News - August 2011
August 7, 2011
Backcountry Reservation System Restructuring Proposal
The National Park Service is considering a proposal to improve visitor
services in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by restructuring the
park’s backcountry reservations and permitting processes as well as assisted
backcountry trip planning services. Their proposal has been published for
public comment. For information on the specific proposal, as well as
procedures for providing your comments, please see the
Backcountry Reservation System Restructuring Proposal
August 6, 2011
Blaze the
Shelter Cat
Recently, we (the Georgia Appalachian Trial Club) received word that a
cat was living at the Hawk Mountain Shelter. Since I was going to Hawk Mt.
to remove a couple of trees that had fallen across the trail, I was given
the task of checking out the report. When my partner and best friend arrived at the shelter, we met Blaze. I
named him for the white blaze on his forehead, not unlike the white blaze
that leads hikers from Georgia to Maine. Click the link above to learn more
about Blaze and how you can adopt this wonderful shelter kitty.
November 12-13, 2011
Leave No Trace Trainer Course
The Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition is sponsoring a Leave No Trace Trainer course at Vogel State Park on November 12-13, 2011. If you have an interest in participating, either to learn more about LNT principles or to become certified to teach others, please see the Leave No Trace Trainer Course Flyer.
Look for GATC at these Upcoming Festivals
GATC has been invited to have a GATC/AT Community display booth at
four fun festivals in Union County over the next four months. These are
great opportunities to represent our club in nice venues and communicate the
value of the AT to the public!
Mark your calendars for the following festivals, and if you'd like to help volunteer to staff the GATC booth, contact Dayton Miller.
- Blairsville Green Bean Festival ~ July 30 - 31.
- Mountain Heritage Festival in Blairsville ~ September 3-4. This will include a display/demonstration of cross cut saws and some history of the AT in Union County.
- Indian Summer Festival in Suches ~ October 1-2. Lots of great crafts, food, and fun!
- Sorghum Festival in Blairsville ~ October 8-9 & 15-16,
August 1, 2011
Presidential Ponderings
I
mentioned in an earlier column that I had appointed an ad hoc committee to
look at the current board responsibilities and job descriptions to ensure
each position is manageable and better defined to sustain the work of the
club in the most effective way. This group met in June and there is an
article in this month’s Mountaineer with their recommendations for changes
to board positions.
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