New Pochuck Boardwalk Kiosks Celebrate Volunteerism

July 11, 2021
News
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

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New Pochuck Boardwalk Kiosks Celebrate Volunteerism
New kiosks at the Appalachian Trail's Pochuck Boardwalk.

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In partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), the Trail Conference spearheaded the revitalization of kiosk signage along the Appalachian Trail at the popular Pochuck Boardwalk in New Jersey. The new signs were installed this spring.

The kiosks installed near Pochuck in 2018 were always intended to become “mini exhibits” about the Appalachian Trail and boardwalk project, with an emphasis on volunteerism (given the perpetual need for volunteer work to keep the boardwalk clear and in good repair) by the likes of our West Jersey Trail Crew and many others. Many casual hikers also never understood that the “local boardwalk” was part of a much larger, interstate trail. The signs were created to share general hiker information, a local map, how the boardwalk and bridge were built, and the role of ATC and the Trail Conference in stewarding the Appalachian Trail.

“The new material seems to be a huge hit, with a steady stream of visitors pointing at the maps and reading the ‘making of the boardwalk’ section,” reports Trail Program Manager Peter Dolan. “In fact, in all my time at trailheads, I genuinely don’t ever recall seeing so many people stopping to really read content—usually people glance over the panels or take a minute to review or photograph the map, but people seem genuinely interested in all the Appalachian Trail material. Two separate groups of people actually turned to me during installation and said, ‘This is the Appalachian Trail? The boardwalk?’ So it seems like the new content is working as intended!”