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By BETH DUGGER AND CHRIS BECHARD
With great enthusiasm, fifteen hikers gathered in East Burke
on June 24 to organize a new section of the Green Mountain
Club: the Northeast Kingdom Section. This is the second group
to organize this year, following the lead of the Northern
Frontier Section that is taking responsibility for the northernmost
stretch of the Long Trail. The GMC Board of Directors will
consider accepting the section at it September meeting.
Matt Moore, Stewardship Coordinator, attended on behalf of
GMC, with Michael Chernick and Rolf Anderson also providing
information and support. Matt also brought a display and materials
from the club. The potluck dinner was accompanied by a business
meeting that included discussion of personal goals and concerns
for the new section.
Getting together with like-minded people interested in providing
and preserving hiking opportunities and land and wildlife
stewardship in the Northeast Kingdom topped the list. Several
people raised the need for local participation, well beyond
this initial start, in order for the section to do its best
for the region.
After a brief discussion of a working draft of possible section
bylaws, the group decided it was too soon to really address
these, and chose to elect Chris Bechard as President. Election
of other officers and work on bylaws were deferred to the
next meeting. Michael Chernick asked the group to endorse
Beth Dugger acting as director for the time being, which was
done.
Cynthia Barber (joncyn@sover.net) volunteered to maintain
a working mailing list, and Jay Collier to establish a web
site, which is hosted at http://www.naturecompass.org/nekgmc/.
Education opportunities were informally discussed. Twelve
people completed membership forms for the new section, qualifying
as founding members.
Twelve people completed membership forms for the new section,
qualifying as founding members. A hike was announced for the
next day, on Mt Pisgah, led by Michael Chernick, and a list
of other hikes in the region scheduled for this summer was
distributed.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:20 p.m.
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