February 13, 2023
Corridor Monitoring - A Photo Gallery

The Appalachian Trail is a 2200 mile footpath from Georgia to Maine. But what makes it a path worth walking is the protection of land along the Trail where it does not already pass thru national parks or lands protected by the states. Based on legislation passed in the 60's and 70's, the National Park Service acquired land rights to over 100,000 acres of land along the Trail. This "corridor" is maintained by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and member Trail clubs, including AllentownHikingClub.org.

Recently, on the second day of black bear season, with wind chills in the teens, and accompanied by Paula Uhrin, I did my first stint as Corridor Monitor for NPS segment 338 along the AT. Nonetheless, ours was a very successful outing! We located all the monuments marking the boundary with private land and saw no signs of encroachment.

Link: https://www.allentownhikingclub.org/blog/Corridor-Monitoring-A-Photo-Gallery-48/

September 29, 2019
Fall Is Here
by Karen Gradel

Fall priorities include reporting your AT volunteer hours, learning about charcoal hearths on Blue Mountain, and attending our end of year events.

Summer is over and our trail maintainers have spent many hours clearing blowdowns, blazing, getting rid of invasive plants to keep the path clear. For all those who have helped with the maintenance thank you and don’t forget to get your volunteer hours into Ed Ritter by Oct 9th. Also anyone else who has helped with corridor monitoring , leadership, administration, websites, newsletters, finance, etc. should submit hours too. Things not to report are participating in (as opposed to leading) recreational A.T. hikes, planning or attending social events, such as dinners and picnics, feeding hikers, a.k.a. ‘Trail magic’ or trail maintenance on trails other than the AT. Why is it important to report all of our hours? ATC uses the hours of all the volunteers to obtain NPS funding.

It is also the time of year we do Corridor Monitoring. If you are interested in helping with the monitoring or just want to go along and find out what is involved, keep your eye on the forum or contact Lucy Cantwell.

A ‘don’t miss’ is the October presentation by Muhlenberg college Professor Benjamin Carter who will give a talk on his research of the charcoal hearths located on the Blue Mountain. There will also be a hike on October 5th to accompany his presentation and give us a ‘first hand’ look at the charcoal pits. Coming up we also have our holiday pot luck on December 4th, our holiday hikes and our annual New Year’s Eve hike to the Allentown Shelter that has been a tradition since 1976.

Link: https://www.allentownhikingclub.org/blog/Fall-Is-Here-26/

July 17, 2019
Help Wanted: AT Corridor Monitors
By Lucy Cantwell, Corridor Monitor Coordinator

We are seeking a few new persons to help with this very important task!

Each fall, the Allentown Hiking Club monitors the boundaries of our section of the AT, called the "corridor," which is land owned by the National Park Service that extends a few hundred feet on either side of the trail. Some of our long-time monitors, who have been performing this function for upwards of 20 years or more, are no longer able to commit to this duty.

According to the ATC Volunteer Leadership Handbook, Corridor Monitors "are responsible for visiting and reporting on the condition of an assigned area of corridor land within a Trail club’s section.... Volunteers interested in monitoring may be quite different from those who like trail work—good monitors often enjoy orienteering, bushwhacking, and traveling in rugged terrain."

The monitoring process is not unlike a scavenger hunt, with a compass and a map to assist you. If ever you are in need of an adventurous hike, this is it. If you think you might be interested in participating in the corridor monitoring, please contact the AT Monitor Coordinators listed on page 2 of the newsletter. We'll teach you how to collect the required information by pairing you with an experienced monitor assessing his/her section of the trail. The commitment on your part, after this simple training, is basically one day a year, scheduled by you at your convenience. Be adventurous! Volunteer and see what it's all about!

For an excellent description of the duties of a corridor monitor, please see this article on corridor monitoring published in the Spring 2019.

Link: https://www.allentownhikingclub.org/blog/Help-Wanted-AT-Corridor-Monitors-23/

February 19, 2019
Corridor Monitoring - What It Is and Why We Do It
by Lucy Cantwell

Walking the boundaries of Appalachian Trail lands to prevent encroachments is an essential part of our responsibilities as a maintaining club.

It's the time of year for the Allentown Hiking Club to do our annual corridor monitoring. We talk about it a each meeting, but some of you may wonder, "What is this all about?" Here is a brief explanation of this annual activity.

A critical component of our duties as a maintaining club of the AT is corridor monitoring and boundary maintenance: keeping a close eye on the federal estate purchased to protect the Appalachian Trail. The AT "corridor" is the land owned by the National Park Service that extends a few hundred feet on either side of the trail. Corridor monitoring means walking along and examining the border of this NPS land and the adjacent lands ( for example, privately owned lands, state game lands, municipalities) to assure that all boundary markers are in place and no encroachments have occurred. This involves leaving the AT treadway and bushwhacking over rocks and through dense vegetation to locate "monuments," i.e., the markers installed by surveyors years ago to establish a line between NPS lands and that of neighboring landowners.

Encroachments, such as illegal dumping of waste, timber theft, rock piles, discarded machinery, hunting blinds, or evidence of incompatible uses such as ATVs are also documented. These discoveries are subsequently reported to the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) and corrective action is taken, if needed. During the monitoring we also post signage along the boundary lines, indicating which areas belong to the NPS. Volunteer monitors thus become the “eyes and ears” of state and federal landowning agencies. Monitoring helps assure the American public that its investment is being cared for and protected.

The Allentown Hiking Club monitors 35 tracts containing over 600 acres, which has 106 surveyor's monuments and 15 1/3 miles of exterior boundary. This is divided into 7 sections and is monitored by club members who commit to individual segments of about 4-7 miles each. Some of our monitors have been doing their sections for upwards of 20 years!

New volunteers are always welcome and encouraged to step up and join the action! If you think you might be interested in participating in the corridor monitoring, please contact the Monitor Coordinators listed on page 2 of the newsletter. We'd be happy to have you join one of the established monitors when they hike their section to collect the monitoring information. Also, keep an eye out for announcements on the AHC Forum, as monitors may post their hikes on the spur-of-the-moment, since good weather conditions are generally better for this activity. Be adventurous and come and see what it's all about!

Link: https://www.allentownhikingclub.org/blog/Corridor-Monitoring-What-It-Is-and-Why-We-Do-It-18/