President's Logbook
By Jim Fetig
This column has been a struggle. The elephants in the room cannot be ignored. I would be a coward to hide from the reality that threatens our national parks and forests. So, I’m diving into the shallow end, headfirst.
As the story unfolds, our agency partners and friends are being sliced and diced with the precision of a cheap chainsaw. Dedicated employees are tossed aside like used tissue. News reports indicate some of the seasonal employees may, after all, be hired. We will see what happens when the page turns. Meanwhile we plan for the worst-case scenario and hope for the best.
Without the people to care for them, the parks and lands we are dedicated to preserving and protecting are at risk. To appreciate the potential consequences, we only need remember how they were trashed during past government shutdowns. The heaps of trash, overflowing toilets, graffiti, and all the rest were not pretty.
The club has told our partners that our volunteers will take up as much slack as is appropriate and possible. For the parks, forests, and lands PATC serves, we are akin to a small army. We offer significant numbers of trained and equipped volunteers with the expertise and muscle power to help maintain the quality of the visitor experience and contribute to the protection of these entrusted resources.
However, only a small number of parks and forests enjoy significant volunteer forces. Most are located far from population centers and simply cannot generate the volunteer numbers needed to make a material difference. For example, Bozeman, Mt., the closest population center to Yellowstone National Park, has a population of less than 60 thousand. In contrast, the greater PATC footprint has a population of around 20 million.
As of this writing, our partners are still figuring things out. We’re also told there will be multiple rounds of cuts. When the dust settles, we will work with our partners to be as helpful as possible. Complaining, while cathartic, doesn’t maintain trails and all the rest.
Meanwhile, folks who want to get away from it all and make a difference can sign up to volunteer here. We accept everyone and are proud of all the communities represented within our membership ranks. You will be welcomed with open arms.
I’d like to close with a bittersweet moment. We recently dedicated the staff director’s office to the memory of Rob Aldrich. Rob was our staff director from 2020 to 2024. He sadly succumbed to brain cancer last spring. Rob was an extraordinary human being, a superlative colleague and a friend to all.
As one example of Rob’s ingenuity, he constructed a folding sawbuck we use for crosscut demos that travel to our events in the back of any normal vehicle. Naming the staff director’s office for him was a fitting way to memorialize Rob’s legacy and positive impact on our club. Rob’s wife Lisa Palmer and brother Ed were able to be with us. His contributions and memory will be carried on in the work that we do to protect our lands and trails, every day.
