Joan Moyer

August 2021

The Blue Eagle Mountain Climbing Club (BMECC) has been advocating for the protection and enjoyment of the great outdoors for the past 105-years and has been caring for two sections of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in Pennsylvania since the Trail’s inception. For the past 41-years, Joan Moyer has been volunteering her time in support of the A.T. and the BMECC as a section maintainer, a steadfast and professional Club president, and a passionate mentor. Moyer initially took on the responsibility of maintaining a section of the Trail near Tri-County Corner and eventually became the BMECC’s first female president.  

Throughout her terms as president, Moyer worked with a variety of volunteers, partners, and the public on amazing accomplishments including the complete revival of a trailhead parking lot that was once consumed by trash along U.S. Route 61. Moyer also assisted with the building of the Eagle’s Nest Shelter and its transport via helicopter airlift to Shartlesville, PA; a feat that was respectfully featured in a National Geographic magazine. She also helped to establish and protect more than 155-acres of BMECC property as conservation easements along the Kittatinny Ridge; helped to lead the transitioning of composting privies along the BMECC’s A.T. section to moldering privies; served as mentor for the BMECC’s first intern; and expanded community outreach for volunteer engagement from younger generations. 

When she was not volunteering Moyer spent her time raising her two sons while also working as a nurse and a teacher. Her ability to consistently uphold a professional manner, respect the opinions of others, and lead with compassion helped her to recruit and retain additional volunteers to support the Trail and the Club. Leanna Joyner, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Director of Volunteer Relations shared “Working with Joan over the years has been such a pleasure. Her steady hand and long-held wisdom is a source of strength for the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club. Her contributions to her club and to the Appalachian Trail project can’t be overstated.”   

Having stepped down from her position as the BMECC president within the past few months, Moyer still volunteers her time as a co-maintainer for a two-mile section of the A.T. in Port Clinton along the Schuylkill River where she recently worked alongside a Trail Crew to remove invasive Japanese Knotweed. She also continues to volunteer at the Rentschler Arboretum where she can view the Blue Mountains and watch over the Appalachian Trail as she has done for nearly half a century.