2023 Trail Work Scholarships

April 22 was the first deadline for all trips.  Feel free to fill out an application incase a scholarship vacancy becomes available.  If you’ve never tried working on trails before, you’re invited to apply for a Chapter-sponsored trip to the Maine Woods. This scholarship program is named after long-time trail work volunteer and leader, Peter Roderick. The scholarship will cover all costs for overnight lodging and food for the weekend during one of four trail work opportunities in AMC’s Maine Wilderness Initiative (MWI).

Each trail work trip begins with 6 pm dinner and an overnight in the bunkhouse at one of the three AMC lodges outside Greenville, Maine, and ends after lunch on the final day. Peter Roderick Trail Work Award (PRTWA) recipients receive free accommodations and meals and incur no other charges during the weekend. Normally, accommodations and all meals during that time cost $133. Trail work equipment is supplied for all participants..

Three scholarship spots are available for each of these trips. Applications for 2023 trail work scholarships will be considered up until the deadline or until all three slots for each trip are filled. Decisions will be made on a rolling basis for all 2023 trips starting now, so don’t wait until the last minute to apply!

The application form: Scholarship applicants should rank their preferences for trip dates.

Once an applicant is awarded a PRTWA Scholarship, the recipient will be asked by AMC for a credit card number to hold their spot, but nothing will be charged on the card unless there is a cancellation within four weeks of the trip. Exceptions will be made for extenuating circumstances, based on a decision by the AMC Maine PRTWA Scholarship Committee.We ask any scholarship recipient, if they must cancel, to let AMC know as far in advance as possible to allow another applicant to fill the spot and plan ahead of time.

The PRTWA Scholarship program is open to any new or current AMC member who has the desire to work outdoors in the Maine woods on projects such as building or improving foot trails, building bog bridges, stacking firewood, gardening, and marking boundaries—all under the supervision of a volunteer leader. If you are not currently an AMC member, please join before applying for the award.

Former scholarship recipients shared these thoughts with us:

From Adeline Casali: I was a recipient of the Peter Roderick Trail Work Award in May 2019. My trail work experience with AMC in the North Maine woods was incredibly rewarding and enjoyable.  The camaraderie that occurred over the weekend was amazing to see. People from all walks of life bonded together because of a shared love of the outdoors. I am incredibly grateful for this introductory experience with trail work and look forward to volunteering on the trails more in the future.

From Stephanie Lynch: When I first drove up to Maine’s AMC lodges for a weekend of volunteer trail work, I was nervous and apprehensive. I didn’t know anyone there, had very little experience doing trail work, and had no idea what to expect. What I found that weekend was more rewarding than anything I had imagined and has kept me coming back ever since. I was the youngest and newest member, but volunteers of all ages and abilities welcomed me so warmly that I felt part of the group right away. Of course, doing fun and gratifying trail work while enjoying Maine’s vast wilderness is enough to make this an enjoyable trip, but the conversations, stories, and friendships are what keep me coming back. Everyone you meet is there to work hard and give back to AMC and the land, but they are also a rare community with collective wisdom, unmatched passion for the outdoors, and desire to get to know more people who would like to spend a weekend in the woods.

If you’re a trail work “newbie” and a new or existing AMC member, we encourage you to apply for a 2023 Peter Roderick Trail Work Award! If a weekend in the Maine Woods is not for you, AMC Maine offers several other no-cost one-day trail work opportunities around the state.  For more information, Contact Phil Coyne email or Karen Brace email. We hope to see you out on the trail!