As I got more involved, I learned that it is not just federal partners but state and local jurisdictions, adjacent communities, supporters, other partner organizations, and thousands of volunteers beyond my one Club that together make up the critical grassroots effort of the Trail’s protection.
And the singular, consistent entity pulling all these pieces together is the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. For 100 years we have been the unifying force that makes sure the Trail’s millions of visitors each year can experience the transformative power of the Appalachian Trail.
2025 is a year of celebration and acknowledgment of all that has transpired these past 100 years for the Conservancy and our Trail Clubs. This incredible example of what can be accomplished when people come together to build and protect something greater than any one of the individuals involved stands as a testament to the power of cooperation and purpose.
However, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is not a monument to the Trail — something that is static and stands unmoving — rather it is the current upon which the A.T. and the Cooperative Management System that sustains the Trail is able to move through both rapids and smooth waters so that it remains afloat and accessible far into the future.
Since 1925, the Conservancy has led the management, protection, and conservation of the Appalachian Trail and its surrounding landscape. Benton MacKaye envisioned a place where humans could connect with the natural world and find respite from what he called the problems of living. And now, more than ever, we need this place and space.
From building the Trail to ensuring permanent protection for what has become the world’s longest footpath, the Conservancy, along with its maintaining Clubs and thousands of volunteers, has done the work of creating the “People’s Trail.” The result is that the Trail continues to be a thing of dreams for people from all over the world each year, who experience the transformational nature of the A.T., whether by thru-hiking all 2,197.4 miles, tackling sections here and there, or walking for an hour on a sunny day.
Milestones tend to be when we look back and congratulate ourselves on what we have accomplished. And it is important to take note of success. But it is also important to recognize that our 100th birthday, March 3rd, has come and gone, meaning ATC is now in its 101st year. We’ve passed our “Centennial” and are already into our next century. So, while we are excited about this year’s celebrations, the bulk of our focus and work is toward the future because nothing guarantees that what we have accomplished to date will endure for the next 100 years without continued work and vigilance.
Recent decisions to freeze federal funding for trails and lay off federal land managers threaten the future of the A.T. These quick and broad actions ignore the volunteers who diligently maintain the trails and undermine the largely rural outdoor recreational economies that generate $1.2 trillion in economic output annually, according to new data released by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable.
While we have private financial support and rely on volunteers for frontline work, federal funds provide key seed money and supply costs — not to mention expertise — that ensure the Trail is safe and accessible for all. We also depend on personnel in the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and National Park Service (NPS) for oversight and supervision of crucial trail improvement projects, like bridge replacements, privy upgrades, invasive species removal, and natural resource restoration. The current 10 percent reduction of USFS staff and 5 percent reduction at the NPS will further hinder already understaffed teams.
With increasingly catastrophic weather events and the threat of no federal support, the dangers to the Trail will increase in ways not seen in nearly a century. Natural disasters like wildfires, hurricanes, and floods have tested the Trail before but, up to this point, the public-private partnership of our Cooperative Management System has ensured that it remains accessible and vibrant. For the first time, the future of this system is in question.
Preserving the Appalachian Trail is about more than just maintaining a hiking path; it’s about safeguarding a vital part of America’s identity and heritage. Once that is lost, we can’t get it back.
Only together can we be sure to keep the Trail alive.
