AMC at Work:

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Founded by scientists in 1876, the AMC has always recognized the importance of science in informing our conservation and policy positions. The AMC Research Department is comprised of scientists and technical staff who study air quality, forest and alpine ecology, riverine systems, and utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to develop land conservation assessments.

Photo: AMC Library & Archives. Mr. Fox using a plane table (device used in surveying), circa 1910's.

Climate change matters to AMC because it threatens the natural resources we aim to protect and recreational experiences we work to share. Clean air and the health of the forests and waters of the Northeast are at risk from air pollution and climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels. These issues make energy efficiency and conservation a core focus area for the AMC.

AMC conducts research and monitoring to identify how climate is changing across the region and in ecosystems such as the White Mountains. AMC climate research has evolved from decades of air quality research (for more information, go to the Air Pollution & EPA rollbacks section via the navigation bar above or scroll down).

Our research and the consensus of other scientists lead us to advocate for policies and actions that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow the rate of change and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Our actions have two primary focus areas:

1. As part of AMC’s 150 strategic plan, we have adopted an organizational goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions no later than 2050. In addition to significantly reducing our own carbon footprint, we will continue our land conservation efforts in the Maine Woods and elsewhere, as intact forests are critical for carbon storage and help protect wildlife habitat and other important resources.
2. AMC will continue to work with national and regional partners to study and contribute to policy focused on the optimal siting of renewable energy and programs such as the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) that focuses on the largest greenhouse gas emitting sector in the Northeast: transportation.

These initiatives aim to balance vibrant communities and economies with AMC’s mission to foster the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the outdoors.

• Participate in community science, join  AMC’s iNaturalist  project.

The Appalachian Mountain Club has joined an increasing number of organizations using  iNaturalist  to explore life outdoors.

iNaturalist is a free app you can use on your smartphone and an online community where people explore and share observations of the natural world. Participants upload photos of plants or animals which includes information about where and when they took the picture.

• Calculate your own  carbon footprint  and see how you can reduce it. 

Carbon footprint calculator for individuals and households is provided free to use.

• Join AMC's  Conservation Action Network .

Join AMC in protecting the mountains, waters, forests, and trails of our region. Learn about and speak up on issues that threaten the Northeast outdoors as well as opportunities to ensure that treasured locations and landscapes can be enjoyed for generations to come.

For updates on current issues and recent activities, as well as to sign up for AMC’s online Action Network to stay up to speed on the most pressing issues and receive periodic notices to take action, click  here .

•  Make a gift  to support AMC’s conservation work. Donations are tax-deductible and are instrumental to fueling our climate and energy work. 

Protecting our land and water will sustain our clean water supply, purify the air we breathe, provide wildlife habitat, and strengthen our communities for the future.

AMC works to promote permanent conservation of important ecological, recreational, and scenic resources across our region, with a focus on two broad landscapes. The Northern Forest of northern New England and New York is the largest mostly undeveloped landscape in the eastern United States. This region provides the best opportunity to protect a large connected network of conservation lands with high resilience and adaptability in the face of climate change. The Mid-Atlantic Highlands stretches from eastern Pennsylvania across New Jersey and southern New York to Connecticut. It lies west of the most heavily developed part of the country and provides recreational opportunities, drinking water supplies and other open space values to tens of millions of people.

AMC partners with other conservation organizations, land trusts, and state and federal agencies, using geographic information systems (GIS) analyses to better understand the conditions of these landscapes and the distribution of important natural resources values within them, and using that information to identify priority areas for conservation. We advocate for federal public land conservation programs such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Forest Legacy program, the Highlands Conservation Act, as well as state-based funding programs.

AMC mobilizes its membership and grassroots partners to advocate for policy at the state and federal level to protect the outdoors by connecting the places people love with important—but sometimes barely visible—decisions made in places like Augusta, Harrisburg and Washington DC. Grounded in science and analysis, we work collaboratively with decision makers, federal & state agencies, and many recreation and conservation partners on landscape-scale conservation initiatives and public policy issues to promote the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of America’s Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

The  Land and Water Conservation Fund  (LWCF) is America’s most important conservation and recreation program, funding a diverse toolbox of federal agency projects and grants including critical land acquisitions within the National Forests, National Wildlife Refuges, National Parks and National Monuments; the  Forest Legacy Program  which protects working forestlands from development, the  Highlands Conservation Act  which targets forested watersheds and open space in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands, and the NPS State and Local Assistance Program that funds local parks, recreation facilities, trails and natural infrastructure. AMC’s advocacy for this critical suite of tools provides the needed funds for land and water protection and allows communities to make smart investments based on their needs. As a leader of the national LWCF Coalition, AMC and our partners fought for decades to ensure full, permanent funding of LWCF, which was finally enacted into law this summer in the  Great American Outdoors Act . This legislation will provide as much as $1.9 billion annually to address the massive backlog of maintenance projects on federal public lands in addition to permanently funding LWCF at $900M annually, supporting conservation, recreation and the outdoor economy in nearly every county in the country.

• Join AMC's  Conservation Action Network  for the latest updates on policy issues we are fighting for, how to contact your lawmakers and raise your voice!

Join AMC in protecting the mountains, waters, forests, and trails of our region. Learn about and speak up on issues that threaten the Northeast outdoors as well as opportunities to ensure that treasured locations and landscapes can be enjoyed for generations to come.

For updates on current issues and recent activities, as well as to sign up for AMC’s online Action Network to stay up to speed on the most pressing issues and receive periodic notices to take action, click  here .

• Proper implementation of LWCF’s full permanent funding under GAOA requires us to stay involved, keeping Congress and the Administration on track. It’s already been bumpy and we are working to ensure all of this year’s projects get the funding they need, so watch for AMC's action alerts asking for your help (make sure you sign up).  

• Each state must go through a planning process every five years to develop a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) with public participation ( here’s the current one for MA, which will be updated in 2022 ). Get involved and encourage equity of access to outdoor opportunities for all.

• Look for local conservation and recreation projects that might be needed where you live, and talk to your local land trust and your town leaders about applying for LWCF funds! State grant projects need matching dollars for the federal investment, so you can also help build local support and raise money. The best projects come from collaboration between many stakeholders!

•  Make a gift  to support AMC’s conservation work. Donations are tax-deductible and are instrumental to fueling our land & water protection work. 

Air pollution harms human health, damages our environment, and causes climate change. Outdoor spaces can be negatively impacted by air pollution, from smog that affects our lungs and cardiovascular health to views that can be blocked because of hazy pollution. Air pollution and climate change disproportionately impact marginalized communities. Solutions must proactively correct this burden as well as account for low-income and rurally isolated people’s challenges with other issues that impact air quality, such as food access, affordable heating, and transportation.

AMC has been tracking ozone, acid rain, and haze in the Northeast mountains for decades. The good news is the Clean Air Act has been working, reducing emissions and resulting in less air pollution in our region. We need to retain the strength of this important policy tool rather than relax the rules and slip backwards, allowing more pollution. There are still impacts from more than half a century of acid rain—despite enacting policies that have reduced acid rain, ecosystem recovery lags behind. And the same smokestacks and tailpipes that emit nitrogen, sulfur, organic toxins, and heavy metals also emit carbon dioxide -- the major cause of climate change. 

AMC has been promoting clean air policies that are proven to work, as is reflected in our  monitoring in New Hampshire . The Clean Air Act is the foundation of these protections which are critical for people recreating outdoors and the places we recreate. During the spring of 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) primary focus should have been protecting human and environmental health by enforcing existing laws and regulations. Rather, EPA undermined the future of public health by continuing to pursue rule and policy rollbacks, without providing adequate forums for the public to comment on proposed changes.

• Participate in community science, join  AMC’s iNaturalist  project

The Appalachian Mountain Club has joined an increasing number of organizations using  iNaturalist  to explore life outdoors.

iNaturalist is a free app you can use on your smartphone, as well as an online community where people explore and share observations of the natural world. Participants upload photos of plants or animals which include information about where and when they took the picture.

•  Write your Governor to encourage joining the Transportation and Climate Initiative .

Transportation emissions are now our region’s largest cumulative source of greenhouse gas emissions and these emissions also remain a significant source of smog and soot. Depending on where you live your transportation challenges may be different, but we all have stories of deficiencies, health concerns, and economic disparities. As we enter this new decade, we have an opportunity to modernize and clean up transportation options and address regional transportation needs. States in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are seeking input on a proposed clean transportation plan and your Governor needs to hear that you support cleaner and healthier transportation options and solutions.

• Join AMC's  Conservation Action Network .

Join AMC in protecting the mountains, waters, forests, and trails of our region. Learn about and speak up on issues that threaten the Northeast outdoors as well as opportunities to ensure that treasured locations and landscapes can be enjoyed for generations to come.

For updates on current issues and recent activities, as well as to sign up for AMC’s online Action Network to stay up to speed on the most pressing issues and receive periodic notices to take action, click  here .

•  Make a gift  to support AMC’s conservation work. Donations are tax-deductible and are instrumental to fueling our clean air work. 

Build your knowledge about issues that threaten the Northeast outdoors as well as opportunities to ensure that treasured locations and landscapes can be enjoyed for generations to come. Join AMC in protecting the mountains, waters, forests, and trails of our region. Learn about our latest science and conservation work by perusing our recent  blog posts  or search our  activities database  with the key word Conservation.

For updates on current policy issues sign up for AMC’s online Conservation Action Network for opportunities to speak out and take action, click  here .

 Make a gift  to support AMC’s conservation work. Donations are tax-deductible and are instrumental to fueling our work.