Office of Public Participation Comment

Wild Atlantic Salmon Recovery in Maine: The “King of Fish” Makes a Comeback 

A river streaming with silvery scales. Tens of thousands of determined fish, swimming upstream and leaping over barriers to spawn. Water teeming with life.  This sight was once common from the Gulf of Maine to some of the most remote streams and ponds in the Appalachian Mountains. In late fall female salmon would burrow into […]

Five Indigenous Authors on Land and Nature

Christopher Cotrell/ Flickr CommonsConsider reading an indigenous author the next time you reach for a book. From the peaks of Katahdin to our favorite local footpaths, the lands we cherish are indigenous lands. As we spend time outdoors this Native American Heritage Month, it’s important to not only discuss the unjust and often violent history […]

Vote for the Outdoors

This November 8, your vote matters. We hope you’ll take the time to exercise your right to have your voice heard. And before you cast your vote, we encourage you to research your candidates’ positions on the environmental issues that matter to you. It’s not a presidential election year, and historically that has meant that […]

For Outdoor Enthusiasts, Supreme Court EPA Ruling is Mixed

  On June 30, the Supreme Court of the United States released a highly-anticipated decision in West Virginia vs. EPA, one of the most important climate change-related cases in the past decade. The ruling eliminated one of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s most powerful tools to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, but it also retained the […]

Four Key Ties Between Conservation and Recreation

Jamie Malcom-BrownEnjoying a sunset walk across a trail bridge in the protected lands of the Maine Woods. Getting into the outdoors promotes sustainable behavior Appalachian Mountain Club’s mission is to foster the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the outdoors. But when it comes to conservation and recreation, we often get asked what one has to […]

AMC’s Waters and Rivers Protection Fund Expands Whitewater Paddling Across the Region

Julia Khorana can remember a time when the Deerfield River in Western Massachusetts was nearly unusable by paddlers and whitewater lovers. The problem, back in the early 1990s, was that the old hydroelectric dam that held back water in the summer months resulted in an unpredictable schedule of when water would be released into the […]

Black History Month: Sharing Personal Experiences in the Outdoors

Photo courtesy of Juan Michael Porter IIJuan Michael Porter II on one of his many fast hikes to the summit of Katahdin.   As we share stories this Black History Month on the accomplishments and progress of the Black community, we also realize that there’s still much more work to be done. While we strive […]

Black History Month: Contemplating Inclusion in the Outdoors

PAULA CHAMPAGNEBlack, Indigenous, and People of Color have frequently been excluded from American outdoor spaces. Black History Month is meant to be a time of celebration and commemoration. We share stories of history, of art, of culture, of science, of standing up for equal rights and staring down adversity to help create a better, more […]

5 Black Heroes of Conservation and Outdoor Recreation

Courtesy of John FrancisDr. John Francis took a 17 year long vow of silence and gave up motorized transportation—all in the name of environmental activism. Throughout our nation’s history, Black Americans have broken barriers and made great advancements in outdoor conservation and recreation—even in the face of racism that frequently impeded their access to outdoor […]

Crazier River: The Neversink River Goes Rogue in the Climate Crisis

This story was originally published in the Winter/Spring 2022 issue of Appalachia Journal. Topsoil lies thin on the ancient slopes of The Western Catskills. As the locals say, it’s two rocks to every dirt. Given that and a downpour during a sudden thaw, or a dry spell, flash floods on the Neversink River can happen at […]