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  • Volunteer hours logged on Appalachian Trail, ATC reports as record breaking

    HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — The Appalachian Trail Conservancy announced Tuesday that a record-breaking 6,827 volunteers reported approximately 272,477 hours to maintaining and protecting the Appalachian Trail for hikers to use during the 2015 fiscal year.

    Since the ATC began collecting reports in 1983, individuals have contributed more than 5 million hours to the trail resulting in a volunteer network that is recognized worldwide, according to a written statement.

    Volunteers donated time equivalent to what is completed by 131 full-time workers and contributed to a wide variety of projects including maintaining the trail corridor, monitoring and removing invasive species, supporting teachers in the Trail to Every Classroom program, assisting communities near the trail, and preparing for the ATC’s biennial conference – the organization’s official member gathering held every other year.

    “The Appalachian Trail Conservancy exists because of the generosity, talents and support of our volunteers," said Ron Tipton, executive director of the ATC, in the statement. "They are the very soul of the Appalachian Trail. The record number of volunteers and volunteer hours reported for fiscal year 2015 illustrates a continued dedication to the preservation and management of the Trail.”

    For more information about volunteer opportunities, visitwww.appalachiantrail.org/volunteer.

    Comments 1 Comment
    1. coach lou's Avatar
      coach lou -
      In 2015 I worked 250 of them. Our crew is out every other weekend from March to December!