Karla Geissler, hike leader, MLS grad, Fall Gathering volunteer, Volunteer of the Month
Karla Geissler, a member of AMC since February of 2018, is our volunteer of the month.
She started participating in many activities and soon graduated from DV Chapter’s Outdoor Leadership Training. Karla has been leading activities ranging from urban walks to challenging hikes and has demonstrated great insight into hike safety.
She returned to the Outdoor Leadership Training as an instructor this year and led the leader dinner hike at Lake Nockamixon. She has also completed AMC’s Mountain Leadership School, and she plans to take her skills to New Hampshire this month.
More recently, she stepped up to help us with a late request by AMC for our chapter to host the Fall Gathering in 2020, as a substitute for the Potomac Chapter. Karla is working as the Facility Coordinator for the event. Karla’s enthusiasm for AMC makes her a great ambassador for the club. We look forward to her continued involvement in the chapter..
Our Volunteer of the Month program was initiated to recognize volunteers nominated by their peers. Chapter members can nominate volunteers by e-mail to recognition@amcdv.org.The nomination should contain the nominee’s name, reason for the recognition, and name of the nominator. Each nominee name is entered into a random drawing for the Volunteer of the Month recognition. The monthly winners are entered into an annual drawing at the Annual Dinner for a grand prize of a weekend stay at an AMC facility. Nominees must be an AMC member, not a elected member of the current Executive Committee, and may serve in any volunteer capacity that benefits the Chapter mission in the Delaware Valley area. See the past Volunteers of the Month.
Meet our 2019 AT Ridgerunner
Our 2019 ridgerunner is Steven Mathew Read, who has been in training and orientation for almost two weeks and began the season this Memorial Day weekend and will be on the trail through Labor Day.
Matt is from Texas and thru-hiked the trail in 2003. He brings experience, maturity and enthusiasm to the job, and we look forward to working with Matt throughout the season.
His wife Cara has accompanied him here from Texas but she will not be on the trail officially. She is able to work remotely as a writer.
Matt would be very pleased to join you on one of your work trips to help care for the trail together, and to get to know you and your clubs section more intimately. He can be reached by e-mail or by texting or calling 484-896-9492
The Ridge Runner program on the Appalachian Trail enters its 27th year. The Ridge Runner is an AMC employee who works on the AT five days a week including weekends and holidays between Memorial and Labor Days. His or her job is to meet and greet trail users, educate on Leave No Trace, and help preserve the trail experience for future generations.
Our chapter and the larger AMC have been directly involved in supporting this program in Pennsylvania for all of those years. The program has been coordinated by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and the National Park Service, with a continuing grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The section of trail covered stretches 42 miles from Delaware Water Gap to Lehigh Furnace Gap and includes Wind Gap, Little Gap and Lehigh Gap in northeastern Pennsylvania (including the 16 miles of the trail maintained by the DV Chapter). There are two other ridge runner programs on the AT in Pennsylvania, one in the Cumberland Valley, and the other in southern Pennsylvania near Michaux State Forest.
If you'd like to keep updated on the Ridge Runner program and Kevin's experiences on the trail, check out the program on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NEPARidgerunner/ Latest Ridgerunner Report 7-6 to 7-12
Take Action:
Demand Full and Dedicated Funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Now is our chance to finally secure permanent, dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The United States Senate is reviewing S.1081, a bi-partisan bill to permanently provide $900 million annually to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Write to your Senators today asking for their support of S.1081 by joining as a co-sponsor.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a visionary and bipartisan federal funding program for protecting our nation’s most special places. From Sterling Forest in the New York Highlands, to White Cap Mountain in Maine, to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has funded the protection of some of our most iconic landscapes and trails in the Northeast. Earlier this year, we celebrated the permanent re-authorization of the Land Water Conservation Fund, but without dedicated funding Congress’ work is not complete.
Write to your Senators in support of funding for LWCF.
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