President's Logbook
By Jim Fetig
PATC is famously anachronistic and proud of it. Gol darn it, we do things the old-fashioned way with muscles, sweat, sharpened steel, and pencil lead. AI and apps could never replace anything we do, or so you thought.
Guess what? We’re already using artificial intelligence (AI) to take meeting minutes and notes. It works. The first AI draft is pretty close and the clean-up is easy. It’s a time saver, accurate as the set of a freshly sharpened crosscut saw. Who woulda thunk it.
Does the AI camel have its nose in our tent? Yes and no. Like my chainsaw deciding if it wants to start on a frosty morning, we’re thinking about it. AI apps can help us manage records, maintenance schedules, and other simple repetitive tasks. It’s here, for real, and knocking on our door.
Speaking of advancement, PATC’s strategic planning group, led by Lee Congdon, VP of Operations, which consists of Nicole Bridgeland, Molly Bolan, and Evan Hoffmann, has been developing a strategic plan in concert with various members of ExCom and Council. ExCom is discussing their draft in preparation for presentation to Council for consideration and ultimately approval.
This isn’t your standard five-year plan. It takes a hard look around the corner at potential adaptations that may be needed for PATC to adjust to whatever comes next.
It’s trite to invoke the Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. Well, we are, like it or not. The current federal administration has proposed profound changes that would deeply affect the Appalachian Trail (AT), the parks and forests, and the governmental agencies we serve. If we’re going to be required to turn summersaults in response, it might be prudent to be sure we are adaptable and prepared.
For decades, we were able to operate the club out of a metaphorical cigar box. The big stuff generally got done; some of the small stuff didn’t, and it didn’t matter that much. Now, we’d be thinking out of an empty hat not to imagine operating in a new landscape.
More broadly, the current strategic plan draft looks at mission, membership, funding, governance, organizational structure, public engagement, lands, staffing, the store, business processes, branding, publications, maps, trails, and partnerships. In some of these areas, adaptation is well underway. In others, not so much.
We’re looking at a council vote in the third quarter of this year. Between now and then, we can examine, debate and amend what we hope is a living document.
In addition to adaptive change, we have opportunities to consider. There is demand for a broad range of recreational activities including hikes and camping outings, especially for families and children. REI has exited that business. Others, namely the DC Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) chapter and the Sierra Club, market activities mostly aimed at targeted demographics.
One question is whether PATC should enter that space. It’s not simple. What would be the menu of activities on offer? Where would we find and train the leaders? Would we hire outdoor leaders to ensure quality? Who takes care of the logistics? AMC has and REI had Sprinter vans to transport their participants. What’s the cost of insurance? There is even more to it than that.
In the context of these interesting times, the fact is that only about a thousand PATC club members are highly involved, nearly all of them as trail and cabin volunteers. Those who vote in our elections are a much smaller subset. In the past it’s been difficult to gauge what the membership wants and cares about. We are currently prioritizing how to best serve our members. On that note, I'd love to hear from you. Contact me at: president@patc.net.
In other news, please donate to our annual spring fundraising campaign if you can. Just as I write this, several unexpected items have popped up. That’s how the cookie crumbles.
We have a lot going on for National Trails Day on June 7th.
On that day, we will have trail maintenance demos and ridgerunners at Dickey Ridge and Big Meadows and will also be hosting hikes, all in Shenandoah National Park. Additionally, PATC will be at the Virginia Black Bear Festival in Stanardsville. I will be speaking at the Loudon AT Festival in Hillsboro.
We are looking for a new Accounting and Administrative Coordinator. Jenny Keehan is returning to retirement after stepping up to fill a critical void we experienced a couple of years ago. My personal thanks to Jenny for her dedication, excellent work and good humor.
