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Thesis summary

What's your long-term vision for your Appalachian Trail (A.T.) Community™? Jessica Schottanes, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), want to know how you support your community's trailside designation! This 10-minute survey will echo the 2010 mission of the A.T. Community™ program and gather input on the program's next steps. How can the ATC and the program better support your town's unique character and assist with economic development?  Responses from the 2020 Appalachian Trail Community™ Survey may be used in the Master's Thesis research in Geography that assesses whether the program achieves Benton MacKaye's original vision of regional planning. All survey results will be shared with the ATC for use in future planning initiatives.
Jessica's research will dive into four communities. If you are a community member, business owner, or employee in Damascus, Harpers Ferry-Bolivar, Hot Springs, or Monson, please fill out this separate survey:  tinyurl.com/2020ATCommunitySurvey (and not this one provided in Survey Monkey).  Thank you for providing your important feedback!

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* 1. Select the A.T. Community™ that you live and/or work in, or own a business in:

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* 2. What is your relationship to your A.T. Community™? Select one.

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* 3. How many years have you lived in/near your A.T. Community™?

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* 4. Why did you move to your community? Select All That Apply

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* 5. Are you aware of the A.T. Community™ Supporter program?

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* 6. Does your A.T. Community™ have an Advisory Committee?

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* 7. How often do local businesses or organizations interact or collaborate with the A.T. Community™ Advisory Committee?

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* 8. Since becoming an A.T. Community™, what changes in conservation practices have you seen? Select All That Apply

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* 9. Has designation as an A.T. Community™ positively contributed to your community's economic development?

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* 10. How has designation as an A.T. Community™ positively contributed to economic development?

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* 11. Do you view the A.T. Community™ program as a threat to your community's unique character?

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* 12. Would your community benefit if the ATC became more involved in community events such as trail clean-ups and celebrations?

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* 13. Below is a model rating system for the A.T. Community™ program that is designed to encourage designated trailside communities to network with one another on a regional scale, embrace their roles as guardians of the A.T., and establish the sustainable economic development initiatives set forth by Benton MacKaye in his 1921 proposal for the extensive footpath. Would your community benefit from the below model that is meant to recognize and reward achievements in planning, environmental stewardship, and outreach?

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Model Rating System 

Model Rating System 

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* 14. What do you see are the pros and cons of the model A.T. Community™ rating system?

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* 15. What do you see are the strengths and weakness of the A.T. Community™ program?

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* 16. As the A.T. Community™ program enters a new decade, what is your long-term vision for your community as a designated A.T. Community™?

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* 17. Do you have any additional comments, ideas, or suggestions?

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* 18. If willing, please share your contact information for us to follow-up on any of your responses.

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