Whether with printer's ink or pixels, AMC is working to make sure it's read about all over.

Media outreach plays a significant role in AMC's ongoing work to build awareness of the organization's mission as well as its myriad activities, events, destinations, educational opportunities, and conservation and public service efforts.

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Read about AMC's significant destinations coverage and Maine Woods Initiative coverage, or follow the "What's New" news feed on the homepage at www.outdoors.org.

In 2009, AMC racked up more than 400 million print and online impressions (a calculation of circulation or visitors per month times the number of stories), and the organization was and continues to be covered by regional, national, and international media, and has developed a strong presence with such social networking sites as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

"Our work with traditional and new media is a critical component of our overall communications effort," said AMC Vice President for Communications and Marketing Kevin Breunig. "Our ongoing relationships with staff and freelance journalists working for such outlets as Outside magazine, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe, as well as with writers at such online outlets as About.com, Away.com, and many others, enable us to help spread the word about AMC's good work in a variety of markets and among a wide range of social networking communities." AMC also responds to a wide variety of media inquiries and works closely with local media in the New Hampshire and Maine communities in which it operates programs and destinations.

On a daily basis, communications staff members consider the variety of newsworthy information AMC has to share, and then approach media representatives with story ideas. "It's about matching a story idea with the right writers or producers who will then become excited about putting together an article, blog post, or TV segment for their readers, listeners, or viewers," Breunig said, noting that story ideas may focus on a particular destination-based activity, such as lodge-to-lodge skiing, or, perhaps, on the organization's commitment to stewardship though its trail volunteer program or climate research.

Media have also recognized the value of AMC's contributions to outdoor exploration and mountain hospitality through such third-party endorsements as Yankee magazine's 2010 Editors' Choice recognition of the AMC huts as "Best Mountain Escape," Budget Travel magazine's naming of AMC's Family Adventure Camps in its "America's Best Family Camps" rankings, and the choice of the Highland Center in National Geographic Adventure "Top 50 Ecolodges" and Rand McNally's 2011 Road Atlas "Best of the Road" Editor's Pick.

Overall, the volume of AMC's 2009 media coverage was up 17 percent over the previous year, with online media coverage up 36 percent over the same period. The percentage of online coverage is expected to continue strong growth as additional new media sites and blogs come online.

Strategies to continue building awareness via mass media and social networks include encouraging travel and outdoor writers to visit huts and lodges; producing short videos highlighting AMC programs and initiatives and linking them to www.outdoors.org via the video-sharing site, YouTube; using new social media tools for press release distribution, and developing media events to announce new recreational opportunities and conservation initiatives. AMC also works closely with state tourism agencies in New Hampshire and Maine to help provide information to vacationers interested in the outdoors.

Media relations are a growing part of a suite of communications tools and vehicles in use by AMC, including AMC's website and AMC Outdoors magazine (in print and online), AMC's Facebook page, and Twitter, all designed to help deliver outdoor information to members and the public, and to build awareness of the AMC mission.