Types of Volunteer Opportunities
with MRATC
What type of volunteer work is available with the Mt. Rogers Appalachian Trail Club?
Trail Work
The core of MRATC maintenance activity consists of group workdays, scheduled several times a month from March through November. Participants gather at a designated location, review the project, listen to a safety briefing and then hike to the work location. Projects vary widely but can include the removal of fallen trees, trimming of brush, digging to improve the trail or promote drainage, installation of signage, resetting of blaze posts and many other activities. You can help with maintenance as infrequently or as often as you like. Tools, safety gear and training are provided.
Section Monitoring
The MRATC section of the AT is divided into 15 subsections, averaging about 4 miles each. Monitors hike their assigned section multiple times during the year and report issues to the club Trail Supervisor. Monitors often do light maintenance such as lopping, cleaning drainages and renewing blazes. Becoming a section monitor is one of the easiest and most flexible ways to help our club and the trail. Monitoring hikes can be done anytime and new monitors go on a training hike with one of our experienced maintainers prior to monitoring on their own.
Boundary Work
Volunteers of local trail clubs are responsible for checking the condition of the land surrounding the A.T. that has been preserved, also known as the "A.T. Corridor". Volunteers are responsible for regularly walking the boundary of their corridor section to ensure a consistent watchful presence in the eyes of both adjacent landowners and the general public.
Monitors locate monuments, reference trees, and line trees; document and report to the monitor coordinator the existing boundary conditions, such as faded survey blazes, excessive overgrowth along the boundary, lack of U.S. Boundary signs, missing reference trees, and condition of monuments and any signs of inappropriate use, external threats, or other types of corridor misuse along the boundary line as well as within the corridor. This work is in wild areas off trail and is a challenging day's work.
Rare Plant Monitoring
MRATC participates in the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s efforts to document 20 rare plants in the Mount Rogers area using the National Park Service monitoring protocols and to identify threats to plant populations. Interested members of the Club are trained in how to work with rare plant monitoring and may help on group outings or “adopt” a particular plant to monitor regularly. The Club also participates in the collection of data for the U.S.A. National Phenology Network.
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Club Administration
MRATC and 29 other volunteer trail clubs between Georgia and Maine are affiliated with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. MRATC also partners with the US Forest Service and Grayson Highlands State Park. Club members share the tasks of keeping our local trail management plan and volunteer service agreements up to date. A club volunteer keeps records of our volunteer hours and reports these to the ATC. Other administrative tasks include taking Minutes at club meetings, updating the website and membership list, treasury tasks, sending out member communications, and planning meetings and club social events.
Outreach
Club member volunteers staff a table at local events to provide information about the club and about hikes in our area. MRATC is always open to suggestions about good ways to reach out in local communities to pass along information about our club and about hiking, trail work and rare plant monitoring on the Appalachian Trail.
Hike Leaders
MRATC volunteers lead engaging group hikes on the AT and related trails, including regularly scheduled Friday hikes and other recreational hikes, for members and interested community members. Hikers let leaders know in advance that they are going to join a hike and then sign a release form upon arrival. Look for dates and descriptions of our upcoming hikes to see what interests you. We hope you join us on a trail!