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I am sending you this note to provide early notification of my plan to retire from the National Park Service on August 1. This has not been an easy decision. But after 36 great years with the National Park Service and five exciting, rewarding and busy years as Superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Linda and I have decided to take time for ourselves to pursue interests that have been on hold for all too long.

One of the aspects of this job which has made it so special is the network of partners and friends with whom I share a special connection, the Blue Ridge Parkway. Your support and collaboration in helping to protect the Parkway and the many documented successes we have experienced together are especially rewarding. Few parks or park superintendents enjoy such broad and committed support.

Thank you again for all the great work you do to preserve the special place that is the Blue Ridge Parkway. I look forward to your continued friendship and trust you will extend to my successor the same wonderful commitment and wise counsel that you have always given me.

Sincerely, Daniel W. Brown Superintendent National Park Service Blue Ridge Parkway 199 Hemphill Knob Road Asheville, NC 28803-8686

Diamond Brand Outdoors Sponsors Free Foot & Ankle Screening at Southeastern Fitness and Rehabilitation

“Ouch!” Every walker or runner who’s ever experienced sore feet or ankle pain knows what a hindrance this can be. They may also know the value of being properly evaluated and fit for proper footwear. On June 11, this service will be available at no charge.

Southeastern Fitness and Rehabilitation (SEFR) will host “Foot Fit”, a free clinic for walkers, runners, hikers and backpackers that provides professional foot and ankle screenings and footwear fitting analysis. This event, sponsored by Diamond Brand Outdoors, will occur on Saturday, June 11, 2005, from 9:30 to 11:30 am, at the SEFR facility in Turtle Creek Shopping Center, 7 Turtle Creek Dr, Asheville. Each participant will also receive a free t-shirt, socks and goodie bag. The free foot and ankle screening will examine participants for strength, flexibility, alignment, and proper footwear and will provide appropriate recommendations, including shoe wear prescription. It is not a diabetic clinic; individuals with diabetes related foot questions should consult their doctors. Screenings are free, but space is limited and advance appointments are required. To schedule an appointment, or for more information, call SEFR at 828-274-2188. Southeastern Fitness and Rehabilitation is Asheville’s only private physical therapist owned and medically based fitness center. SEFR offers the best in orthopedic physical therapy, which allows them to offer medical experience to each fitness member.

Diamond Brand Outdoors is Western North Carolina’s oldest outdoor outfitter, offering a quality selection of clothing, equipment and supplies for camping, hiking, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, backpacking, adventure travel, fly fishing, and Boy and Girl Scouting at its stores in Arden and Asheville and at the Frugal Backpacker Outdoor Outlet in Arden. For store hours and locations, contact Diamond Brand Outdoors at 828-684-6262, or toll-free at 1-800-45906262.

ASHEVILLE, N.C.—The Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC), which normally coordinates local club’s volunteer work on A.T. management and protection, has temporarily assumed maintenance for some of the most isolated areas of the A.T. because a shortage of volunteers is allowing brush to obscure remote sections of the trail.

As a result, the ATC is seeking new volunteers from the general public to fill out its newest crew, the Brush Buster Trail Crew. This ATC crew is an opportunity for volunteer hikers and outdoor enthusiasts to get out into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and clear the way for fellow hikers to safely enjoy the Appalachian Trail.

Starting June 20, a trail crew leader will guide volunteers through some of the most remote sections of the Appalachian Trail, cutting back brush and trees that have grown onto the trail. There will be five five-day sessions for four volunteers each. The crew will travel light and spend the nights along the A.T. in the Smokies. “This is a great chance to camp with new friends, give back to the trails, and look out on the world from higher ground,” said ATC Regional Director Morgan Sommerville.

The conference will provide all the necessary tools and equipment—and training in their use—as well as three meals a day, snacks, off-day housing for multiweek volunteers, and transportation to and from the case camp.

Volunteers can choose from the following Brush Buster Trail Crew dates: Week 1: June 20 – June 24 Week 2: June 27 – July 1st Week 3: July 4 – July 8 Week 4: July 11 – July 15 Week 5: July 18 – July 22nd

The Southern Regional Appalachian Trail Conference in Asheville has further information and can be contacted by telephone at (828) 254-3708 or via electronic mail at atc-gntro@appalachiantrail.org .

The Blue Ridge Parkway sections of the MST are now officially recognized as a National Recreation Trail (NRT). After a lengthy application process on behalf of the FMST Board we are glad to reach NRT status. We look forward to more sections of the MST reaching this status as well in the future. You can read the full press release at our website - www.ncmst.org . Jeff Brewer

LOCATION: BENT CREEK EXPERIMENTAL FOREST ASHEVILLE, NC June, 2005 – May, 2006 3 TO 12 HOURS PER WEEK

What’s This Program About? Bent Creek Experimental Forest located on the Pisgah National Forest will be conducting a Visitor Use Survey for one year. The information collected from forest visitors will be used by forest managers to make decisions. It will be used to better understand who our visitors are, why they come to the national forest, how satisfied they are with the facilities and services provided, and how much they spend on their visit. While we gather more information about recreation visitors, we are also gathering information about how all people use the national forest road systems and facilities. This includes people commuting to work on forest service roads, commercial traffic, and people just passing through. This information helps managers understand all the uses occurring on the forest.

This survey will help answer questions such as: How many visitors come to the Experimental Forest? Where do the visitors come from? What is their primary reason for visiting Bent Creek? Request their permission to participate in a more in-depth phone survey to be conducted later.

We need volunteers that can commit to a minimum 3-hour time slot (2 hours for actual interviews, plus set-up and take-down time) for one, two or three days per week. Field Interviewers will be trained before conducting the surveys and will always work in groups of two during daylight hours. You will learn not to influence how people answer the questions. Field interviewers can volunteer for one day, one month or for the whole year. A training session is scheduled for Thursday, June 2 at 5:30. Additional training days will also be scheduled. If you are interested in taking part in helping with this survey please contact: Julia Murphy at Bent Creek Experimental Forest, (828) 667-5261, extension 104.

MST Section Maintainers

We have a section available to adopt in the Pisgah Ranger District (PRD) on the Alternate MST from Buckhorn Gap to Buck spring Trail. (where the Alternate MST intersects the MST) This 5.1 mile long section is the longest one that we have but is in the beautiful Cradle of Forestry/Pink Beds area of the PRD. Please contact Don Walton, donwalton@bellsouth.net if interested.

MST Coordinator wanted!

The CMC position of Coordinator of the Section Maintainer System for the Mountains to the Sea Trail is open. This prestigious duty for the CMC includes supervising the 5 big sections of the MST (160 miles) which includes 100 volunteer section maintainers. The job is about 1/3rd recruiting of maintainers, 1/3rd communicating with all of the various federal and state agencies and 1/3rd management including recording and reporting all of the hours worked to various places. If interested, please contact Don Walton

Call for 2005 CMC Nominating Committee Candidates and 2006 CMC Council nominations CMC WANTS YOU!!!!!!!

This is your opportunity to get involved in your club's leadership. Applications are now being accepted for the 2005 Nominating Committee, and for officer and council positions for the 2006 CMC Council. Serving on the Nominating Committee is one of the most important responsibilities within the club. You participate in a process that determines the next generation of leaders of your association. Serving as a member of the council is a commitment that yields countless rewards. If you consider yourself a strategic thinker with the executive ability to get things done, then CMC wants you! I strongly encourage you take this opportunity to become either a member of the Nominating Committee or, serve on the Council as a councilor or as an officer of the club. Don’t forget CMC WANTS YOU to get involved, and become a part of your club’s leadership. Email your interest to cmcinfo@carolinamtnclub.org by June 30, 2005. For more information regarding CMC’s organization please refer to the Club Bylaws on the CMC web site, or contact Don Walton, donwalton@bellsouth.net Don’t be shy, get involved. Thank you. Don Walton Immediate Past President

The Benton MacKaye Trail Association www.BMTA.org hopes the Carolina Mountain Club will join them in celebrating the Trail Grand Opening on the weekend of July 16-17. Free camping will be provided, compliments of the Cheoah District, USFS, at Rattler Ford Group Campground near the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. The ribbon (vine) cutting will take place Saturday at 11:00 AM at Mud Gap on the Cherohala Skyway near the state line between Robbinsville, NC and Tellico Plains, TN. This will be followed by your choice of two Fun Hikes - to Whigg Meadow or Beech Gap. Saturday evening activities include a group Chili Supper (hiker-friendly donation) followed by a bonfire and entertainment. Additional hikes are planned for Sunday in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, to Hooper Bald, and Maple Springs Observation Point.This event is open to everyone! Come spend the day or the entire weekend. Reservations are not required, but an RSVP would be appreciated at BMT-GOCelebration@hotmail.com . Be a part of Benton MacKaye Trail History! Put this weekend on your calendar now.http://www.bmta.org/BMTGrandOpeningCelebrationWeekend.htm

Two years ago, 50 CMCers' spent a relaxing September weekend at Fontana Village, NC, hiking nearby trails in the Smokies and enjoying a boat trip and tour of an abandoned town and the old Eagle Creek copper mine. We plan to schedule a similar trip this year. So set aside the weekend of Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 to join us. Additional information will be posted in the future in the E-Newsletter and in Let’s Go as plans develop. Please contact Bruce Bente at bbente@cytechusa.com for any questions or suggestions that you have about this trip.

I am the Program Coordinator of a new program at UNCA called The Blue Ridge Naturalist. We will begin offering classes this fall and I hope that you will share this information with your members. I have attached a brochure on one of our special courses called Discovering A Sense of Place. We will also be offering a Fall Tree and Wildflower course taught by Dan Lazar and in the winter an Ecology of the Blue Ridge class. Jeanie Martin jmartin@unca.edu 828-251-6198 NC Center for Creative Retirement Reuter Center, CPO #5000 UNC Asheville One University Heights Asheville, NC 28804-8516

Greetings from Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance headquartered in Highlands. We are currently involved in the future of Panthertown Valley in partnership with the forest service. We will be having an initiation only forum in Cashiers on June 23rd at 5pm to bring organizations together to discuss desires and concerns of this beautiful area. The forest service will be giving an update on their issues. If you have anyone from your club that hikes in that area and is interested in expressing their feelings on its use (and abuse), please send us name and address. If you know of any other hiking clubs that visits Panthertown, please spread the word. Thanks, Debbie Lassiter jmca@earthlink.net