“You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.” -- Winston Churchill
The Appie of the Year Award is the Narragansett Chapter’s highest award. It is presented once a year at the Annual Meeting to a member who exemplifies the mission of the AMC to “promote the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers, and trails of the Appalachian region”.
We present this Award to RECOGNIZE a volunteer’s efforts and successes, to REINFORCE AMC ethics and culture and to INSPIRE others to emulate our most generous and productive members.
After leading a number of local hikes, our Appie of the Year began leading for the Backpacking and Northern Hikes committee in 1998. Our Appie has led or co-led at least 65 activities for Northern Hikes alone. Most of these activities are weekend long endeavors, involving planning, logistics, and provisions for food and lodging, and the safety and enjoyment of participants on hiking trips in the mountains of the northeast. Our 2010 Appie has given numerous workshops, including: hiking, backpacking, winter hiking skills and safety, map and compass and outdoor leadership.
Our Appie of the Year is an active and effective member of the Northern Hikes committee, developing and mentoring aspiring leaders for the Club. Our Appie is often among the first to volunteer to help out with activities and workshops for our chapter.
Since 2005 our Appie has been an instructor at the Club’s Mountain Leadership School. AMC's premier outdoor leadership training program consists of 5 days of experiential learning including a back pack in New Hampshire's White Mountains.
Our Appie also leads flat water paddling trips and is an ACA certified instructor. Each year our Appie organizes and leads the popular ‘Source to Sea’ canoe and kayak trips on Rhode Island’s Wood and Pawtucket rivers. Our Appie leads family events and numerous natural history tours and is a member of the Trails Advisory Committee.
As a professional environmental educator, our Appie teaches countless natural history courses to children, adults and teaching professionals, and is a former board member of the New England Environmental Education Alliance.
Our Appie is also the volunteer Chair of the Richmond Land Trust, successfully arranging for the purchase and management of conservation lands within the town. These volunteer duties include selecting sites, negotiating with landowners and other stakeholders, obtaining support of state and local governments, securing funds and procuring the properties, leveraging with other environmental organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, and supervising the development of management plans and hiking trails.
We are so pleased to present Narragansett Chapter’s highest volunteer award to our newest Appie, Denise Poyer.