Maine Chapter Website

Yes, that’s right! Your AMC Maine Chapter newsletter Wilderness Matters is now available to you in pdf. In fact, if you prefer to forgo a paper copy entirely and only receive an electronic copy sent to your e-mail inbox for each issue, you can select this preference through AMC’s Member Center. Or, did you misplace your paper copy, or would you simply like to view past issues? Starting with the Summer 2009 issue, these will be posted on the Maine Chapter Website. However, in order to provide members with inside benefits, we will only post the current issue to the public one month after regular postal and electronic mail distribution. Electronic distribution could save the chapter valuable funds, as right now it is 40% of our annual expenses. But don’t worry, paper issues will be available for some time to come!

AMC’s two newest blogs launched at the start of June and offer tips on getting kids outside in the Northeast and gear expertise. “Great Kids, Great Outdoors” blogger Kristen Laine draws on her own experience as an outdoors-person, writer, and mother – plus recommendations from AMC experts – to provide practical advice for easing kids into outdoor experiences. The blog is one way that AMC is encouraging a connection with nature among today’s youth. “Equipped” blogger Matt Heid, a longtime AMC Outdoors contributor, is reporting and commenting on outdoor gear. Each blogger posts about twice a week and welcomes comments. Sign up for an RSS feed of either one or both, so new posts will come to your email inbox automatically.

There is a new webcam showcasing a very nice view of Mt. Katahdin from South Twin Lake in Millinocket. So, if you can’t make it to Maine’s highest mountain but just want to make sure it is still there, take a peak!

BOW stands for “Becoming an Outdoor Woman.” This national program started in 1991 in Wisconsin, but there are now more than 80 weekend-long workshops held each year in North America. Maine will host its weekend workshop on Sept. 18-20 at Camp Caribou in Winslow. Becoming an Outdoors-Woman is sponsored by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and Friends of BOW. It offers programs aimed primarily at women 18 years and older who are interested in learning or improving their skills in hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation in a safe and comfortable environment. These workshops provide the opportunity to learn about the outdoors but to also provide a venue for women to learn more about themselves. Partial scholarships are available for women with a financial need. To learn more about BOW or the September weekend workshop, you can visit BOW’s website.

Maine Wilderness Guides will offer a thorough hands-on training in a weekend workshop September 18-20. Workshops led by Registered Maine Guides include:

Advanced canoe skills and safety
Traditional canoe poling
Trip planning and safety
Map and compass, GPS
Open-fire gourmet cooking and baking
Knot tying
Starting, building, and extinguishing fires
Low-impact camping

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Mark your calendar! The 2009 AMC Fall Gathering will be held in the beautiful Berkshires- October 16-18- during peak foliage season! Hosted by the Berkshire Chapter, at Becket-Chimney Corners in Becket, Mass., the event will run from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. Hikes, bike rides, paddles, cliff/wall climbing, rope courses, workshops and presentations, Contra-dancing, campfires, socials- we’ll have it all! Bring the family- the program is “kid-friendly.” Visit their web page for more information, or e-mail at amcf...@gmail.com.

Would you like to go to the widely acclaimed Common Ground Country Fair in Unity September 25-27? All you have to do is volunteer to staff the AMC booth for a 3-hour shift on any day. It’s a great way to talk with many AMC members, as well as encourage folks to become members. Or, if you are going to the fair anyway, come visit our booth! The fair has been dubbed “Maine’s most authentic country fair.” Events, vendors, and exhibitors promote conservation and sustainable living while enjoying local, delicious organic food. Contact Jeanne Christie or Laura Flight for more information.

Come join the Maine Chapter for our Summer 2009 Sea Kayaking Series! Download a Summer Kayak Series pdf flyer or click on the Calendar for more information.

Check out these photos from a recent trip in Portland Harbor continue

Does the name “Earl Shaffer” ring a bell? He is thought to be the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History recently opened an exhibition about his adventure entitled “Earl Shaffer and the Appalachian Trail”! This is available for viewing until October 11, 2009 or also permanently on their webpage. But Smithsonian wants you to share your experiences, memories, and pictures of life on the trail to build an online map populated with these photos and stories. The goal is to help connect a wider audience, that may have never set foot on the fabled AT, with the trail and its allure. You can do this by continue

Outdoor enthusiast, blogger, and AMC Maine Chapter member Carey Kish recently noted the celebration of June 6, 2009 as National Trails Day by commenting on the need for volunteers to maintain our nation’s trails. Maine Chapter Executive Committee member and Trails Chair, Keith Chapman, was interviewed for this article in the Portland Press Herald. Keith commented on the 212 miles of recreational trails in Maine maintained by the Maine Chapter and urged folks to join him on one of the many trails outings in the calendar.