Margaret Cahill and Andrea Lassor, Dalton AT Committee Co Chairs
Dalton, MA (May 3, 2017) – Dalton has been formally approved as an Appalachian Trail Community by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and management of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.)
The ATC, the Appalachian Mountain Club Berkshire Chapter and community leaders will join the A.T. Community Committee for Dalton in officially celebrating the designation at an event tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 19, the day of Dalton’s new art and music festival. An initial planning meeting will be held at the Dalton CRA conference room at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 11.
“We are thrilled that our many months of hard work have been rewarded with this designation,” said Andrea Lassor and Margaret Cahill , co-chairs of the A.T. Community Committee for Dalton. “We wanted to take some concrete action to help bring people to Dalton by showcasing the A.T,” the pair explained. “This grew out of the ‘Grow Dalton’ initiative, and we have received strong support from Dalton businesses.” Lassor and Cahill both volunteer as A.T. maintainers on the Trail’s Dalton section, while Tom Levardi, another committee member, has hosted hikers at his property just off the Trail for the past 37 years.
Now in its seventh year with 39 communities participating, including Great Barrington and North Adams, the Appalachian Trail Community™ designation program is a program of the non profit managers of the Appalachian Trail. Launched in 2010, this program recognizes communities for their part in promoting awareness of the A.T. as an important national asset.
Designation as an Appalachian Trail Community™ and participation in the program is aimed to:
• Engage community citizens, Trail visitors and stewards
• Thank communities for their decades of service to hikers
• Act as a catalyst for enhancing sustainable economic development
• Aid local municipalities and regional areas with conservation planning
• Help local community members see the Trail as a resource and asset.
“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is proud to celebrate communities that are helping to protect and promote the Appalachian Trail,” stated Julie Judkins, Director of Education and Outreach, Appalachian Trail Conservancy. “These partnerships will increase local stewardship of public lands, support community initiatives for sustainable economic development and conservation planning as well as support healthy lifestyles for community citizens.”
About the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail –
ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed
today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come. For more information please visit
www.appalachiantrail.org.
Berkshire Eagle article:
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/dalton-designated-an-appalachian-t...
Andrea Minoff
AT Community Outreach Coordinator, Berkshire Chapter,
Appalachian Mountain Club