Grateful for trail champions in Congress

To the Editor;

The Maine Appalachian Trail Club is profoundly grateful to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins for championing our $475,000 congressionally directed spending request, as well as U.S. Sen. Angus King for endorsing funds in the recently approved fiscal year 2024 spending package. These funds support the $3.2 million Trail Champions campaign to construct the Maine Trail Center in Skowhegan. Thanks to all of our donors, the Trail Center will open in May 2025.

Founded in 1935, MATC is a volunteer nonprofit created to assume responsibility for the construction, maintenance, and protection of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. At no time in our 89-year history has MATC had a permanent home. Equipment is stored at members’ homes. Meetings are held at rented venues. Each summer, our Maine Trail Crew stays on leased property when not on the AT doing heavy trail maintenance. 

The Center will have sleeping quarters, showers, a kitchen, and a meeting room to accommodate volunteers between trail maintenance assignments. Conservation and outdoor groups throughout Maine will access it for activities and education including chain saw use and trail maintenance. The location, near the midpoint of the AT in Maine, will minimize travel to work assignments, while affording volunteers access to shops, restaurants, and essential services.

The Maine Trail Center will help us to improve Maine’s section of the Appalachian Trail and fill a void for Maine-based sustainable trail design and construction skills training. Thanks to the support of both U.S. Sens. Collins and King, we consider them to be trail champions!

Tom Gorrill

President

Maine Appalachian Trail Club

St. George