PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:                              Contact:

Tuesday, May 12, 2009                                    Wes Lampman,

                                                                     (518) 523-3480 Ext. 18

                                                                      or Paul Ertelt, (518) 449-3870

                                                                     

Volunteers Needed for National Trails Day Event at Cranberry Lake

CRANBERRY LAKE, N.Y. – Hikers will have an opportunity to giveNTD logo  something back to the trails at the Adirondack Mountain Club’s 2009 National Trails Day event June 6 at Cranberry Lake in the western Adirondacks.

Each year, the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) sponsors an event in conjunction with the American Hiking Society's celebration of National Trails Day. This year, ADK’s event will celebrate the Cranberry Lake 50, the recently completed 50-mile loop around the lake.

Volunteers will spend the day performing trail-maintenance work, such as cutting brush, removing blowdown and building waterbars and rock steps, under the supervision of an ADK trail professional. One crew will tour the lake by motorboat, with state Department of Environmental Conservation personnel, to move outhouses and clean up campsites. There will also be a project for kids, planting tree saplings near the Streeter Lake lean-to.

Crews will meet at their designated trailheads at 8 a.m. and work until about 4 p.m.

All participants are eligible for free camping at Cranberry Lake State Campground Friday and Saturday nights. Meals will be provided on Friday night and Saturday, as well as entertainment and drinks on Saturday night. Every volunteer gets an official event T-shirt and chances to win gear, equipment and other prizes.

ADK is also encouraging volunteers to get sponsorships of $25 to help cover the cost of National Trails Day. Suggested sponsors include your local gear store, your employer or other supporters of ADK. Sponsors will receive a certificate of appreciation, photos of their logo at the event and recognition for their contribution to NTD in Adirondac, ADK's bimonthly magazine. Sponsored volunteers get a chance to win special prizes such as gear and equipment from Leki, Badger Balm, Merrell and more.

Sponsors and partners for National Trails Day at Cranberry Lake include Five Ponds Partners, the towns of Clifton and Fine, Cranberry Lake Boat Club, SUNY-ESF Ranger School, NYS DEC Region 6, Packbasket Adventures, Houghton College Star Lake Campus, ADK Onondaga Chapter, Mountain Man Outdoor Supply Co., Campmor, Cabela's, DEC Saratoga Tree Nursery, ADK Laurentian Chapter, RMG Enterprises, MyTopo Terrain Navigator and Stihl.

Preregistration is required and the registration deadline is May 29. For more information call (518) 523-3441 or visit ADK’s Web site at www.adk.org.

The Adirondack Mountain Club, founded in 1922, is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting the New York State Forest Preserve and other wild lands and waters through conservation and advocacy, environmental education and responsible recreation.

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