Our Stories
2024 Volunteer Awards: Trail Maintainer
The Trail Maintainer Award is presented to volunteers who have demonstrated exceptional dedication or achievements over a 3-year period or more in maintaining or restoring preexisting North Country Trail segment(s).
Peter Bennett
Peter is an incredibly dedicated trail maintainer and sawyer, having taken on many responsibilities beyond caring for his own adopted section. In fact, he is responsible for training and coordinating all 19 trail adopters for the Spirit of the Woods Chapter. Pete spends countless hours mowing a majority of the Chapter’s 80 trail miles. Should that mower need repair, he takes it upon himself to either fix it, or pay for the parts and service from his own pocket. Several times a year, he coordinates trail project priorities and approvals with the U.S. Forest Service, then recruits volunteers to help complete the work. Pete is an impressive trail ambassador, knowledgeable mentor, and all-around inspiring volunteer.
Tammy + Tim Bohan
Since the birth of the Central Flyway Chapter in 2021, Tim and Tammy have been essential volunteers in the routing, signing, and mowing of the 12 miles of trail through the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge. They travel 65 miles several times a year to mow this challenging section, weaving around wetlands and woods, and taking care in bird nesting areas. They have taken the initiative to maintain the mowers and purchase fuel at their own expense. When the Chapter received a riding brush mower last year, Tim was among the first volunteers to participate in the equipment training. Tammy and Tim are key reasons the Chapter has experienced success in hosting guided hikes in this section, and they continue to be an essential part of this team.
Jim Charvat
Nearly 20 years ago, Jim saw blue blazes along a trail and got curious. He has been hiking and maintaining it ever since. Since 2010, he has managed the Western Michigan Chapter’s tool trailer, keeping the equipment clean, sharp, and serviced. He also delivers these tools to worksites and usually stays to work alongside the crew. Jim is always focused on sustainable maintenance and making the trail easier to hike. To directly quote him: “If it’s maintained well and easy to use, more individuals, families, and groups will want to hike and enjoy all the NCT has to offer.”
Jim Lindberg
Jim’s first North Country Trail experience was a Wisconsin Roving Trail Crew project in 2019. Since then, he has participated in nine week-long trail building trips, accumulating nearly 500 volunteer hours. Alongside the Brule-St. Croix Chapter, he helped build a 125-foot puncheon at the MacQuarrie Wetlands, reconstructed the kiosk at Lucius Woods County Park, and helped build the new State Line Trailhead kiosk. Frequently, he extends his trips to assist with the design of new segments. For nearly a decade now, Jim has hiked a remote section southwest of Solon Springs, at least twice each year, to check for maintenance needs. Though he is not the official adopter of this segment, he purchases materials and repairs rotted or damaged puncheon here.
Jim + Marcia Mellen
Jim and Marcia Mellen were among the Chief Noonday Chapter’s very first Trail Adopters. They have faithfully tended to their 1.6-mile section in Yankee Springs Recreation Area for a quarter of a century. The trail here is mostly forested, with rolling hills, a wetland, a small lake, and a clear creek. It’s popular, scenic, and impossible to get lost here, as Jim and Marcia work hard to keep it freshly blazed. They maintain a footbridge and a boardwalk, and as a certified sawyer and swamper team, they make short work of any fallen trees. While much of their work is behind the scenes, Marcia also leads hikes and attends outreach events. The North Country Trail is better for their devotion to stewardship.
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.