Category: Conservation and Climate
North America’s bird population has declined by nearly 30 percent since 1970. Worldwide, 40 percent of insect species are declining and a third are endangered. Every 30 seconds, a football field’s worth of America’s natural areas are lost to development. That’s why last year, the United States joined world leaders to commit to a significant […]
Getting into the outdoors promotes sustainable behavior Appalachian Mountain Club’s mission is to foster the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the outdoors. But when it comes to conservation and recreation, we often get asked what one has to do with the other. Some ask why we support key conservation initiatives. Others still question why we […]
The ambitious goal to protect 30 percent of the Earth’s lands and waters by 2030 comes with numerous benefits, most notably the resiliency against climate change. As a participant in this 30 by 30 initiative, the United States aims to safeguard its lands, waters, and wildlife habitats to promote biodiversity and provide more recreation […]
As part of a global plan to stop the extinction of species and habitats, help solve the climate crisis, and filter out pollution, President Biden joined other world leaders in June 2021, to launch the ‘America the Beautiful’ initiative that seeks to preserve 30 percent of the United States’ lands and waters by 2030, known […]
From Pennsylvania to the Canadian border, AMC develops, manages, and protects more than 1,800 miles of long-distance and regional trails, including trails easily accessible to urban and suburban populations. With your support, we work with countless land managers across ten states, support thousands of trails volunteers, and tackle everything from basic maintenance needs to […]
This story was originally published in the Winter/Spring 2022 issue of Appalachia Journal. Topsoil lies thin on the ancient slopes of The Western Catskills. As the locals say, it’s two rocks to every dirt. Given that and a downpour during a sudden thaw, or a dry spell, flash floods on the Neversink River can happen at […]
For decades, AMC scientists have studied the patterns and effects of air pollution and climate change in Northeast alpine environments—which negatively affect not only natural ecosystems, but humans’ ability to enjoy them through recreation. That work continues, most recently with several current and former AMC scientists and researchers leading or contributing to a symposium […]
Winter has arrived in New Hampshire’s Pinkham Notch. How might a changing climate change the nature of winter in this special place? As AMC researchers have recently shown, climate change is already altering winter, resulting in a shorter, less snowy cold season here in the Northeast, on average. Tracking changes in the snowy months with on-the-ground weather observations are essential to understanding precisely how climate change is affecting winters in the region—especially in […]
The Northeast Alpine Flower Watch tracks the effects of climate change by gathering flowering time data, using the iNaturalist app and platform, with the help of hikers in alpine areas. AMC has partnered with the Adirondack Mountain Club, Green Mountain Club, and Baxter State Park to achieve this goal in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. This study is an […]
The Appalachian Trail (AT) covers approximately 2,190 miles along the East Coast, bringing hikers as high as 6,600 feet in elevation. This landscape provides an excellent area for understanding how plant phenology—the timing of their life-cycle events like flowering and fruiting—is related to climate and how changes across the AT’s climate gradients could impact ecosystem resilience and biodiversity. […]
Each year, Acadia National Park welcomes more than 2 million visitors to the scenic coast of Maine. At the same time, local parks in cities like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia welcome thousands of residents each day for outdoor rest and recreation. In recent years, humans have also come to appreciate how forests, parkland, […]
John Donahue spent his entire career working for the National Park Service, protecting and promoting America’s public lands. Now, in retirement, the 68-year old spends his time advocating for the addition of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as a national park, citing the area’s unique characteristics, extensive history, and abundant outdoor recreation […]
“There’s a witness tree,” says Dave Publicover, AMC’s assistant research director, as a tree with a red-painted stripe around its middle comes into view. We’ve been scrambling down a pretty steep descent over rough terrain in the northern portion of AMC’s Katahdin Iron Works property (KIW) in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness, and I’m relieved we […]
There’s a moment you have on every hike where you think, “Why am I doing this to myself?” It’s a moment where you’d much rather be sitting in a cabin near the fireplace and reading a good book than huffing and puffing up the rest of the mountain. These are what I euphemistically call […]
Just below Mount Washington’s summit, a cozy hut sits tucked in a cloud. A warm glow emanates from its rustic windows, as the scent of fresh bread and hums of conversation are swept up in the breeze. Someone dashes outside. Scampering over the rocks and past the lake with two sample bottles in hand, […]
More than 80,000 vehicles pass over the Tobin Bridge every day, bringing them through the heart of Chelsea, Mass., where Route 1 splits the city in two. Trucks and trains roll through the city at all hours of the day and night on their way to the largest produce distribution center on the East […]
I fumble between my steering wheel and a map along a particularly rough stretch of Ore Mountain about 30 miles Northwest of Milo, Maine, in the geographic center of the state. My eyes scan attentively for the bridge that numerous maps and satellite images have told me lies just ahead. There are many bridges […]
“I found water!” That’s what I often type next to photos I post social media posts each time I come across and photograph a body of water, whether intentionally or not. Over the past few years, I have grown increasingly interested in exploring nature. I have a deep love for Earth and even created […]
In June, the Biden Administration announced its plan to allocate $2.8 billion to conservation and recreation projects across the country. Those funds, set aside by the Great American Outdoors Act, would support overdue maintenance on federal lands and take significant steps toward achieving the administration’s conservation goals. The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), passed in […]
I had the perfect baby boomer childhood, roaming the central Connecticut woods with my friends, with nary an adult in sight. From a young age, we scampered up trails in an area that gave its name to the Tri-Mountain State Park, a particularly rugged trail system between New Haven and Middletown. We didn’t care. We […]