[at-l] AT Journeys

[Walt Daniels]

Then read the mission and tell me what part of it ATC is not maintaining.
For all practical purposes the trail itself is fully protected, a few miles
here and there. What is not protected enough is the corridor. What is no
longer available is the massive government funds that went into buying the
current corridor. Times change and you have to change with them. We now
spend more time protecting the corridor than convincing congress to
appropriate more money. Protecting the corridor takes our money, not the
public money. "Our money" does not just happen. It takes more dues paying
members and lots more donors. They don't just volunteer - you have to ask
them. This is something we all know from working on the trail. The tooth
fairy did not build it. We, the volunteers, did.

I sit on the Stewardship Council and see no differences in how we react
based on over 25 years of being in the volunteer management of the trail.
Our mission is to support the volunteers and help them do a good job of
maintaining and protecting the trail. Volunteers need some professional
support and that is what the staff is for. If volunteers fail to step up to
the plate then ATC must hire more staff to do what the missing volunteers
can't or won't do. If you would like to see less staff, volunteer more. For
example, I would like to see an ATC/Club volunteer on the planning board of
every town that adjoins the trail. This requires real local people. It can't
be done by staff. PA has just passed a bill requiring all such towns to
protect the trail via zoning regulations. You can guess how those will come
out if the developers write the regulations vs an AT volunteer. If your not
in PA, then get your state to pass similar legislation. Does that take time
or money - you bet, both! Ask how it happened in PA - a lot of work by ATC
staff and volunteers.

-----Original Message-----
From: at-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:at-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On
Behalf Of Sloetoe
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 1:17 PM
To: Clyde; at-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [at-l] AT Journeys

-- rcli4 at comcast.net wrote:I like to think that most
> folks try to do what is right and the folks that run
> the ATC are probably doing what they think is right.
>  If you disagree with them get involved.  They seem
> to be pretty open so move in and aggravate for
> change.

### YourClydeness, it is not about replacing one set
of busybodies with a new set. It is about maintaining
mission. It's not "anti-change," it's about
maintaining mission. And it's not "squeaky-wheel,"
it's about maintaining mission. The TRAIL is the
mission, not the ATC.

weshouldtalkaboutthisasweSOBOtogether,no?toe
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