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AmeriCorps team serving in Carrabassett Valley

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AmeriCorps NCCC team posing at the peak of Crocker Mountain, the highest point the
team had to climb during their time with the ATC.

CARRABASSETT VALLEY — A team of eight individuals from across the country are temporarily based in the valley, tackling infrastructure projects with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Maine Huts and Trails.

They are AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps., or NCCC, members and this is their third round of service projects. Previously, they worked in Iowa, Ohio, and Minnesota. Since their arrival in Maine in mid-July, they spent two and a half weeks working with the ATC on boundary recovery.

Team leader Ethan Klaris explained that the ATC maintains a corridor approximately 500 to 1,000 feet on either side of the Appalachian Trail for the entire length from Maine to Georgia; this outer boundary is hardly ever seen by hikers, but it is important that it is recognizable to the outside world. The boundary is marked with blazes and with surveyor monuments. These lines must be kept clear and obviously marked to preserve the integrity of the AT.

The NCCC team worked with a team of ATC field technicians on sections of the AT in Northern Franklin County, between Rangeley and Carrabassett Valley. For team member Kacie Simmons, who lives in Texas, the experience of being in the mountains was simultaneously exciting and challenging. Working with the ATC crew was fun and rewarding as they took the time to teach the Corps members about the mountains and the natural world in the woods of Maine. “They made the experience all the more enjoyable,” Simmons said with a smile.

This service round was split into two parts: roughly two weeks with the ATC, and the other two with Maine Huts and Trails, working on local trails within the Carrabassett Valley trail system. Wolfe Tone, Executive Director for Maine Huts and Trails, explained that the project came about when ATC approached Maine Huts and Trails with a proposal for a joint service project. They needed to find housing for the corps team, and Maine Huts and Trails had the option to house the team for a month in one of their huts. Working alone, either organization may not have succeeded in attracting a NCCC team. By pooling resources, they were able to bring in the team for almost a month of work.

“They could be in a lot of places anywhere in the country, and they’re here in Carrabassett Valley,” Tone said.

Working on the local trail network, the team will be doing trail maintenance such as trimming overgrowth, widening trails, and ‘hardening’ trails to make a better surface for mountain bikes.

The team works ten hours a day for four days a week. When they’re not working, they have gotten to explore their local surroundings, such as Smalls Falls and Flagstaff Lake.

The team comes from a wide range of educational, financial, and regional backgrounds. They range in age from 20 to 27 years old. For one month, they trained together at the regional base in Iowa; after that, they will serve another nine months together within the United States.

The team consists of Klaris, from New York, who received an additional month of leadership training; Simmons, from Texas; Chelsea Brown, from Michigan; Kamden Kern, from Maryland; Julian Ochoa, also from Texas; Isaac Meierotto, from Wisconsin; David Smith, from Georgia; and Katherine Underwood, from Washington.

Their assignments have varied, from conservation projects such as work on the AT, to infrastructure development for non-profit organizations who need a work crew, to helping combat food insecurity by working at food banks and pantries.

Klaris was initially interested in the Peace Corps but wanted to serve closer to home and meet the needs of communities here in the United States. Doing a service year with AmeriCorps has allowed him to ‘plug in’ in communities all over the northeast and midwest for a month or more at a time. Spending a longer period of time in a community, serving in a variety of different ways, and getting his hands dirty has been a positive, enriching experience for him.

Getting to travel the country with the corps has been an amazing experience for Simmons. It pushed her out of her comfort zone and allowed her to view life through a different lens. “For that, I am grateful,” she said.

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