For National Trails Day, we want to take the time to say thank you.
In a normal season, our real work begins as soon as the snow melts, and a great deal of the work hours during this crucial time come from an incredible group of volunteers. We rely on these amazing people to make the load a little lighter, and to help us prepare the Mount Agamenticus trails and summit for the approximately 50,000 visitors we see yearly. This year, due to COVID-19, we lost a significant amount of on-site work hours; the special volunteer events and the regularly scheduled monthly Community Work Days we rely upon every year were cancelled or postponed. We would like to acknowledge the Trail Adopters, the Friends of Mount A, the volunteers who show up every month for Work Days, and the businesses, schools, and organizations we can count on every year to get through the bulk of our pre-season tasks. Many hands truly do make light work, and we couldn’t do it without you.
If you read our 2019 Stewardship Report, you know that we logged a total of 890 volunteer work hours last year. We hosted 9 Community Work Days, 14 volunteer work groups (including Serve with Liberty, United Way Day of Caring, and Alternative Spring Break students from Central Michigan University), and our Trail Adopters made 82 separate visits to monitor trails. Of those hours, an estimated 360 hours came from work completed between April and June. Our Report this year will look very different, but we know it’s not because people didn’t want to help, and we truly appreciate the volunteer inquiries we’ve received since April.
Our slow start means there is some catching up to do, and the focus for this season’s Trail Crew will be on regular trail maintenance and minor repairs. We hope that we are able to continue with modified versions of scheduled Community Work Days soon, and will update you as soon as we are able. At this time, if you are interested in adopting a trail or a summit garden bed (to help with weeding, mulching, and other maintenance tasks), please do reach out using our Volunteer form. Please understand we may be a bit delayed in getting back to you. Our Outreach and Education Coordinator is happy to schedule distanced outdoor training with individuals interested in helping with summit garden beds starting in mid-June; responses to Trail Adopter inquiries may take a little longer. We appreciate your patience!
If you are already a Trail Adopter and feel safe getting out and checking on your trail, don’t forget to fill out the Trail Adopter Report form. Thank you for all your help!
If you are interested in learning more about actions you can take to celebrate and preserve trails and promote equitable access to quality green space, Join the nationwide movement by taking the #NationalTrailsDay Pledge here on the American Hiking Society website.
Featured photo by Emily Lord.
More photos are on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Follow us there to see weekly #FlashbackFriday posts of volunteer events, past programs, and other Mount A history throughout the summer!
Last modified: October 2, 2020
