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Chair’s Report
April, 2011
Chair John Barron
Several members of the chapter’s organizing committee have recently taken to pondering why it is that we join the ADK.
There are a number of tangible benefits. One receives the club’s well-produced magazine, Adirondac, as well as the newsletter of the chapter one chooses to join. One gets discounts on a number of services, including accommodation at ADK facilities like the Adirondack Loj, parking, publications, and some outings. And one is eligible to participate in members-only events.
But a consensus seems to be that intangibles are the real reason we join. We support the goals the ADK espouses, notably protection and responsible recreational use of wild areas. We enjoy volunteer activities that are open to members only—for example, being an outing leader. And we thoroughly enjoy the companionship we find, new-found friends just as much as long-standing ones. We can’t think of a better way to find new companionship for outdoor activities.
The more members we have, the better it will be. One of the ADK’s missions is advocacy for preservation of wilderness, and the more members the club has, the stronger a case it can make to policy makers that its objectives deserve to be supported. We hope to persuade more people to join and support our efforts, which include volunteer trail maintenance, sending young people on camperships to experience the outdoors, and sponsoring high school students on ADK trail maintenance events. And we hope to see more people out on the trails.
The Laurentian Chapter has always extended a welcome to the general public to participate on outings. This will continue to be the case, on the great majority of trips. A small number of outings a season are now being designated members-only, as one way to increase the tangible benefits of joining. These outings are publicized only via our members-only medium, the North Wind; so, please remember to check it because there are a couple of very worthwhile outings listed that won’t appear in newspaper or web site publicity.
I went on the all-Club ADK Winter Outing at Tug Hill Plateau this year, and I recommend it highly to anyone who’d enjoy a weekend of varied ski and snowshoe trips, plenty of lively companionship, good scenery, and abundant snow. You can read an account of it on the chapter web site, www.adklaurentian.org, and click the link to it under News. I look forward to seeing you on the trails.