volume xliii number 2 spring 2019 2019 campsite committee ... · volume xliii number 2 spring 2019...

MAINEtainer Copyright © 2019 Maine Appalachian Trail Club

Volume XLIII Number 2 Spring 2019

Spring is here, and coming to the A.T. soon! The Campsite Committee has been busy planning the upcoming season’s ac-tivities and we invite you to share in some of the sweat equity.

We will be building three accessible moldering privies this season, adding to the 13 already established since 2013. We received over $10,500 in grants to cover the costs of these privies. Big thanks to those financial sources!

The first privy project is to replace the privy at the Little Bigelow campsite. We are still working on a mechanized, low-impact way to get the materials closer to the camp-site in collaboration with the Bureau of Parks and Lands. However, we will still need many volunteers to help with construction, staging loads, and getting tools up and down the mountain. This project will take place in June 1-2 and June 8-9, with specific activities to be determined based on ground conditions to transport materials closer to the site. No promises on the density of black flies either for this early June project…

The other privy projects will replace the deteriorating privies at the Leeman Brook and East Branch campsites. Groups from Bowdoin College and Colby College will be used to help carry the materials to these campsites in late August. However, given their availability, there will likely be materials left to shoulder in by MATC volunteers. Final project dates are still being determined but they will be in September.

There will be three lean-to related projects this summer that will primarily be led by Doug Dolan and Don Stack. Two rear logs and both side logs will be replaced at the Hall Mountain lean-to. Trees will be felled in June, then the real work will be August 10-11. This will be a complex project with difficult access so several volunteers will be needed. The rear sill at the Wilson Valley lean-to will also be re-placed this summer. Access is easy and the project should be straight-forward. Work trip dates will be determined early this summer.

2019 Campsite Committee Seeks Volunteers for Work Tripsby Laura Flight

Continued on Page 6

Over 70 MATC members attended the February 21st Volunteer Meeting to brush up on skills and to socialize with fellow maintainers and monitors. Useful seminars and tools were disseminated in anticipation of 2019 trail work.

Tony Barrett photos


Agency Relations Campsite Committee joint member

We are seeking a volunteer to serve as a member of both the Agency Relations Committee and the Campsite Committee. The Agency Relations committee works with our partners (e.g., Baxter State Park, Bureau of Parks and Lands, Bige-low Preserve, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Nature Conservancy), and is charged with maintaining relation-ships with these entities that manage lands across which the Appalachian Trail passes. The Campsite Committee oversees the maintenance and facilities planning for the campsites. Part of the responsibility of the person serving on both committees will be to be a liaison between the com-mittees to enhance coordination.

Membership Sub-CommitteeWe are seeking a volunteer to serve on the membership sub-committee. This person’s responsibility will be to contact new members by phone and/or email to welcome them, answer any questions they may have, make them aware of volunteer opportunites and determine their areas of interests.

Finance CommitteeThe Finance Committee is seeking to add two indi-viduals to the committee who have a finance and/or business background with either profit or non-profit organizations. The Committee is charged with man-aging the financial affairs of the Club including the annual budget, financial reports, and overseeing our financial & accounting policies. The Committee meets in Augusta on a regular basis throughout the year.

Assistant OverseersThe MATC is currently seeking Assistant Overseers for the Baldpate, and Katahdin Districts. The Assis-tant Overseer will work with the Overseer and dis-trict maintainers to oversee and coordinate the trail maintenance. The assistant overseer should have prior experience as a trail maintainer.

FMI on any of the openings, please contact Tom Gor-rill at [email protected]

2019 MATC Executive Committee Openings

What is MATC? The stewardship organization for 267 miles in Maine of the

AT and it’s corridors.

What do we do?Trail Maintenance, Education, Recreation, Legislation.

Who are we?As of 1/20/2019 Total Members - 760

Individual - 426, Family - 166, Life - 159, Organization - 22, Honorary - 9, Trail Crew - 71

2/3 live in Maine, 1/3 live elsewhere

How do we inform you?Web page = www.matc.orgMAINEtainer Newsletter

Quarterly publication 439 emailed link for the first month, then web archived (in 2016 was 142) 321 paper issues (in

2016 was 545)Email announcements to members for

meetings and volunteering opportunities

Meetings and trainings April - any one is welcome February - Members only

Chainsaw certification in spring and fall

What do you gain from MATC membership?

• Connections with people who want to hike, are hiking, or did hike on the AT

• Current information about conditions in and around the AT

• Education in trail building and maintenance • Knowledge about issues affecting the AT• Opportunities to build a resume in a wide variety of

activities

How can I help MATC?Volunteer to help on the trail = http://www.matc.org/how-

can-i-help/volunteer-opportunities/

Join MATC - Donate to MATC


Claire Polfus, ATC’s Maine Program Manager, left ATC this winter and moved to Vermont. Her good work and dedication to the A.T. was recognized at the MATC Executive Committee meeting on March 1, 2019.

Tony Barrett photos


Accessible Privies (coming soon to a campsite near you)

When I looked at the picture of the 5 MATC Volunteers, standing shoulder to shoulder, in front of the building on page 4 of the Fall, 2018 issue of The Maintainer; my first thoughts were that they had construct-ed a large tool or equipment shed with a work area or maybe it was a small crew cabin complete with bunks and party deck. After reading the accompanying article, “Fun Facts about MATC’S Privy Replacement Program”, I was surprised to learn that it was actually an “accessible privy”; an outhouse with a wheelchair ramp in other words. There’s no question that some type of toilet facility is needed at every shelter or estab-lished campsite, but, I have to ask, why are we building wheelchair ramps and oversized toilets at walk-in sites? Pointing out the obvious…..it is humanly impossible to travel anywhere along the Appalachian Trail in Maine by wheelchair, let alone, for someone to reach and return from any one of the shelters or campsites along the way. I’ve been to each one of the 42 sites in Maine slated for privy replacement. There’s just no way. The Appalachian Trail was designed as a footpath for foot traffic and is not accessible by motorized ve-hicles, pack animals, bicycles and certainly wasn’t designed for wheelchairs. Not in Maine. And yet, MATC Volunteers are required to spend $3000 for each new privy ($126,000 total) as well as over 500 Volunteer hours, lugging in 2800 pounds of building materials and an additional 500 pounds of tools to construct “ac-cessible privies”; something that will never get used for its intended purpose; providing access for individ-uals in wheelchairs “hiking” the Appalachian Trail. It’s a terrible waste of precious resources that could be used elsewhere. At first, I thought this was a joke (a cruel one when you think about it); but apparently not. I learned that the National Park Service issued a mandate to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and to all Trail maintaining clubs requiring that every shelter and every outhouse along the entire Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine, must now be compliant with the American Disabilities Act. Every shelter. Every outhouse. No exceptions. All of them. Other long distance trails like the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide and all lands that are included as part of the National Park System are also required to comply. Look it up. I did. I’m asking why and for a reasonable explanation. One that makes sense. I’m not against accessi-bility for people with disabilities where needed. I have to think that when the ADA was being crafted, there wasn’t any thought given to including backcountry walk-in sites, but understandably, to those sites acces-sible by vehicle and by the general public. Places like Clingman’s Dome in the Smokies, Harpers Ferry, Mt. Washington or a handful of other places along the Appalachian Trail. Not to campsites deep within the 100 Mile Wilderness or high on a mountain ridge. I think its time the ATC and NPS get together and reassess what “being compliant” means and to ask if maybe, just maybe, someone isn’t taking ADA requirements a little too literally (are we at MATC?). Have we left common sense trailside? With Volunteer clubs shoulder-ing most of the costs and putting in all of the time and effort; wouldn’t it be wonderful to see these valuable resources used for something everyone could use, like foot bridges across some of Maine’s dangerous river crossings. This would make the footpath safer and easier for all; especially if you’re in a wheelchair. I’m ask-ing that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy bring the National Park Service to task and to stand up for the Volunteers. Building wheelchair ramps on outhouses and on shelters along the Appalachian Trail is a waste of valuable resources and places an undue hardship on the hardworking and dedicated Volunteers who help build, construct and maintain the Trail.

Phil Pepin, MATC Volunteer

Letter to the Editor


“Accessible” is a design concept for products, buildings, or environments with the goal to be usable to the greatest extent possible by all, including those with disabilities. The term “universal design” is used in the same context. While we might associate these concepts as applicable to our local schools or grocery stores, they also apply to the A.T. by way of law, in being good stewards, and in spirit.

The acronym “ADA” (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) is commonly used in discussions of accessibility. However, this law technically does not apply to federal lands or projects funded with federal dollars, and therefore not to most of the A.T. The law most germane to federal lands is the 1968 Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Despite its 51-year existence, the outlined specifications were largely not recognized or implemented until the 1990’s. Updates were released in 1999 and a “final rule” was published in 2013. Another related law is section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilita-tion Act.

The MATC is responsible for 45 privies along the A.T., and privies are one of the most commonly noted deficiencies; the pits are full, the structures are in disrepair, and they stink (largely because they are over-full and cannot de-compose properly). These insufficiencies negatively impact natural resources and hiker health. An inadequate privy can leach harmful bacteria into water sources and are unat-tractive to use. The latter circumstance often prompts hikers to instead engage in dispersed deposition of human waste- those “white lilies” that flower all season long. A deficient privy can also allow insects and vermin to contact the waste and spread disease to other areas of the campsite. With thousands of hikers on the A.T., these conditions do not create sustainable or healthy conditions.

To address the situation and be better stewards, the MATC embarked on a multi-year project to upgrade its privy network. While researching options, the topic of accessi-bility was revealed. The 1968 ABA states that all “new” or “significantly renovated” structures on federal land have to meet accessibility standards. The guiding document for the A.T. community is Increasing Opportunities for Access on the Appalachian Trail: A Design Guide completed in 2007 by Carl C. Demrow. The full document can be found here: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/docs/trail-maintainers-cor-ner/increasing-opportunities-for-access-on-the-appala-chian-trail-a-design-guide.pdf . Further, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board), issued a final rule in 2013 that amends the Archi-

tectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines and provides clear direction on accessibility standards for recreation sites on federal lands as described here: https://www.ac-cess-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/recreation-facili-ties/outdoor-developed-areas

The A.T. is a rigorous trail and includes steep slopes, large boulders, un-bridged water crossings, and many, many roots. These are natural features of this landscape, and accessibility laws do not aim to alter these because it would fundamentally change the innate character of the landscape and trail experience. However, a structure such as a privy is part of the built and human-engineered environment and therefore accessibility rules apply. Although a trail is some-thing that is built and maintained, its purpose is to provide a sustainable pathway through the terrain while retaining the landscape’s natural character for hikers to experience.

It may seem counter intuitive that structures need to be accessible but the trails leading to them do not. But it gets back to the matter that there is a fundamental difference between the built (privy) and natural (trail) environment. A trail has an implied skill level based on the terrain it navi-gates. Facilities should not have a skill level- they should be accessibly by all. Any hiker, disabled or not, would be per-plexed if they walked up to a privy and what stood between them and the doorstep was a 3-foot vertical wall (no stairs or ramp). But, most hikers hardly flinch when what stands before them is a steep, boulder-strewn incline with nary a hand-hold. To quote a disabled hiker: “Hiking is challenge by choice. Using a privy is not a choice, so it shouldn’t be a challenge.”

The term “disability” is often used interchangeably with “wheelchair” but in reality there are many forms of disabil-ities, both physical and mental, and they affect roughly 1 in 5 Americans. Hikers who use prosthetic devices, hikers with visual impairments, hikers who suffer from PTSD, and others, accept and endure the challenges of the A.T. To paraphrase Janet Zeller of the U.S. Forest Service: "It is not for you or I to judge what other people are capable of. If a person accepts the challenge of the trail, they deserve the built environment to be accommodating."

The MATC has built 13 accessible privies since 2014, and we’ve developed a functional, aesthetic design along with efficient construction techniques. We have 32 more planned with expected completion in 2029. While constructed and maintained with volunteer labor, material costs are sig-

Accessible Moldering Privies Explainedby Laura Flight

Continued on Page 6


Article submission deadline for the next MAINEtainer will be July 28th. Exec Comm members will be reminded by email a few weeks before, but please plan to have materi-als provided to Editor by the 29th.

nificant at roughly $3,000 per privy. To date, the Club has contributed approximately $9,000 while grants and federal funds have financed more than $30,000. Future projects are now integrated into ATC’s Capital Plan and will therefore be candidates for federal funding going forward. While the upfront costs and time investments to install an accessible privy are significant, the expected lifespan is 30 years. Many pit privies need to be moved every few years due to limited volume and large numbers of hikers. And doing so reduc-es the life of the structure given the wear-and-tear a privy endures during those re-sitings.

Incorporated into the accessible design is a large, open-air, divided crib that will promote moldering of the deposited waste. While these cribs are effectively “open-air”, they are enclosed by screen and hardware cloth to limit flies and critters from contacting the contents and thereby reducing disease agents. Moldering is a form of “cool composting” that is better suited to the short “growing season” (non-fro-zen/warm periods) here in the northeast. Since the waste is deposited above ground, oxygen-loving (aerobic) bacteria can do their decomposition business in these environments (encouraged with stirring of the pile). Pit privies rely on anaerobic (non-oxygen) bacteria that are not as prevalent and active less of the year (and the waste cannot be reason-ably mixed).

The large cribs in the moldering design (~225 ft3) will also help address increasing use of the A.T. and preserve structural longevity. By design, half of the crib is receiving waste at any one time based on the position of the riser. The strategy is when the active half of the crib becomes nearly full (estimated to be 3-5 years depending on use rates), the riser will be moved to the other side of the crib. This will allow the materials in the now inactive side to sufficiently decompose. Meanwhile the new active side is filling. When it becomes full in another 3-5 years, the materials in the in-active half of the crib have decomposed enough to be safely scattered in the woods and the riser will be moved back to its initial position. This swapping of bins is anticipated to happen many times over the life of the privy; an action that is easy to perform and causes no impact to the structure, unlike moving a pit privy.

The moldering design has many advantages for the Club:

• The open-air crib boosts decomposition rates and breakdown of waste and harmful bacteria, thereby pro-tecting natural resources, especially water sources.

• Larger capacity means longer lifespans. The accessible moldering design will allow for a much longer duration between significant maintenance needs such as struc-tural renovations or relocation.

• The new privies have more structural integrity, thereby improving sanitation. The aging and deficient privies allow flies and critters to contact human waste. They then become vectors for harmful bacteria, transporting them to other areas in the structure and at the campsite that can cause hiker illnesses.

• The moldering design will provide a consistent struc-ture for easier maintenance. Older privies have several different designs that make maintenance difficult.

• The new privies are attractive to use. There will be greater hiker compliance in use and therefore improved resource protection. The “white lilies” are an introduced species we hope to eradicate. •

Accessible moldering privies protect natural resources, pro-mote healthy conditions, have long-term maintenance and cost benefits, and best serve the needs of the entire hiker community.

Accessible Privies - Continued from Page 5

We will also continue to work with ATC on a network-wide effort to mitigate hazard trees at campsites. Campsites likely addressed this year include Crocker Cirque, Frye Notch, Little Bigelow, and Moxie Bald. Tom Carr will be coordinat-ing these projects with ATC.

There are several other miscellaneous campsite related proj-ects on tap for the season. For these and other mentioned projects with no dates yet, please check the MATC Activity calendar (http://www.matc.org/home/work-trip-schedule/) for dates, or contact Laura (contact info below).

All are welcome on these projects, and there is no prior experience is necessary to participate. Many hands do make light work, and it is an enjoyable time working with others as well as a satisfying feeling to accomplish needed im-provements. There will be jobs for everyone on site, as well as plenty of materials to shoulder to work sites so the more the merrier for these projects!

Please contact Laura Flight at [email protected] or 207-215-5306 for more information.

2019 Campsite Trips - Continued from Page 1


is the newsletter of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Opinions ex-pressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of MATC, its mem-bers, officers, or directors. The Mainetainer is published four times a year. Our mission as a club is to construct, maintain, and protect the section of the Appalachian Trail extending from Katahdin to Route 26 in Grafton Notch, and those side trails, campsites, and shelters accepted for mainte-nance by the club. We seek to make accessible for hiking the wild region of Maine through which the trail passes. The Mainetainer welcomes letters, feedback, and information from members and friends of the trail.

Send your comments, photos, and information to:Jason Phelps

45 O’Brion St, Portland, ME [email protected]

PRESIDENT:Lester Kenway 207.947.2723 (h), 207.745.8826 (c) [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT:Tom Gorrill 207.372.8806 (h) 207.415.5901 (w) [email protected]

RECORDING SECRETARY:Janice Clain 207.884.8237(h) [email protected]

TREASURER:Jonathan Ellis 603.770.5396 (h) [email protected]

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY:Doug Dolan 207.727.6932 (h), 207.761.6038 (w) 207.209.4377 (c) [email protected]

OVERSEER OF LANDS:David B. Field 207.862.3674 (h), 207.852.7644 (c) [email protected]

OVERSEER OF CAMPSITES:Laura Flight 207.215.5306 (c) [email protected]

A.T. CONSERVANCY:Hawk Metheny Senior Regional Director Northeast Appalachian Trail Conservancy [email protected]

CLUB COORDINATOR:Holly Sheehan 207.518.1779 (c) [email protected]

MATC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MATC relies on YOU!The support of members and donors helps to maintain

267 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Maine.

Membership

r Individual $15 r Family $20 r Organization $25

Annual Contribution / Suggested Giving Levels

r $10,000+ Katahdin r $500 Crocker

r $5,000 Bigelow r $250 Baldpate

r $2,500 Saddleback r $100 Old Blue

r $1,000 Whitecap r $50

$ _____other

Name _____________________________________________(as it will appear in the MAINEtainer)

Address ____________________________________________

Town __________________________ State ____ ZIP ________

(optional) Telephone ____________________________________

(optional) E-mail ______________________________________ Family member names for membership cards:

_________________________________________________Check activities of special interest:r Trail maintenance r Committee work r Other: _______________

Make check payable to MATC - Clip and mail form to:

Maine Appalachian Trail ClubJonathan Ellis, Treasurer

P.O. Box 7564,Portland, ME 04112

Go Paperless! Printing costs are continuing to rise, and one great way you can help the club to maximize funds being committed to our mission, is to sign up for the digital version of the MAINEtainer. Once you sign up, you will receive an email with a link to open or download a full color PDF file as each issue becomes available. The paper version will contin-ue to be printed in black and white with grayscale photos and mailed out courtesy of the US Postal service. There are a number of ways that you can sign up to get the digital version; on the MAINEtainer page at matc.org click the blue OPT-OUT button; or send an email to Nancy Grant at [email protected]. Save a tree, save a trip to the mailbox, see all the club news in full living color, how many more reasons do you need to switch! 336 have switched…will you?

OVERSEERS OF TRAILKATAHDIN DISTRICT:Rick Ste. Croix 207.621.1791 (h) [email protected] WHITECAP DISTRICT:Richard Welsh 508.954.1235 (c) [email protected] KENNEBEC DISTRICT:Craig Dickstein 207.672.4983 (h) [email protected] DISTRICT:Mike Blais207.318.9800 (h) [email protected] DISTRICT:Mike Ewing 207.841.8335 (c), 207.552.7362 (w) [email protected]

DIRECTORSTony Barrett 207.833.0939 (h) [email protected] Brooke [email protected] Carr 207.883.5982 (c) [email protected] Dobra 207.695.3959 (h) [email protected]

Audrey Laffely 207.522.4371 (c) [email protected] Stillman207.522.4371 (c) [email protected] Syphers Flynn [email protected]

Jason C PhelpsEditor45 O’Brion StPortland, ME 04101

Managing and maintaining 267 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Maine

Standing room only at the latest Annual Meeting - Tony Barrett photo

volume xliii number 2 spring 2019 2019 campsite committee ... · volume xliii number 2 spring 2019...

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