[MA-RPC] January updates

Tue Jan 10 15:29:45 EST 2006

I prefer e mail because I get to see every ones reply. It can be a pain some times, however, it allows me to see some subtle differences in each reply.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Kerry Snow 
  To: 'Hal Wright' ; 'MARPC list' 
  Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 8:33 PM
  Subject: RE: [MA-RPC] January updates

  I think it depends on the group.  Some forums get a lot of use.  I think ours would permit more give-and-take than e-mail, but they don't seem very popular, so we might be fighting a losing battle.

  The meeting is scheduled for March 11th.

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  From: ma-rpc-bounces at commerce-02.cilia.org [mailto:ma-rpc-bounces at commerce-02.cilia.org] On Behalf Of Hal Wright
  Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 8:05 PM
  To: MARPC list
  Subject: Re: [MA-RPC] January updates

  In my experience with hosting web sites, people much prefer email lists. Who has time to make a special trip to all the web sites one is involved with without a specific task to perform? I understand the organizational advantages of the forum, but in practice, it's just easier to get the email and respond to it, as I am doing now.

  For personal organization of emails, I use folders and subfolders.

  On Jan 9, 2006, at 7:54 PM, Walt Daniels wrote:

    I have posted Don Owen's EA file on the web.

    The forums I set up have not been used, but there has been significant discussion of a few issues on this email list. Would people rather continue in the email list mode rather than using the forum where you get less repetition of stuff? Forums also tend to be better organized in terms of threads of subjects if people set up some reasonable topics as threads. You don't get the random subject lines. 

    There is no place on the forum for these Chair letters of general updates but it could be started easily. 

    Have we picked a date for the spring meeting? I have not seen anything definite.

    Great news on the resumption of the Register.

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      From: ma-rpc-bounces at commerce-02.cilia.org [mailto:ma-rpc-bounces at commerce-02.cilia.org] On Behalf Of Kerry Snow
      Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 7:58 PM
      To: MA-RPC at commerce-02.cilia.org
      Subject: [MA-RPC] January updates

      There's been some great discussion, over the past month or two, within our sub-committees about the role of the MARPC, the work of the sub-committees, and the relationships between the MARPC and its various "clients" (ATC, maintaining clubs, hiking public, AT neighbors, etc.).  I think we're making progress toward establishing clear goals for our group and for setting up procedures for getting our work done.   As we get closer to our Spring meeting, I think that work will pick up steam.  Some of the basic questions that should be discussed within the sub-committees are, in my opinion:
      1. what are the maintaining clubs currently doing, with respect to the particular issues of the sub-committee? 
      2. what are our partner organizations doing (and how can we strengthen our relationships with those partners)? and
      3. what are the priorities for each sub-committee?
      Answering these questions, I think, will help educate all of the MAPRC members about the activities in our region, will help eliminate redundancy of efforts, and will more clearly define the relationships that exist between AT managers, our partners and the community.

      Many of you responded, regarding my last request for preferences concerning our meeting schedule and options for 2-day meetings, "floating" locations, etc.  The consensus seemed to be that there was no clear objection to a 2-day meeting, if workload demanded.  We also seemed to agree with our original plan to hold our annual one-day (MARPC-ATC-ATPO) meeting in Boiling Springs and to "float" the 2-day affair up and down the region to accommodate our members and our partners.  Finally, we all agreed that cost should be a serious consideration, when planning venues.

      I don't think there's any doubt that our workload will require a 2-day meeting once a year (at least).  I'd suggest that we plan that meeting in the Fall, in order to get a better idea about which partners will attend (and how convenient it will need to be, to attract attendance), and to continue our committee discussions about acceptable costs, etc.  We still have plenty to do in establishing our sub-committee structures and in encouraging the participation of all MARPC members, so our Spring meeting agenda will probably be busy enough, in any case.  Please let me know your opinions on this suggestion.

      Don Owen recently (November, actually) sent a list of projects currently undergoing environmental review by the ATPO.  I think many of you received the list, but I'll ask Walt to post it on the MARPC web page, in case you didn't get a chance to review the projects.  Please remember that projects involving trail relocations or construction of side trails, shelters or bridges require legal environmental review by the Appalachian Trail Park Office before any work is begun.  The list is long and the staff is working hard, so please ask your maintaining clubs to plan early.

      Bob Proudman has announced the return of the Register.  This is great news for AT maintainers, since the publication was a reliable resource for techniques, tool suggestions, and training.  The hope is that the Register will be reborn in March of this year, probably as a web-based publication with e-mail notification to subscribers.  Certainly, all trail maintainers should subscribe, as well as volunteers who are involved in closely associated work (corridor monitors, environmental monitors, etc.).  In his announcement, Bob commented:

      "In resurrecting The Register, please keep in mind its MISSION STATEMENT: " The Register is published by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for the volunteers who maintain the Appalachian Trail and/or manage its corridor, their federal and state agency partners, and others interested in the stewardship of the A.T."
      We recognized the high-importance of the broader needs of our growing constituencies and scope, to include natural and cultural resource workers and monitors, boundary managers and monitors, longstanding interests among the A.T. Land Trust and partnering land trusts, our development staff and donors, and Rita's cadre of educators in local outreach and community-driven programs. So our scope needs to be broadly conceived yet internally coherent."

      The MARPC can help in assembling a list of regional subscribers, if you'd like.  We can discuss this at our next meeting.

      Rita Hennessy has updated us concerning the education/outreach initiatives she discussed at our October meeting.  The program has received funding and the NPS/ATC are planning workshops to train leaders in "Place-based and Service-learning Journeys Along the Appalachian Trail."  This is very exciting work.  Our Education/Outreach Chair, Paul Schubert has been in touch with Rita, and will keep us informed on the progress of this initiative.

      Best wishes to all for a happy and productive new year.

      Kerry

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