New Weekend Van Service between NYC and Mohican

A new non-stop van service will make it easier for New York City members and guests to travel to AMC’s Mohican Outdoor Center.

Starting May 18th, service from midtown Manhattan will run every Friday at 5:30 PM and run through September 7th. The van is operated by Golden Limo Service and will leave from the Pennsylvania Hotel on 7th Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Street (across from Penn Station). An AMC logo will appear in the window of the van.

The return van from Mohican will leave every Sunday at 3:00 PM from May 20th through September 9th. Seating capacity is 13, including space for gear.

The rate for this service is $40 round-trip for member adults, $65 for non-member adults, and $25 for children under 12. Fares are non-refundable. The trip time each way is approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.

For additional information and to reserve a seat, visit http://www.amc-ny.org/moc_van

363,000 Acres of Moosehead Lake Region Conserved

The Nature Conservancy, the Forest Society of Maine and Plum Creek announced on May 15 an historic conservation easement on 363,000 acres near Greenville. The easement is the second largest in the history of conservation in the United States, and it serves as the missing piece that connects existing protected lands to create one of the nation’s most extensive conserved working forests. With this easement, more than 2 million acres of Maine is now conserved as a vast interconnected forest that stretches from the St. John Valley to Moosehead Lake to Mount Katahdin.

The new easement provides a bridge between existing conservation lands, including 29,500 acres in AMC’s Roach Pond Tract, protected as part of AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative, and 15,000 acres known as Moose River Reserve, which includes portions of Number 5 Bog and lands that provide access to the famous Moose River Bow Trip paddling route.

“The Maine woods is the last large and unfragmented wild place in the East, and this historic easement ensures that the remote and undeveloped character of this region will be retained, and the public will forever be able to access this land and enjoy its natural, scenic, and recreational assets,” said Walter Graff, senior vice president of the Appalachian Mountain Club.

The easement was finalized following the rejection of an appeal of a Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) decision approving Plum Creek’s development proposal for the Moosehead region. During hearings on the original proposal and in meetings with stakeholders, AMC worked to ensure a plan emerged that provided permanent conservation, maintained the remote character of the region, preserved public recreational access, and provided long-term benefits to the region.

Read more in yesterday’s press release, and view maps of conservation land in the area: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/maine/newsroom/363000-acres-of-moosehead-lake-region-conserved.xml

AMC Launches Kids.Outdoors.Org

Today, the AMC launched free, registration-based "Kids Outdoors" online communities to get families outdoors close to home in the Boston and New York City areas. Parents can now visit the new "Kids Outdoors" at http://kids.outdoors.org for local expert advice and more than 100 outdoor activities, many close to public transportation, based on two new books from AMC, Outdoors with Kids Boston and Outdoors with Kids New York City. Read full press release >>

Urge the Massachusetts Legislature to Protect Endangered Species

An effort to eliminate endangered species protection in MA is underway and we need your help to stop it!

Conservation groups and the business community strongly support the current endangered species protection standards, however an effort by a small group of people would strip the effectiveness of the MA Endangered Species Act.

The legislation, An Act Relative to Land Takings (Senate Bill 1854) is in the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture chaired by Representative Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) and Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton). The MA Endangered Species Act requires protection of rare plants and animals listed as Endangered, Threatened or of Special Concern, but this bill would gut that authority by requiring the agency to protect only “significant habitat,” which is not designated in MA.

Take Action: AMC and our partners are working hard to stop the bill, and we need your help! Please contact Chairman Pacheco and Chairwoman Gobi and ask them to table Senate Bill 1854. 

For additional background, read the joint letter to the Committee chairs (PDF) >>

Outdoors With Kids Boston Launch Event: May 20th in Mattapan, MA

We are celebrating the launch of AMC’s new family guide, Outdoors with Kids Boston! Join local author Kim Foley MacKinnon at the Boston Nature Center in Mattapan as she discusses her work at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 20th. There will also be fun activities and a guided hike for the whole family! Sponsored by L.L.Bean and Bright Horizons. Learn more >>

AMC Lodge Offerings Named as Yankee Editors' Choice

AMC lodge offerings in Maine and New Hampshire have been recognized as 2012 "Best of New England--Editors’ Choice" winners in Yankee Magazine’s Travel Guide to New England, on newsstands now.
This designation is awarded by Yankee’s editors and contributors, who name select restaurants, lodgings, and attractions in New England to the exclusive list.
Read full story >>

Introduction of 2012 White Mountain Guide: The Hiker's Bible

Hot off the presses, the 29th edition of our bestselling White Mountain Guide is available! This edition includes new descriptions for 32 miles of trails, plus post-Irene conditions and closings. To celebrate the new edition, join our editors and cartographer at Eastern Mountain Sports in North Conway on May 10th >>