On November 13, IAT Co-Chairs Don Hudson of Maine and Paul Wylezol from Newfoundland joined Ulster Ireland mayors Michaela Boyle (Derry City and Strabane) and Nicholas Crossan (Donegal County) at a meeting with Appalachian Mountain Club President John Judge and Conservation and Recreation Director Heather Clish at their new headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts.
The AMC offices are located near the historic Bunker Hill Monument dedicated to an important battle at the beginning of the Revolutionary War in 1775.
The mayors were in Boston attending the annual Golden Bridges Conference which “has built a reputation as Boston’s most credible and trusted Ireland Northwest event… whose purpose is to promote partnerships between the two regions but also to highlight community, business, and education initiatives by bringing together leaders from Ireland Northwest and their counterparts in Boston and Massachusetts.”
The November 13 AMC meeting was a follow-up to IAT Ulster Ireland’s Outdoor Economy Forum held in June with the participation of the IAT, AMC and ATC.
Agenda items included building on the knowledge transfer discussed at June’s Outdoor Economy Forum, strengthening relationships and developing effective working partnerships, such as IAT Ulster Ireland representatives attending future AMC trail development workshops in the U.S.
IATNL’s Wylezol also discussed the development of a common website utilizing modern GIS mapping to educate adventure travelers and the public on the geological, ecological and culture heritage of the Appalachian Caledonian corridor.
The meeting ended with a group photo and general agreement to continue working together to help develop and promote IAT Ulster Ireland.