Bonnie England and Zechariah Chafee
Bonnie England and Zechariah Chafee
The Narragansett Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club was honored to receive a Senator John H. Chafee Conservation Leadership Award from the Environmental Council of Rhode Island at their annual banquet on May 4. In presenting the award, Chafee's son Zechariah commended the AMC Chapter for their trail work in the Blackstone, Mount View, Yawgoo, Arcadia and Burlingame areas of RI where, he noted, they have marked blazes, cleared trail debris, enhanced trail safety and controlled erosion. "All of this is hot, muddy manual labor that keeps our public parks safe and open for Rhode Islanders to enjoy."
Chapter Activities Chair, Chris Shafer, Chapter Chair, Bonnie England
and AMC Leadership and Volunteer Relations Director, Roger Scholl
In accepting the award, Chapter Chair Bonnie England, also a "proud member of the Trails Committee", told the story of the Chapter founding in 1921, and in 1926 the establishment of the Trails Committee. Committee members back then included Ben Utter and John Hudson for whom stellar hiking trails in Arcadia State Park are now named. "Many of you have probably hiked those trails" Bonnie said. She showed slides from trail projects from the 1930's and exclaimed "I'm glad I don't have to hike in a dress like they did!" She went on to describe current projects, where volunteers use "high-tech equipment in a decidedly low-tech environment. All materials have to be carried into the site by hand and we use mostly non-motorized tools. Except for when we had no ground access to the Long Pond and El Pond area, so materials were dropped in by a Army National Guard helicopter." She also lauded the Committee's newest project, a collaboration with Audubon and The Nature Conservancy last year to build the Maxwell Mays Trail. "Thousands of people have already hiked that trail." Bonnie proudly listed other Trails Committee accomplishments - maintenance of 60 miles of trails in Arcadia State Park alone, ground-level bridges and boardwalks, and even a truss bridge requiring the work of three engineers (all Club members). "We encourage all of you to take a hike in RI's beautiful trail system and consider becoming a steward of our local trails with our Chapter."
Trails Committee and Chapter members
Click image for larger photo.
This award is named for a beloved legislator who was known for his genuine passion for the natural world and his tireless work to protect it. Four recipients in 2012 also included a group of middle school students from Westerly RI whose project turned used cooking oil into home heating for homeless shelters and the homes of low-income residents. Past recipients have included The Nature Conservancy, local Land Trusts and the Audubon Society.
The Narragansett Chapter thanks the Environmental Council of RI for this award. We also thank the Department of Environmental Management, Divisions of Forestry and Parks & Recreation, The Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, the Blackstone Conservancy and the RI Army National Guard for their generous help with our projects.