AMC Launches New Mobile Website

Smartphone users can now connect to Outdoors.org and access a new, mobile-optimized version of AMC’s website. We’ve made the most common online tasks, including checking lodging availability, finding local outdoor programs, checking current conditions, and renewing your membership much easier to do with a mobile device. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Get Out for the first Great Maine Outdoor Weekend!

We can’t wait to get outside during the first-ever Great Maine Outdoor Weekend on March 2-4! AMC is one of dozens of organizations and companies that are hosting more than 80 activities to celebrate Maine’s great outdoors.

The Maine Chapter of the AMC is offering three events — Snowshoeing the Cold River Valley, Hiking Little and Big Deer Hill, and XC Skiing at Harris Farm. AMC staff in Greenville are also offering a guided hike up Little Moose Mountain!

There’s something for everyone in these outdoor offerings, and most of them are FREE! You can choose from a broad range of introductory activities — from cross country skiing and snowshoeing excursions, to more unusual events like digging for winter steamers or night owling! What a hoot!

Check out the full listing of events and locater map. Learn more by visiting our Facebook page too!

We look forward to seeing you in the woods and on the trails March 2-4!

AMC Spring Fling: April 27-29 at Mohican

Registration for AMC's annual Spring Fling weekend, 4/27 - 4/29, is now open! All are invited to join us at AMC's Mohican Outdoor Center in New Jersey's Delaware Water Gap, whether you're an AMC member or not. Space is limited, so register soon by calling 603-466-2727. Hope to see you there!

Learn more and register >>

Thanks to YOU, the New Jersey State Legislature Acts for Clean Air!

Last month, we asked our NJ Conservation Action Network members to contact their legislators and tell NJ Governor Christie to stop trying to pull the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

The good news is that your calls and emails paid off!

The NJ Assembly’s Environment Committee advanced a bill (A1998) that would continue the state’s participation in this successful pollution reduction program. RGGI is a groundbreaking and effective 10-state program designed to reduce carbon air pollution from power plants in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. It has generated more than $778 million for state investments in clean energy projects throughout the region.

We Don’t Want a Hazy Future!

Support clear skies and amazing views in our parks and public lands! Click here to tell EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to support a strong “Regional Haze” program and protect our health and the outdoors! A new report, Cleaning up the Haze: Protecting People and America’s Treasured Places, calls into question an EPA proposal that would allow nearly 150 coal-fired power plants units, in 28 eastern U.S. states, to avoid installing the best modern pollution controls.

We all should be able to enjoy outdoor spaces, especially our national parks and wilderness areas, and breathe clean air while taking in an incredible view. Haze pollution created by burning coal and other fossil fuels not only blocks scenic vistas, but also is comprised of the same particle pollution that is linked with respiratory illness and asthma, especially in children.

Take Action: Contact the EPA TODAY!

AMC Outdoors Slideshow: Mt. Greylock in All Seasons

Writer and naturalist René Laubach hiked up Mount Greylock each month of 2011, capturing the experience in photographs and essays. What started as a simple New Year's resolution to visit his local mountain more often turned into a year-long pilgrimage to observe the mountain's seasonal changes, both subtle and dramatic.

View slideshow >>

Recreational Trails Need Your Help!

The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is one of the most important funding sources for trails in the country and provides essential dollars to the trails we know and love--as well as funding new trails too!

The current Senate transportation authorization bill (MAP-21) puts this program in serious jeopardy.

Please call or email your Senator TODAY and ask them to support the Klobuchar amendment to MAP-21 that would restore dedicated funding to the Recreational Trails Program!

Save 15% when you Refer a Friend to 2012 Teen Wilderness Adventures

Which 2012 adventure will you choose?

Check out this great deal from AMC's Teen Wilderness Adventures program: refer a friend who's new to the program and you both save 15% on your program registration!

Get the details >>

Photos: Last Weekend in the Maine Woods

AMC staff in Maine were out and about last weekend taking shots of the snow and gorgeous winter scenery around the area. Check out these great shots and come on up and visit us soon!

Trout Brook Trail. Photo: D. Rinard

Trout Brook Trail. Photo: D. Rinard

Dawn grooming on Long Pond. Photo: D. Rinard

Dogsledding at Gorman. Photo: C. Mealey

New sitting area at Little Lyford. Photo: G. Dethlefsen

Winter trailwork. Photo: G. Dethlefsen

Katahdin from the new East Side Trail. Photo: G. Dethlefsen

Dinner at Little Lyford. Photo: G. Dethlefsen

Moonrise at Medawisla. Photo: G. Dethlefsen

Support Maine’s North Woods by Sharing Your Outdoor Experiences!

Have you ever paddled on the Allagash River, hiked along the Appalachian Trail in Maine, or explored AMC’s 66,000 acres in the 100-Mile Wilderness? If you have, you know Maine’s North Woods are an amazing place full of high peaks, raging rivers, and tons of moose and other wildlife.

The future of these lands is now at stake. We recently asked you to contact your legislator about changes proposed for the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC), which oversees planning and development for Maine’s 10-million acre North Woods. Now we are now asking you to speak up at a public hearing about this issue on February 16!

Last week a bill was introduced that proposes changes to LURC, including many provisions that weaken its oversight capability and undermine its effectiveness. One provision allows county commissioners to appoint themselves as LURC Commissioners without legislative confirmation, and another allows counties to entirely “opt-out” of LURC.

We need your help! Please attend a public hearing on February 16 to support LURC’s role in protecting the many values of the North Woods. We need to send the message that poor planning and piecemeal development are unacceptable alternatives. Help ensure that future generations can hike, paddle, and recreate in this special part of Maine! Come and share your story.

Take Action: Come to Augusta and speak up for LURC on Thursday, February, 16! For talking points and more information contact AMC’s Maine Policy Associate Lindsay Bourgoine at lbourgoine@outdoors.org or (207)-899-0150.

You can also call or email your legislators and ask them to protect the North Woods from poorly planned development by opposing efforts to weaken LURC.

$46 International Dinner Special at Joe Dodge Lodge

Want to check out one of AMC's popular International Dinners but you don't live locally? Join us for the night! Come on up to Pinkham Notch any Wednesday between now and March 28th: attend the Wednesday night International Dinner presentation and stay overnight at Joe Dodge Lodge for just $46! Your stay includes free cross-country skiing and tubing at nearby Great Glen Trails.

Check out our upcoming schedule (Jordan! Mongolia! Spain!) and call AMC Reservations at (603) 466-2727 to reserve your space!

AMC's 2011 Accomplishments - Thank You!

Member and friend support of the AMC in 2011, be it through volunteer hours or financial support, helped accomplish so much. Here are just a few examples:

• In addition to the thousands of hours of trail work AMC members and staff already put in each year, AMC volunteers and staff put in extra time assessing and repairing damage from Irene this fall. We replaced bridges, moved trees and tree limbs, and re-routed trails where we could.
  
  
• Nearly 200 devoted information volunteers shared recreation tips, highlighted conservation efforts, and provided natural history information in the White Mountains and Lakes Region of NH.
  
  
• Conservation projects for watershed protection, habitat restoration, and air quality and climate change research throughout the region furthered AMC’s mission to protect the Northeast outdoors.
  
  
• AMC's A Mountain Classroom ran 143 programs for 4,350 students (grades 5-12) from across the Northeast to help them gain a deeper understanding of the natural world.
  
  
• AMC’s Youth Opportunities Program served 20,000 youth from the Boston and New York City areas and trained 300 youth workers through outdoor leadership training and workshops.
  
  
• Your support helped build and renovate places for overnight adventures like the lodge at Gorman Chairback, Madison Spring Hut, and the Garfield Ridge Shelter.
  
  
• AMC’s 12 chapters worked on trail and conservation projects — from building bridges to clearing abandoned rail trails — provided outdoor education, and helped get more families and children outdoors.
  

Special thanks to chapter volunteers, trip leaders, trail workers, information volunteers, and all the hard working members who dedicated their time, resources, and knowhow for a fantastic 2011 in the woods, on the water, and everywhere in between!

Equipped: Battery-Powered Clothing

Here's one for those of you who love to get outdoors but can't stand the icy cold temperatures! Matt Heid reviews a growing trend in winter gear: battery-powered outerwear!

Read full article >>

Help Defend Funding for Trails!

Recreational trails funding from the federal transportation bill is critical for creating and caring for the country’s trails. But right now these programs are in serious trouble. Please call your U.S. Representative TODAY and urge them to defend funding for trails, walking, and biking.

Over in the Senate, the Environment and Public Works Committee has already approved a transportation bill that would essentially eliminate the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) by stripping the program of its dedicated funding.

This week the House of Representatives' Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will review another version of the transportation bill, called the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act. While the House bill would protect RTP funding, it would still seriously jeopardize bike and pedestrian programs such as the Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to Schools, despite their benefits to our health, air quality, and local economies.

Take Action: Please call your Representative TODAY with these simple messages:

• Please ensure that funding for the Recreational Trails Program remains in the “American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act.”
• Please support dedicated funding for biking and walking programs including the Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to Schools.
• Tell your Representative why trails — and the ability to bike or walk — are important to you!
  

Then please email us at conservation@outdoors.org to let us know you’ve called.