Carolina Mountain Club                                                                             July 2013
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From The Editor   

It finally arrived July 19 and ends today July 26 after years of preparation by CMC members. The event was the 2013 ATC Conference. We have two articles on the conference in this issue. To read more check out Danny Bernstein's blog by clicking here
 
There will not be an August eNews. I'm taking the month off. Please send in your travel stories and accompanying pictures for us all to enjoy in the fall and winter months. 
 
If anyone has any articles for the newsletter, send them to [email protected] The intention is to include all articles in the eNews, but sometimes that is not possible. 

The newsletter will go out the last Friday of every month. The deadline to submit news is the Friday before it goes out.

 

Sincerely,
Kathy Kyle
Carolina Mountain Club

 

 
Training Offered
WNCA Starts Forest Keepers Program

The Western North Carolina Alliance is inviting volunteers to join us in our new Forest Keepers program. We need you to help become the eyes, ears and helping hands of North Carolina's forests.

To become a WNCA Forest Keeper you will:

� Participate in a series of free classes and seminars taught by knowledgeable instructors from the staff of WNCA and other local experts.

� Take part in fieldwork to gain hands-on experience in water quality monitoring, trail maintenance, non-native species control, forestry, and more.

� Adopt locations that are special to you and keep an eye on the streams and forests you love by making regular visits and learn how and where to report environmental issues.

� Broaden your knowledge of forest ecology, deepen your appreciation for the natural world,and connect with other like minded Forest Keepers. To read more click here.

Michael Cornn
Vantage Points Change, But Love Of Hiking Remains The Same
By Kathy Kyle
michaelcornn

One of CMC's most active hikers and hike leaders began the sport at an early age. As a Los Angeles pre-teen, Michael Cornn would hike in the Hollywood Hills with his two cousins Shareen and Greg. At the age of six he started making the first of what would be an annual summer migration to Henderson County. He walked with his grandfather Tilford on the family's property- land in the family since the 1700s. His grandfather had turned it into an apple farm, and a place to raise honeybees and vegetables.  To read more click here.

CMC's Formal Position Outlined For Forest Management Plan Revision 
By Tish Desjardins
forest plan input

In 2013 and 2014, the U.S. Forest Service is conducting a series of public meetings to gather public input to revise the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forest Management Plan. The Management Plan will form the basis for important decisions in the management of our forests for the next fifteen years. 

 

The decisions that will be based on the Management Plan include where and how many miles of trails will be built or decommissioned, how trails will be maintained, how multiple uses of trails will be managed, where roads will be built, and what areas of the forest will be preserved for recreation, for logging, and for ecological protection.

 

At the same time, collaborative meetings, consisting of forest recreation, conservation, and environmental groups are also being held for the purpose of providing a more unified approach of ideas and recommendations to the U.S. Forest Service for the Management Plan Revision. Kristen Bail, Director of the U.S. Forest Service in North Carolina, attended the most recent collaborative meeting and stressed that individuals speaking for organizations needed the organizationʼs backing. Members of CMCʼs Conservation Committee are attending U.S. Forest Service meetings and collaborative meetings, and will present CMCʼs formal position. To read more click here.


registration
CMC member Daisy Teng, right, helps register ATC attendees. 

CMC Members Shine At 
ATC 2013 Cullowhee Conference 
atc conference

By Kathy Kyle

CMC members were a common site at the 2013 Appalachian Trail Conservancy Conference in Cullowhee. Members organized and led hikes, excursions and workshops. They put up signs, took up tickets, registered campers and attendees and more. It was a busy, but enjoyable week (July 19-26) for the nearly 1,000 attendees. 

 

CMC member Lenny Bernstein chaired the steering committee for the conference, and welcomed attendees on Saturday during the 39th meeting of the ATC. He, Danny Bernstein and Lewis Blodgett were the CMC members recognized for 25 years of active volunteer service on the Appalachian Trail.  

 

The ATC board announced that Ronald J. Tipton will be the new executive director and CEO of the conservancy. To read more about Tipton click here

Heard At The ATC Conference
By Kathy Kyle
Part of the enjoyment of attending an ATC conference is meeting hikers from different clubs and hearing about their experiences and what their clubs do. Here is some of what was heard on the trail at the conference:
 
What we call trail breaks on CMC hikes have other names by other clubs. A hiker from Bronx, New York said they call their trail breaks "separation." A hiker from Maryland said they call it "find a tree."
 
One hiker from Washington, DC said their club charters a bus for its hikes. There are usually two pickups made.
 
Another hiker from South Carolina told about a friend who was on a first date with a male friend. The man died on the trail. She turned, he was on the ground with his small dog curled up on his chest.
 
One CMC leader had to have a couple of hikers escorted back to the starting place because they weren't able to finish. CMC hike leader Ashok Kudva had a 94 year-old hiker who finished his 4-mile hike with no problem.
 
Another CMC leader had to regroup for her Charlie's Bunion hike when the carpool encountered a road closure on 441 because of a land slide. The road was re-opened that day, but the group hiked another trail.
 
Friday night a large tree limb broke in the camping area, but no one was hurt. It did sound like fireworks though.
 
There was some grumbling about cold coffee and hash browns in the cafeteria one morning. 
 
The next ATC conference will be held July 17-24, 2015 at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. To volunteer contact [email protected]
 

Vote In Poll: Should CMC Expand 
The Recognition Of Volunteer Hours? 

 

If you have not already, please cast your opinion by filling out the poll by clicking here

Hike 

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In This Issue
WNCA Training Offered
Michael Cornn
CMC's Formal Position
CMC Members Shine
Separation?
Vote!

  

 

Quick Links




The Small Print

The next issue will come out on Friday, September 27. Wednesday hike reports for the hike just before the eNews comes out will be published in the next eNews.

Hiker leaders, please send all your eNews hike reports and photos to [email protected]

So send your news by Friday evening at 9 P.M. before the newsletter comes out, that is, by Friday evening September 20 to Kathy Kyle at [email protected]. Include your email address at the end of your story. Thank you.

The CMC Calendar is meant to answer the perennial question "When is this happening again?" It is also meant to prevent conflicts between competing CMC events. Please check it often.

Westgate parking - Park in the northernmost part of the lot - past EarthFare, in the last row of parking spaces.

How to join the Carolina Mountain Club
1. Go to www.carolinamountainclub.org
2. Click on "Join CMC" on the right side and follow the instructions

For CMC members only - Send all address and email changes to Gale O'Neal at [email protected]. Do not resubscribe yourself to the eNews. That will be done automatically.

If you are a non-member subscriber, you need to go back to the eNews and make the change yourself.