Club Round-up: Grants

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference- Replace rotted puncheon, Kloiber Field NY

Using funds from an L.L. Bean Grants to Clubs request, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference was able to replace old rotted bog bridges at Kloiber Field with brand new ones. The Long Distance Trails Crew completed this work over a couple outings. First they brushed the site a week before to minimize exposure to poison ivy and then actually replaced the bog bridges.

Nantahala Hiking Club- Appalachian Trail Stewardship in Macon County, NC

The Nantahala Hiking Club applied for a NC license plate grant under the title of the Appalachian Trail Stewardship Project. Funds from the project will allow NHC to support Franklin’s A.T.Community activities, A.T. education in local schools through Trail to Every Classroom Program (TTEC) and with local festivals and events. It would also help NHC cultivate an appreciation for public lands in the community.

Photo of the Annual Franklin Folk Festival, taken from the NHC website.

Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club- Additional Fence for Osborne Tract

Recently the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club received funds from the Tennessee License plate grant to build a 2500 foot fence to join an already existing eastern boundary fence of Trail at the Osborne Tract near Shady Valley, TN. This extra fence allows already grazing cattle the ability to graze a very steep eight acre plot east of the Trail towards Shady Valley that would require extensive resources to mow regularly. Without regular mowing the vegetation would obstruct views of Shady Valley and surrounding mountains from the accessible trail. After receiving the grant the TEHCC volunteers built the fence from woven wire and barbed wire which requires less maintenance and has a longer longevity than general barbed wire fencing.

Photos provided by Carl Fritz, TEHCC – AT Projects Coordinator

 

Sharing A.T. History in North Georgia

GATC worked alongside the Blairsville-Union County A.T. Community, the primary grant recipient, to produce quality work with funds they received from their Georgia A.T. license plate grant. Their project sought to create a “professional, museum-quality exhibit illustrating the history of the Appalachian Trail in North Georgia and the contributions to the A.T. made by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).” Their aim was to also focus on the relationship of local people and the community to the A.T. and the CCC during the formative years of the development and construction of the Trail. The CCC was one of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal initiatives that sought to recruit unemployed young men, eventually unemployed veterans as well, for forestry, erosion control, flood prevention, and parks development. With a grant extension that led the project into its second year the Blairsville-Union County A.T. community succeeded in their project goal.

View the outcome of the project that resulted in these two sets of kiosk panels:​
CCC History banner
A.T. History Display Panels 1-3