Organized Group Management Manual

1st Edition; October 2015 Organized Group Management Manual Acknowledgements This manual was created through the combined efforts of several experienced and dedicated Appalachian Trail managers and authors. Volunteers from the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Massachusetts A.T. Committee and the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, along with staff from Green Mountain Club and AMC’s White Mountain Backcountry Campsite program provided much of the content. Jeff Marian, Tom Banks, Hawk Metheny, and Sally Manikian created the chapter on campsite design. We also thank the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Stewardship Council and Board of Directors for creating and approving ATC’s Policy on Organized Group Use. This manual is a natural outgrowth of that important policy adopted in March 2015. Special thanks to Laura Kathrein and Sally Manikian from AMC for creating the initial draft and for compiling the information from the various authors in to a readable format. A sincere note of appreciation to Katie Mann and Susan Daniels from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for providing the final editing and design. Hawk Metheny provided institutional knowledge and general oversight of the project. Front Cover Photo Group taking part in a Teen Wilderness program on the A.T. preparing to enter Osgood tentsite for the night. Photo courtesy of Ryan Smith. i ORGANIZED GROUP MANAGEMENT MANUAL TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iii FOREWORD 1 PREFACE 2 SECTION 1- GROUP INTERACTION STRATEGIES 3 SECTION 1.1- PROACTIVE GROUP MANAGEMENT 3 SECTION 1.2- NOTIFICATION SYSTEM START-UP 3 SECTION 1.3- GROUP COMMUNICATION CYCLE 3 SECTION 2- CASE STUDIES 7 SECTION 2.1- APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CLUB BERKSHIRE CHAPTER 7 SECTION 2.2- GREEN MOUNTAIN CLUB 9 SECTION 2.3- APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CLUB NEW HAMPSHIRE CHAPTER 15 SECTION 2.4- MAINE APPALACHIAN TRAIL CLUB 20 SECTION 3- RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMPARISONS FOR GROUP OUTREACH 24 SECTION 3.1- ATC POLICY ON ORGANIZED GROUP USE 24 SECTION 3.2- GROUP USE CAMPSITES DESIGNS 25 SECTION 3.3- GROUP USE CAMPSITE CASE STUDIES 29 SECTION 3.4- LEAVE NO TRACE AND GROUP MANAGEMENT 32 SECTION 4- VISITOR BENEFITS AND GROUP OUTREACH PROGRAM TESTIMONIES 34 SECTION 4.1- VISITOR TESTIMONIES 36 SECTION 5- APPENDICES 38 A. Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Policy on Organized Group Use 38 B. 8 Step Guide to Hiking on the A.T. in Massachusetts 40 C. AMC- MA Group Use Brochure 41 D. GMC Spring Mailer 43 E. GMC Fall Feedback Mailer 45 F. GMC Group Feedback Sheets 46 G. AMC- NH 2014 “GOC Order of Operations” 47 H. AMC- NH Backcountry Campsite Group Feedback Form 49 I. AMC- NH “How to Notify” Sheet 50 J. AMC- NH Group Outreach Mailing Example 51 K. AMC- NH “College Bonanza” Email 52 L. AMC- NH Group Use Brochure 54 M. AMC- NH Group Feedback Report Example 56 N. MATC Pre-season Outreach Letter 59 O. MATC Caretaker Training 61 P. MATC Group Evaluation Form 63 Q. MATC Group Hiking Brochure 65 R. ATC Group Site Inventory Manual 66 S. A.T. Campsite and Recreation Site Assessment Monitoring Form 68 T. ATC Leave No Trace on the Appalachian Trail Guidelines for Groups 69 U. List of Acronyms 71 ii Organized Group Management Manual: Introduction and Executive Summary Introduction: Why this Manual? A powerful benefit of the Appalachian Trail Cooperative Management System is the ability to share knowledge and learn from others. With this spirit in mind, we created this manual to share what four New England Appalachian Trail Clubs, varying in organizational capacity and level of campsite use, have done to better manage and interact with large groups at campsites. This manual represents the body of work of these four trail clubs. It contains general information, specific case studies, and the appendix provides examples of forms and tools used by the clubs. Importantly, it tells the story of how to develop a program that fits the capacity of the trail maintaining club, as the four clubs vary in size and volunteer structure. It is the hope that this manual can assist other clubs along the Appalachian Trail develop their own approaches to group management. The desired outcomes in creating this manual were this: ◊ Provide the tools for a club to build their own group interaction and outreach program. ◊ Present the four unique programs and strategies in their own voices: Massachusetts A.T. Committee Green Mountain Club Appalachian Mountain Club Maine Appalachian Trail Club ◊ Show the benefits of group management and outreach programs. ◊ Provide additional resources to assist with group management, such as Leave No Trace information, and group campsite design. Executive Summary: Section 1: Group Interaction Strategies The first section describes common strategies, many of 1. Initial which are used by the four clubs who worked on this Outreach manual. Through the ‘Group Communication Cycle,’ (shown to the left), trail clubs can build and maintain good relationships with groups that visit campsites. 5. Feedback on 2. Group group's Notification/ performance Inquiry Section 2: Case Studies This section includes an in depth look at the four clubs. Each case study includes a brief history of group use specific to that club, why there was a need for a group management system, what the group management 3. Notification system is, and how that system has changed overtime Confirmation/ as well as any future plans. The graphic on the following 4. Field Provide page shows how each club built their program from the Interaction suggestions for intended use elements of Section 1. Section 3: Recommendations and Comparisons for Group Outreach In addition to the ATC’s Policy on Organized Group Use (March 2015), this section contains Leave No Trace information as related to group management. Recognizing that an important part of group management is campsite design, this section includes the Appalachian Trail Group Use Campsite Design Guidance as created by Jeff Marion and Tom Banks, with the addition of case studies showing the successes and challenges of on-the-ground campsite management related to groups. iii Initial Group Notification Field Group Staff Volunteer Outreach Notification Confirmation Interaction Feedback Managed Managed AMC-MA GMC AMC-NH MATC Section 4: Visitor Benefits and Group Outreach Program Testimonies At this point in the manual, we switch to another side in the conversation, which is the campsite user themselves. To best explain how visitor experiences are positively impacted by group management by the trail maintaining club, we reached out to groups of all shapes and sizes who regularly visit campsites and use the current group management systems in place (college outing clubs, camp groups, professional guides like Outward Bound). Through the voice of the user, this section shows how and why, over time, a positive and symbiotic relationship forms between the groups and the trail club, with shared benefits for all. Appendix: Documents from Trail Maintaining Clubs To help clubs build their own systems, this section contains the tools needed such as feedback forms, outreach letters, feedback letters, and more. iv ATC Organized Group Management Manual Foreword The Appalachian Trail Conservancy supports carefully managed organized group uses that do not result in significant adverse effects either to Trail resources or the Trail experience, while accommodating younger and older hikers alike, assuring protection of resources, providing recreation for both experienced and newly enthused backcountry travelers, and ultimately protecting the traditional and much revered “Appalachian Trail experience.” Mindful of the Trail’s growing popularity in print media and now the movies, A.T. managers must invest in programs that will mitigate negative effects, lighten the footprints of thousands of visitors, teach our youth about the great outdoors, and enroll those same citizens in stewarding and protecting our public lands. Ultimately, ATC seeks to achieve these goals with education and voluntary compliance so that hikers and visitors themselves learn and practice Leave No Trace, becoming more a part of the solution and less part of the problem. For almost two decades now, A.T. managers’ outreach to hikers in large, organized groups has grown in sophistication and effect, if not in outright cost savings, to ATC, federal and state agencies, and to four A.T.- managing clubs in New England. The Green Mountain Club (GMC) and the Appalachian Mountain Club-New Hampshire (AMC-NH) and their respective shelter and caretaker staff members started this process by working in complementary ways and comparing notes and systems between the Green and White Mountain National Forests. Both of their programs have capitalized on the long-standing successes of each club’s hands-on backcountry programs. Since the late 1990s, the dramatically increased advantages of email, real-time access to websites, and now 24/7 social media enable a system of unprecedented communication and monitoring. As a result, improvements to pre-trip planning by both the group users and managers help predict and prevent highly damaging “peak-loads” at fragile backcountry campsites by spreading the use over space and time, and ensuring follow-up evaluations of organized groups and visitor behaviors. The result is a substantial improvement in the management of our national and state forests and parks along the Appalachian Trail. This short manual describes the programs developed by GMC, AMC-NH, the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, and the AMC-Berkshire Chapter to those ends. It is our hope that the history, case studies, and successes outlined here will inspire and enable other Trail clubs and land managers to create similar systems appropriate to their available resources and Trail sections. Much of what has been accomplished has been through the sharing of methodology and practices among colleague Trail clubs. May these programs continue to grow and evolve Trail-wide in that same spirit. —Bob Proudman and Hawk Metheny October 2015 1 ATC Organized Group Management Manual Appalachian Trail Conservancy – Organized Group Management Manual Preface – Purpose and Need As the popularity of the Appalachian Trail continues to increase, some visitors participate in large group outings.

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