Archive for the ‘Appalachian Trail Community’ Category

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Bland County, Virginia Designated as an Appalachian Trail Community

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) will celebrate the official designation of Bland County, Virginia as its newest Appalachian Trail Community™ on May 26th at the Bland County Fairgrounds. A full day of celebratory activities is planned as a part of the county’s inaugural Festival of Trails.

Starting at 10:00am, guided hikes along the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) with the local Piedmont Appalachian Trail Hikers club and a bike race through the county will kick off a day of music and dance, followed by the A.T. Community designation ceremony at 5:30pm at the Bland County Fairgrounds. Local volunteers are working collaboratively to bring awareness to the Trail and to the communities about the national resource. The ATC and community leaders will speak, with a proclamation-signing and an unveiling of new community signs.

The Appalachian Trail Community™ designation is a new program of the ATC, the nonprofit responsible for management and protection of the estimated 2,185-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Launched in 2010, this program recognizes communities for their part in promoting awareness of the Appalachian Trail as an important local and national asset.

Designation as an Appalachian Trail Community™ and participation in the program is aimed to:

• Engage community residents, Trail visitors, and stewards

• Thank communities for their decades of service to hikers

• Act as a catalyst for sustainable economic development

• Aid municipalities and regional areas with conservation planning initiatives

• Promote the Trail as a community resource and asset

“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is proud to celebrate communities that are helping to protect and promote the Appalachian Trail,” states Julie Judkins, Community Program Manager for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. “These new partnerships will increase local stewardship of public lands, support community initiatives for sustainable economic development and conservation planning as well as support healthy lifestyles for community citizens.”



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Appalachian Trail Community, Bland County, virginia | Comments Off

Waynesboro, Virginia is newest Appalachian Trail Community

Saturday, March 10th, 2012
On March 17, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) will celebrate the official designation of Waynesboro as the newest Appalachian Trail Community™ at the Dominion Pavilion at Constitution Park beginning at 10:00 AM. The city will celebrating the ribbon cutting of the newly completed greenway, and will host speakers including the ATC’s new executive director, Mark Wenger, as well as local leaders including Mayor Frank Lucente.

“Waynesboro volunteers, businesses and organizations have long been committed to connecting A.T. hikers with the necessary resources while in Waynesboro. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s community designation for Waynesboro strengthens the City’s effort in becoming a premier outdoor recreation destination,” stated Katie McElroy, Waynesboro Tourism Director. “We are thrilled to continue these efforts in working together for a stronger partnership.”

The Appalachian Trail Community™ designation is a new program of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the nonprofit responsible for management and protection of the estimated 2,180-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Launched in 2010, this program recognizes communities for their part in promoting awareness of the Appalachian Trail as an important local and national asset.

Waynesboro’s designation day will include a chance to walk on the new greenway and speak with local groups such as the Virginia Department of Forestry, the South River Science Team, and representatives from the two local volunteer A.T. maintaining clubs - Old Dominion A.T. Club and Potomac A.T. Club.

“The opening of the first phase of the South River Greenway is key to Waynesboro’s commitment to the outdoors. Promoting trails and their benefits to the public from an overall health aspect as well as a tourist destination is a natural fit to our overall mission,” explains C. Dwayne Jones, Director of Waynesboro Parks and Recreation. “Being recognized as an Appalachian Trail Community solidifies our connection to the A.T. and its countless users.”

Designation as an Appalachian Trail Community™ and participation in the program is aimed to:

• Engage community residents, Trail visitors, and stewards
• Thank communities for their decades of service to hikers
• Act as a catalyst for sustainable economic development
• Aid municipalities and regional areas with local conservation and planning efforts
• Promote the Trail as a community resource and asset

“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is proud to celebrate communities that are helping to protect and promote the Appalachian Trail,” states Julie Judkins, Community Program Manager for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. “These new partnerships will increase local stewardship of public lands, support community initiatives for sustainable economic development and conservation planning as well as support healthy lifestyles for community citizens.”


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Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Appalachian Trail Community, Waynesboro, virginia | Comments Off

Damascus, VA Designated An Appalachian Trail Community

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
On May 14, 2011, as a part of the 25th annual Trail Days festival, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club, and town leaders from Damascus will hold a ceremony celebrating their designation as the newest Appalachian Trail Community with a proclamation signing, speakers and presentation of town signs. Scheduled speakers include Mayor McCrady, Virginia Delegate Joe Johnson, Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association Coordinator Mike “Wingheart” Wingeart, and others.

The Appalachian Trail Community designation program is a new program of the nonprofit managers of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T.). Launched in 2010, this program recognizes communities for their part in promoting awareness of the A.T. as an important national and local resource. Towns, counties and communities along the A.T.’s corridor are considered assets by A.T. hikers, and many of these towns act as good friends and neighbors to the Trail.

The designation ceremony will take place at 12:30 pm at the Gazebo in the Damascus Town Park, following the Giddy Up Cloggers. Hiking groups and clubs are invited to gather around the stage with banners and flags to show support of Damascus during this special event. At the end of the ceremony, attendees will line up for the popular Hiker Parade, marching through downtown along the Appalachian Trail.

Trail Days, a multi-day festival attracting approximately 4,000 hikers and about 15,000 other visitors to Damascus each year, offers hiker workshops, hiker services, food, gear vendors and entertainment. Many events are family-oriented such as slide-show programs, outdoor activities, presentations, hiking seminars, movies, and musical concerts.

For over 50 years, volunteers from the MRATC, one of the ATC’s federation of 31 AT maintaining clubs from Georgia to Maine, have led the maintenance, management, and protection of the A.T. in the area, in cooperation with the ATC, the US Forest Service’s Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, and Grayson Highlands State Park. The club works closely with Damascus to make the most of this new program. They have helped design hiker brochures and work closely with local schools to get students on the Appalachian Trail.

I've never been to Trail Days, but Damascus is a very cool little town. I should also mention that the hike to Mt. Rogers is one of my all time favorite hikes.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Appalachian Trail Community, Damascus, virginia | Comments Off

ATC awarded grant to support Appalachian Trail Communities

Monday, January 17th, 2011
The Virginia Environmental Endowment has awarded a $22,000 grant to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) to support the Appalachian Trail Community program in Virginia. During the 2011 granting period, the ATC plans to accept at least five new communities from Virginia into the growing network of designated trail-side communities.

Through this grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment, the A.T. Communities program will expand its capacity by developing volunteer training, communication tools, program website and other resources to support local communities.

The Appalachian Trail Community program, managed by the ATC, provides tools and support to local communities that capitalize on the Trail as a community asset for tourism and outdoor recreation. The program is designed to provide an incentive for conservation of the Trail’s signature landscapes while giving communities the opportunity to grow rural economies that sustain rural heritage and quality of life. Launched in 2010, this program will ensure long-term stewardship and protection for the Appalachian Trail.

One quarter of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and its 280,000-acre land base traverse the Commonwealth of Virginia, protecting a 550-mile swath of the state’s natural resources, scenic beauty, and rich biodiversity. In addition, the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail (A.T.) provides an unforgettable outdoor experience to an estimated four million visitors each year, including many local residents who use the Trail for physical and spiritual renewal. In Virginia, the Trail slices through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests and Shenandoah National Park, offering ecological and economic benefits to 23 Virginia counties. With the millions that visit the Trail every year, as well as its international iconic status, it's no wonder that outfitters, restaurants and businesses catering to outdoor recreation call A.T. communities home.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in ATC, Appalachian Trail Community, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Virginia Environmental Endowment, grant | Comments Off

Unicoi County now an ‘Appalachian Trail Community’

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
Unicoi County leaders and officials with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy kicked off National Tourism Week with a ceremony yesterday to officially designate Unicoi County as an Appalachian Trail Community.

Unicoi County, roughly 35 miles northeast of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is the first community in Tennessee to receive the designation, and only the fourth in the country, joining Boiling Springs, Pa., Hot Springs, N.C., and Franklin, N.C.

The designation comes from the ATC due to a partnership between the organization and Unicoi County and the significant conservation efforts in the county.

ATC Regional Director Morgan Sommerville said an estimated 4 million people walk some portion of the nearly 2,180 mile Appalachian Trail annually. Hopes are that the designation will provide greater exposure to Unicoi County’s portion and increased economic benefits to the county as a whole.

“We hope that the Appalachian Trail Community designation will encourage hikers to spend at least one additional night in Unicoi County and perhaps more,” Sommerville said.

Joe Deloach, Appalachian Trail Committee chair of the Tennessee Eastman Hiking & Canoeing Club, said Unicoi County will likely be the only community in Tennessee to receive Appalachian Trail Community designation for the foreseeable future. Of the 17 counties in Tennessee and North Carolina through which the trail runs, Deloach said Unicoi County’s portion is the fourth largest with 51 miles.

Unicoi County’s portion of the Appalachian Trail includes Rocky Fork, Big Bald Mountain, Unaka Mountain as well as Beauty Spot.

You can read the full story from the Johnson City Press by clicking here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Posted in Appalachian Trail Community, Beauty Spot, Big Bald Mountain, Rocky Fork, Unaka Mountain, Unicoi County, appalachian trail | Comments Off

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