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  • 14 Mar 2012 8:49 PM | Deleted user

    Be sure to check out the club's brand new meetup group at http://www.meetup.com/Old-Dominion-Appalachian-Trail-Club

    Also, click on the facebook link on the home page to join us on facebook.

  • 04 Feb 2012 8:26 PM | Deleted user

    Production of the March - April newsletter, 'The Walker', is beginning. Many great activities were listed in the first edition, which came out in January. If you were a coordinator or participant of any of those trips, treks, or talks, please submit a paragraph summarizing your event. It could be a funny story or something that caught your attention during the activity. Photos, with captions, are welcome!

    Your contributions are very appreciated and due no later than February 15. Jenny Pendergrass provides a great list of upcoming activities for each newsletter. If you have anything planned for March and April, please tell her and include the upcoming activity in your paragraph(s), just a promotional thought.

    Thanks!

    Katie - odatc.newsletter@gmail.com

  • 14 Jan 2012 6:48 PM | Deleted user

    The Girl Scouts of America (GSUSA) will be celebrating their 100th birthday in 2012 by hiking the Appalachian Trail.  Between March 12 and October 31st, 2012, Girl Scout troops will select a section of the Appalachian Trail to hike; their goal is to complete the entire trail "in bits and pieces" by the end of October, 2012.

    Check out www.gshike.org  for more information and to get involved.

  • 14 Jan 2012 6:18 PM | Deleted user
    Good Morning         
         

    Earlier this year, after David Startzell announced his retirement, I formed a search committee from the board and engaged a professional firm to conduct a national search for a new Executive Director. Working with the firm, the committee narrowed down the pool from more than 150 candidates. The board then met in special session last December to interview the finalists and make a selection. After much deliberation I am pleased to welcome Mark J. Wenger as our new Executive Director. Mark will begin his new position starting this February.  

    Mark is active in the A.T. community as a life member of both the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club (TATC) and the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club. He is past program chair, vice president, and president of TATC.  He was most recently Regional Partnership Committee (RPC) representative and RPC chairman for the Virginia region.  He also served on the steering committee for the recently completed 2011 Virginia Journeys, the ATC’s 38th Biennial Conference.  Mark has also led an extensive number of outdoor trips (backpacking, canoeing, cycling, and whitewater rafting) for the TATC earning him the Ray Kernel, Jr., Trip Leadership Award.  On August 1, 2011, he completed an 8-year, 3-month effort to section hike the A.T. 

    Mark previously held a variety of leadership positions over 32 years with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia, the largest outdoor museum in the world and one of the largest museums in the United States.  The Foundation is devoted to the preservation and interpretation of eighteenth-century American life with emphasis on the revolutionary time period. He brings to the ATC and in-depth knowledge of organizational,

    operational, financial, communications, and development skill sets in the not-for-profit field.  In his most recent position, he served as Director of Facilities where he was responsible for managing an operating budget of $30 million, maintaining more than 800 buildings, 1,500 acres, and 200 employees and volunteers.  

    Mark graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.  He received a Master in Architectural History from the University of Virginia and is a licensed architect in Virginia and Louisiana.  

    He is also active in a number of other groups.  He has volunteered for over 22 years with the Boy Scouts of America at the local, council, and regional levels. He is Outdoor Ethics Advisor for his council providing him a vehicle to champion the cause of Leave No Trace while at the same time promoting more but responsible use of the outdoors.  He serves on the board and is vice chair of the Williamsburg Landing, a large, not-for-profit retirement community.  He is active with his college fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, at the national level.  He serves of the board of the Mountain State Railroad and Historical Logging Association based in Cass, West Virginia.  He has served on a number of local, state, and national bodies, both governmental and private.  One he is most proud of is chairing the Parks and Recreation Commission of James City County, Virginia, as they undertook a bond referendum to establish more parks and an extensive network of trails to connect them.  The bond referendum passed by an overwhelming margin.   

    I am confident that Mark will continue to build on the high standards and excellence that defines this organization while moving us forward to serve the next generation of Trail users. Please join me in welcoming Mark to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. 

    Sincerely, 


    Bob Almand

    Chair of the Board of Directors

    Appalachian Trail Conservancy

  • 14 Jan 2012 6:08 PM | Deleted user

    Members, be sure to check out the final club mileage statistics under the members only section of the web site after logging in.  Way to go everyone and thanks to Randy for keeping track of all this. 

    So now that it's 2012 we've got a fresh start on all new club miles. 

    Let's get out their and enjoy a hike!

  • 14 Jan 2012 10:17 AM | Deleted user

    Received this news this week:

    Notice to the Supporters of the Continental Divide Trail Alliance

    The Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA) was formed in 1995 to assist
    federal land management agencies in the completion, management, and
    protection of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (³Trail²).  Since
    that time, CDTA volunteers have dedicated nearly $5 million worth of labor
    while individuals, foundations, and businesses committed more than $14
    million.  As of 2011, 2,050 miles of the Continental Divide Trail have been
    completed.
    Increasing pressures from development in the West, rising land costs, and
    decreases in Federal funding threaten the completion of the Trial.  Despite
    the strong level of financial support from so many of you, overall
    contributions and other revenues in recent years have significantly declined
    with the economy. These revenues are the life blood of a non-profit
    organizations like the CDTA.

    Consequently, the CDTA Board of Directors has made the very difficult and
    painful decision to cease operations of the CDTA.  The financial condition
    of the organization has been unstable and deteriorating for a number of
    years. We have not been able to raise the necessary financial resources to
    sustain the continued operations of the organization.

    We are taking the actions necessary to complete our outstanding contracts
    for work on behalf of the Trail. We are retaining the services of our
    committed and outstanding staff to meet our current obligations, to the
    extent financially possible, as we complete closing down CDTA over the nextfew weeks.

    This is a sad day.  But the Trail is still here, and it continues to inspire
    us all.  We are confident this inspiration will lead people to start a new
    and stronger organization to continue the work on the Trail.

    The Board and dedicated staff of the CDTA would like to thank each and every
    one of you for your tremendous commitment and support of the Continental
    Divide National Scenic Trail and the CDTA. We are truly humbled by the
    selfless actions of so many and hopefully this will inspire another group of
    people to continue the mission of CDTA.


  • 08 Dec 2011 1:05 PM | Deleted user

    Hi Everyone,

    Janet Bailey graciously passed the baton to me for future production of THE WALKER. As most of you know, THE WALKER comes out six times during the year, naturally beginning with the January/Febraury 2012 issue.

    To meet THE WALKER distribution deadline at the end of December, 2011, I am asking for your support. Please send accomplishments, news, photos, hike debriefs, or whatever you would like to include to odatc.newsletter.com. It would be great to have your submissions by December 19.

    This is a busy time of year for all of us. But let's give a mental round of applause to Janet Bailey for her dedication to THE WALKER and to ODATC. Upon reveiwing the resources she has given to me, it is apparent that she went way above and beyond to serve your club's interests.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

    Katie Veilleux

    Editor, THE WALKER

  • 07 Dec 2011 6:07 PM | Deleted user

    Check out this article about the club from the Richmond Times Dispatch.  This was in the paper Sunday, December 4th.

    http://www2.timesdispatch.com/lifestyles/2011/dec/04/tdflair04-hikes-dont-have-to-be-on-tough-terrain-ar-1505124/

  • 07 Dec 2011 11:25 AM | Karen

    Want to see what is going on in the Park, especially now when snow is in the forecast? SNP has two webcams: Pinnacles area (into the valley towards Luray) & at Big Meadows.  A third camera is listed for Rockfish Gap (I-64 going across Afton Mt.) - this link takes you to a separate traffic cam site. You can check the webcams out at:

    http://www.nps.gov/shen/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

  • 07 Dec 2011 8:22 AM | Karen

    This is the time of year when it is a good idea to call the SNP or BRP to check on road closures if you are planning mountain hikes where access is dependent on the roads being open.

    BRP Info Line: (828)298-0398

    SNP Info Line: (540)999-3500.

    FYI: Winter Weather Advisory for Augusta County (including Waynesboro & Staunton)Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011 Rain & snow this afternoon, accumulations up to 1 inch. Snow in the evening, accumulation of 2-4 inches - chance of snow near 100 percent.

Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club (c). 
P.O. Box 25283 
Richmond, VA 23260-5283
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