Presidents' Messages

This first edition of the Section Leaders' Handbook represents the Green Mountain Club's first formal effort to share among GMC section leaders what we have learned over the years about maintaining the sections. The importance of the sections to the health of the GMC is unquestioned. How best to maintain section vitality is something else altogether. There is much we can learn from each other without diminishing the individuality of each section. Sections are influenced by the personalities and interests of their members as well as the unique characteristics of the local communities in which section members live. In spite of differences in size and location, we are unified in sustaining the Long Trail and the GMC. I sincerely hope that this booklet will mark the beginning of a continual process to share the best of what each of us has learned from the experience of making the GMC a leader among recreational trail organizations in the Northeast.

Rolf Anderson, GMC President 2000

The Green Mountain Club is unique when compared to other hiking clubs because our mission and club activities are anchored in protecting and maintaining the Long Trail System. Since their inception in 1910, sections have been geographically organized clusters of individuals, united by their shared affection for the outdoors and especially the Long Trail. Over time, this relationship has expanded to include the Appalachian Trail and the Champion Lands in the Northeast Kingdom. GMC Sections provide the local connection to these places, encouraging networking of like-minded outdoor people and providing a forum for local outdoor activities and activism. 

If the Green Mountain Club is to continue to fulfill its mandate as "founder, sponsor, defender and protector of the Long Trail System" and its delegated responsibilities for the Appalachian Trail and Champion Lands, then GMC sections must be strong, vital, collaborative organizations. This first edition of the Section Leaders' Handbook demonstrates GMC's commitment to strong sections. Within its pages, you will find a wealth of information geared to helping you, our volunteers, manage and maintain your section. But this edition is just the beginning. Help us make this handbook work for you. Send us your ideas, tips, success stories, and suggestions that you would like to share with others, and we will include them in our next edition. 

In closing, I'd like to thank the volunteers and staff, and especially Heinz Trebitz, who put in hundreds of hours to make this handbook a reality. The Green Mountain Club wouldn't exist without its volunteer members, so a special thank you goes out to all of you in leadership roles, who so generously give your time and talent to make this club the best it can be.

Marty Lawthers, GMC President 2001