Long-time Greenville resident Gary Dethlefsen is the new operations manager for the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Woods Initiative.

In the new position, Dethlefsen is responsible for overseeing operations on AMC’s 37,000-acre Katahdin Iron Works property, as well as the 29,500-acre Roach Pond tract slated to be acquired from Plum Creek this fall. The Katahdin Iron Works property includes two sporting camps and a self-service cabin, hikers’ shelters and campsites, several remote ponds, and a growing network of recreational trails, all open for use by the public. He is also a member of the team working on AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative, a new approach to conservation that combines resource protection, outdoor recreation, sustainable forestry, and community partnerships in the 100-Mile Wilderness region.

“Gary is a talented and creative individual, an avid outdoors enthusiast, and a long-time member of the Greenville community. With his wide range of skills and talents, I am certain he will help us make great progress with the Maine Woods Initiative,” said Walter Graff, deputy director of the Appalachian Mountain Club and director of AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative.

Dethlefsen, 47, brings with him many years of experience in the hospitality business and property management. He also is experienced in starting and running successful retail businesses, having, in recent years, developed and managed Maine Mountain Soap & Candle Co. as well as Lakeshore Provisions, both in Greenville. He looks forward to the new opportunity, and is pleased to be able to remain in the Greenville community, where he has visited since childhood and has lived full-time since 1993.

Calling the new position his “dream job,” Dethlefsen said it “combines all my personal and professional interests.”

Having served for several years as an executive chef, Dethlefsen said he hopes to use his culinary experience to enhance the menu offerings at AMC’s sporting camps in the region, Little Lyford Lodge and Cabins and Medawisla Wilderness Lodge and Cabins.

Dethlefsen has been involved in community affairs, having served as a member of the town of Greenville Budget Committee, a board member of the Moosehead Region Sanitary Sewer District, and member of the Greenville Downtown Improvement Committee and the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce. He enjoys fly fishing, kayaking, and snowshoeing.

Dethlefsen said he is eager to talk with community members in Piscataquis County about the AMC’s commitment to land conservation; providing public access for recreation; and working with local schools to help kids learn about the outdoors and develop skills in such activities as hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing. “I’m hoping to help people learn about what we have on the property and why it’s special,” he said. “I feel lucky to have this opportunity. To be at this place at this time and help craft a legacy excites me.”

Dethlefsen can be contacted at 695-3085, or via e-mail at gdethlefsen@outdoors.org. He is based out of the AMC’s Greenville office at 7 Washington Street.