Tri-State Camp Conference 2008

Each year we try to reach out to new volunteers through a variety of marketing techniques. Using direct mail, posters, web advertising, and attending fairs and conferences we are able to connect with a large number of people.

Just last week I was fortunate enough to attend the 2008 Tri-State Camp Conference

[http://www.aca-ny.org/tristate.php] as an exhibitor for the Appalachian Mountain Club. The conference was held in Atlantic City, NJ at the Atlantic City Convention Center. This was a large scale event with well over 200 exhibitors and at least double that in attendees. Camps and scout groups from all over the US and beyond were represented at this event.

The primary AMC exhibitors were John Darak and Erin Soraghan from AMC Group Sales Department. Erin and John were promoting AMC Destinations and how reservations can be made for groups. Also attending was Sara DeLucia, Adventure Programs Supervisor at the AMC Highland Center. Sara was there to promote the naturalist programs and guided hike options that can be arranged for groups while they are staying at an AMC Destination. My Role was to offer the service based programming (trail work) to groups during their stay.

I was able to connect with a large number of camps from Delaware to Maine that would be interested in setting up a day or longer trail work project for the 2008 summer season. These camps or scout groups would book a group reservation at one of the many AMC Destinations and then schedule a trail work service project with the Trails Volunteer Programs office. We are able to offer trail projects based out of a roadside destination, like the Highland Center and Pinkham Notch Visitors Center, as well as our backcountry huts or campsites.

In all, I feel that attending the Tri-State Camp Conference was a real success. I was able to connect with new groups and offer trail work projects for their camps, as well as the other AMC staff being able to connect with groups for reservations and adventure programming. I am looking forward to the 2008 summer season and I hope to work with the camps I met at the Camp Conference this past week.

I certainly had better luck connecting with camps and scout groups than I did at the slot machines…

-Alex DeLucia

Too Much Snow?

What a record snow fall we have had this winter! We are still digging ourselves out from the last storm. Below you will see a few photos from this past Saturday, March 1, 2008 from Camp Dodge.

Andrew and I were talking about the buildings at Camp Dodge and thought that it would be a really good idea to shovel off the roofs before the rain, which we are getting today. So, on Saturday I drove over to Camp Dodge and parked a bit up the drive below the gate. As you can see from the photos the gate is almost totally buried.

After the slog up the drive I was surprised to see how much snow was on the roofs of the bath house and the main building. The bunk houses, tool shed, and staff housing were looking OK. Andrew was recalling the last time he and T-Bone had to go out and shovel the roofs at Dodge, and that was in 2001.

Since I was out there alone, I did not want to do anything too daring, but I was able to clear off the roofs of the main building and the bath house without any death defying stunts. Actually, the banks were so high next to the main building on the back side; I could nearly walk right up on the roof.

I just thought that a few photos of Dodge in winter would provide some perspective for our Trails Volunteers that only see the camp in summer.

Well, believe it or not summer is fast approaching. I know it does not feel like it now, but before long we will be back on the tails cleaning up after a powerful winter.

See you all soon,

-Alex
North Country Trails Volunteer Programs Supervisor