Interested applicants should email a cover letter, resume, and essay that answers this question:  Why are you interested in working for an education and job training organization with a mission to teach young people to take personal responsibility for all their actions? (4,000 characters or fewer)

Application deadline: May 2

Email material (no hard copies) to Breck Knauft: breck.knauft@vycc.org

Salary and Job Title commensurate with experience.

General Contact: GMC
Media Contact: GMC
Phone: (802) 244-7037 ext. 10
Posted: 03/31/2010

WATERBURY CENTER, Vt., March 20 – The Green Mountain Club today noted the early start to “mud season” and urged hikers to stay off muddy and high-elevation trails unless they still have snow or ice cover.

Rain and melting snow at higher elevations cause wet and muddy conditions on many of Vermont’s hiking trails. When hikers tramp on saturated soils, they cause irreversible erosion and damage to the trail and surrounding vegetation.

While there is speculation that an early start to mud season means an early end to mud season, Mother Nature may have different plans.  It takes a long time for saturated soils to dry out, especially when they are disturbed by hikers.  Mud season in Vermont lasts from about maple sugaring time until Memorial Day.

“Please help protect the fragile alpine tundra and prevent soil erosion by staying off the trails during mud season,” Executive Director Will Wiquist asked hikers. “This will allow the trails to dry out and reduce the amount of maintenance required to keep them safe and enjoyable.”

The Green Mountain Club relies on roughly 1,000 volunteers and dozens of seasonal trail workers to keep up with this enormous task so trails are in good condition for Vermonters and visitors.  The club is the founder and maintainer of the 272-mile Long Trail and maintains a total of more than 500 miles of trails across the state including the Appalachian Trail and a new trail in the Northeast Kingdom.

“Mud conditions are coming in early and the ground is not frozen under the snow much,” noted Dave Hardy, the club’s director of trail programs.  “Meanwhile, people should pay close attention to weather forecasts and be aware of snow and ice at higher elevations. As much as things seems spring like it could very possibly snow again and be cold if you get hurt in the woods.”

The club encourages outdoor enthusiasts to explore the lower elevations and terrain with firm-footing.  To find a list of some suggested hikes, click here.

Tips if you do hike during mud season:

• Walk through the mud, not around it! If a trail is so muddy that you need to walk on the vegetation beside it, turn back, and seek an alternative area to hike.
• Hike in the lower-elevation hardwood forest (unless it is muddy!) with southern exposure (south-facing slopes dry out first in spring).
• Avoid the spruce-fir (conifer) forests at higher elevations.
• Watch your footing on snow and ice.  Be prepared for slippery and snowy conditions no matter how warm it is at home.
• Bring a warm extra layer as mountaintops are chilly year-round and Vermont’s weather can quickly change.
• Bring an extra pair of dry socks on your hike
• Stay hydrated and bring food for long hikes

You can find more mud season information here.

The VYCC’s Online Holiday Auction closed Sunday night and helped to raised $30,945 for education and conservation programs for Vermont youth.  The VYCC is also grateful for the strong and continued partnership with the Vermont Mountain Biking Association (VMBA).  As an auction partner, VMBA secured many of the auction items and will receive a portion of auction proceeds.

For the fourth consecutive year, Vermonters and friends from throughout the region found great deals on a variety of items that included ski passes, gift certificates at local restaurants, vacation rentals, and even hot air balloon rides.  We even had someone purchase skis…from Kansas!  The auction has now emerged as a reliable place to shop as well as a helpful source of Annual Fund revenue for VYCC programs.

We also want to offer a special thank you to the hundreds of businesses and individuals who donated auction items.  Without their support, the auction simply would not be possible.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Last, but certainly not least, we’re grateful for all those who bid on items.  Your consistent support of VYCC programs offers significant help at a time when Vermont youth have much to offer.

If you have any questions about the auction, feel free to contact Cailie Burns at 802.434.3969 ext. 113.

Visit our auction site and bid on fun and unique items – from outdoor gear and ski passes to orchestra tickets to vacation rentals in the Caribbean to gift certificates at local restaurants. THERE ARE GREAT DEALS TO BE HAD AT VERMONT’S BEST ONLINE AUCTION!!!

Businesses and friends throughout the state have donated goods and services. Proceeds from the auction help the VYCC provide more job opportunities for young people while completing conservation work on Vermont’s public land.

Want to donate an item? It’s not too late! For more information, contact Cailie Burns at 802.434.3969 ext. 113.

Last year the VYCC donated approximately 2,750 pounds of food to Vermont’s charitable food system. As the farm grows, so too will our donations to those in need.

To demonstrate our commitment, the VYCC has pledged to donate a total of ten tons of food by 2013! To learn more about the VYCC’s Farm and Food Program and Monitor Barns Farm, visit http://www.vycc.org/about/programs/farm-and-food/.

The funds will also be used to increase our ability to identify and design watershed projects in partnership with the state’s regional Watershed Coordinators and communities throughout the state. This year’s project sites include Allen Brook in Williston, the Lamoille River in Hardwick, and the Hinesburg Town Forest.

For more information on these watershed projects or on hiring a VYCC crew, contact Keegan Tierney at 802.434.3969 ext. 141 or Keegan.Tierney@vycc.org.

VYCC crews played a critical role in this partnership. In 2010, crews camped at the head of the Leicester Hollow Trail for eight weeks, and constructed new trail sections to replace the trails washed out by the flood of 2008. The trails built by the VYCC crews are reminiscent of Civilian Conservation Corps trail work still evident 75 years later in the GMNF and around the nation.

The trail work the crews completed was not only technical, but also physically exhausting. Imagine hiking three miles each way to and from your jobsite daily for eight weeks. Tired yet? Now picture the actual work you’ll be doing there: moving boulders weighing up to 1,000 pounds each with simple rock bars and then creating yards of one-inch cobble by hand. Exhausted? Well, with hard work, perseverance, and a whole lot of sweat and muscle, the VYCC crews did just that – they completed trail sections that leave even the most casual visitors in awe of their skills, dedication, and tenacity.

The VYCC is excited to be part of this project which will continue this summer, and we greatly appreciate the ongoing support provided by the GMNF and VMBA.