Our Stories

2024 Volunteer Awards: Friend of the Trail

Categories: Volunteer Stories

 

The Friend of the Trail Award is presented to a public employee, unit of government, or member of an organization whose leadership, accommodations, and active collaboration have substantially benefited the North Country Trail or the NCTA.

Jon Harris

The North Country Trail will eventually pass through nearly 50 miles of the Douglas County Forest in Wisconsin. Already, 12 miles are on the ground: approved and supported by Jon, Douglas County Forest (DCF) Administrator. His unwavering support has been instrumental for the Brule-St. Croix Chapter and the Wisconsin Roving Trail Crew. For nearly 25 years, he has generously allowed both crews to store project materials at a large DCF storage yard that is in a secure and centralized location. He has initiated and/or partnered with the NCTA and others to secure property for the trail – one of which provides over five miles for the trail and protects the Nemadji River watershed.

Kathy Kline

Kathy is now retired from her role as Director of the North Trails Public Library, which is less than a mile from the trail in West Sunbury, Pennsylvania. But before she stepped down, when the Butler County Chapter turned to her library for help with outreach, Kathy was welcoming and enthusiastic. During the pandemic, the Chapter hosted two virtual hikes: Participants registered through the library, used the trail over a three-day period, and submitted their photos to the library for posting on social media. Hikers could then pick up an award packet from the library. Nearly 80 hikers participated in total. As the Chapter returned to gathering in-person, the library became a hub for events and even hosted a Chapter banner on the side of the building. Inside is a corner dedicated to the trail, and past issues of the North Star can be found in the periodical section. This alliance created fantastic momentum and refreshed the Chapter’s energy, and Kathy continues to serve on the Outreach Committee.

Katie LeMoine

Katie has worked with Wisconsin’s Chequamegon Chapter for at least seven years as the primary liaison with the U.S. Forest Service. She is always ready to roll up her sleeves alongside volunteers, whether she’s manning one end of a two-person saw, digging a new latrine, or helping move materials by snowmobile. She led volunteers from a local college on special workdays in the Rainbow Lake Wilderness, served as a chainsaw instructor, and groomed parts of the trail for cross-country skiers. She and her son Mitchell walked a shelter dog named Stoney during the Chapter’s Tails on the Trail event in 2023. Katie is an effective advocate for the trail and is enthusiastic about its upkeep.

Mitch Lundeen

Mitch is the supervisor of the Becker County Natural Resources Management Department in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. His department manages 75,000 acres, through which much of the Laurentian Lakes Chapter’s trail segment runs. He manages this land in an environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable manner. Thanks to his advocacy, his department purchased and donated trail maintenance equipment for the Chapter, and his staff continue to store and maintain it. Both in-person and contractually, he ensures logging companies provide the trail with a maximum-extent buffer zone while harvesting timber. Mitch is an unwavering champion of the Chapter and the trail in Minnesota.

Peter Wilson

Even before Peter became mayor of Lisbon, Ohio, he recognized the economic value of trails. Lisbon is fortunate to host both the North Country Trail and the Greenway Bike Trail. Peter’s first-term election to office in 2020 coincided with the Wampum Chapter’s responsibilities expanding into Ohio. He became quickly acquainted and involved. He never fails to visit the Chapter’s booth at events or assist in landowner relations efforts. He actively promotes Lisbon as an official NCTA Trail Town and has brought tremendous awareness to the trail in Eastern Ohio.

Learn more about how the you can honor NCTA volunteers for their service on and for the North Country National Scenic Trail, and submit a nomination at northcountrytrail.org/volunteer-awards.