom Gorrill 
    • Constitutional and Bylaw amendments- Tom Gorrill
    • President’s Report – Lester Kenway  
    • Recognition and awards – Peter Roderick, Lester Kenway, Tom Gorrill
    • Other business – Lester Kenway
  • 10:40 AM News from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy – Hawk Metheny (tentative)
  • 11:00 AM End of Day

There are no upcoming events at this time