AMC Maine Chapter 2020 Annual Report
November 14, 2020
Posted in
From the Chapter Chair.
The AMC and the Maine Chapter have been impacted by the COVID pandemic this year like numerous other organizations. We have restricted our spending to essential items, and significantly reduced the number of volunteer led trips while moving to an online format for meetings, training, and programs.
The AMC developed COVID training and instituted protective criteria in the spring for volunteer led trips. 12 Maine Chapter leaders and others have taken this training and a number of trips have been offered since June. Wilderness First Aid and Leadership training were canceled this year, but we are planning to bring them back later next year.
Chapter membership remains strong with a total of 6198 members currently including 799 new members this year.
We are also in good financial position with assets of $71,599. Our spending has been lower this year due to meetings moving to on line and canceling of Leader and Wilderness First Aid training.
For 2020 to date, we have had more than 350 participants engage in 36 of our activities led by 19 Leaders. Two thirds of these activities were in the first two months of 2020 and overall Maine Chapter activities are down by 65% from 2019.
Trail work activities were also reduced this year with five trail work trips and 24 people participating. Eight Peter Roderick Trial Work scholarships for trail work in AMC’s Maine woods were awarded this year but the spring work trips associated with the awards were rescheduled to next year due to the pandemic.
Although our programs chair position is vacant, 11 webinars were held so far in 2020 on various topics including two instructional ones. More programs are in the works for this winter.
New this year we are adding a leadership committee to manage Leader requirements and training for all Chapter committees which will off load these duties from the Outings Chair.
Looking forward to 2021 we will continue with online meetings and webinars and are anticipating reduced trip activity in the winter thru summer and hopefully resuming leader training in the fall.