[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4183-S4184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CLUB

  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
Appalachian Mountain Club and recognize its 150 years of dedicated 
service in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of our country. As 
the Nation's oldest continuously operating outdoor recreation and 
conservation organization, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) has 
encouraged generations of Americans to venture outside and protect the 
region's most beautiful and prized mountain landscapes.
  AMC began with a call from Professor Edward Charles Pickering for 
``those interested in mountain exploration'' to attend a meeting in 
early January 1876 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
According to news reports at the time, the meeting drew interest from 
30 to 40 people. They gathered in an era when more Americans were 
beginning to appreciate mountains for their unparalleled beauty, their 
open space for recreation, and their considerable value for scientific 
study of the natural world. In the early years of the organization, 
members set their sights on New Hampshire's White Mountains to visit, 
create accurate maps, build accessible trails, and collect data in a 
variety of fields from botany to geology to meteorology. They published 
the first edition of Appalachia in 1876, which grew into the Nation's 
leading and longest running journal on outdoor exploration and 
conservation. In 1888, AMC opened its first backcountry hut in the 
Presidential Range and dramatically reshaped the culture of hiking in 
the region. The Madison Spring Hut has not only offered overnight 
shelter to exhausted hikers, but also contributed to scientific 
research, supported trail stewardship and visitor safety, and helped 
protect a fragile alpine environment. AMC still operates a network of 
eight huts in New Hampshire's White Mountains, and they epitomize the 
organization's founding philosophy of making mountain experiences more 
accessible while also promoting stewardship of the landscape.
  AMC's advocacy for the passage of the Weeks Act in 1911 is another 
example of its work at the intersection of conservation and recreation. 
Known as one of the most important conservation laws in American 
history, the Weeks Act authorized the Federal Government to purchase 
private land for the purpose of restoring and protecting forests and 
watersheds. It led directly to the establishment of the White Mountain 
National Forest in New Hampshire and later dozens of other national 
forests in the eastern United States. Today, nearly 20 million acres of 
forestland have been permanently protected through the Weeks Act. 
Thanks in large part to the public support AMC generated for its 
passage, Americans will enjoy the many environmental, economic and 
recreational benefits of these lands for generations to come.
  The Weeks Act was a defining public policy achievement for AMC, but 
it was far from its last. Throughout the next century, its members and 
volunteers would continue to advocate for smart,

[[Page S4184]]

forward-thinking legislation and programs that balance recreation, 
scientific research, conservation, and public access to this valuable 
mountain environment. AMC launched the Maine Woods Initiative in 2003 
to conserve land, support sustainable forestry, create new trails, and 
enhance climate resilience across Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness. It also 
championed the Highlands Conservation Act in 2004 that protected 
thousands of acres of forestlands and watersheds in Connecticut, New 
York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Most recently, AMC promoted the 
passage of the Great American Outdoors Act and the permanent 
reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This 
legislation is helping to tackle a substantial backlog of maintenance 
projects on Federal public lands.
  While promoting and raising public awareness for conservation, AMC 
never lost sight of one of its earliest objectives: to build and 
maintain public trails. It remains one of the Northeast's largest trail 
stewards. AMC crews care for more than 1,800 miles of trails across the 
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, including many of New Hampshire's most 
popular routes. In 2021, I was proud to secure Federal funding used by 
AMC to restore and realign the Franconia Ridge Loop Trail, one of the 
Northeast's premier hikes. I was also pleased to see AMC open the 
Cardigan Mountain All-Persons Trail in 2023, a half-mile trail in 
Alexandria, NH, that allows people with wheelchairs and other mobility 
devices to take in a tranquil mountain setting.
  The 150th anniversary of the Appalachian Mountain Club is worthy of 
celebration. It is an opportunity to reflect on a century-and-a-half of 
advocacy and hard work that has strengthened our connection with each 
other and the natural world. It is also a chance to look forward and 
recommit to the longstanding mission of this worthy organization: to 
foster the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the outdoors. I 
ask all Americans to join me in recognizing these enduring 
contributions and saluting the next generation of AMC staff, 
volunteers, explorers, and stewards who will carry forth this legacy in 
the next 150 years and beyond.

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