The American Alpine Club has announced that Dr. Aram Attarian of  NC State University has been named to serve as Conservation Ambassador for the Southern Appalachian Section of ACC.

Dr. Attarian will replace Patrick Weaver, owner and chief guide of the Appalachian Mountain Institute, who has completed a two year tour in this critical role.  He will be assisted by a Conservation Working Group comprised of volunteers drawn from across the section.  They will work with the AAC Conservation Committee Chair Ellen Lapham, Conservation Committee Sections Liaison Fred Glover, and the Section Chair to further implement these roles and the section’s conservation strategy, programs, and projects.

Attarian is an Associate Professor in the North Carolina State University College of Natural Resources,  Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management. He also serves as Director of the National Association of State Park Directors-State Park Leadership School.  He was involved in the early years of the Carolina Climbers Coalition, and has served on the CCC Board of Directors.  He played a critical role in the CCC efforts to replace aging bolts at Carolina crags, and authored the Climbing Management Plan for Laurel Knob. Attarian currently serves as a member of the AAC Safety Advisory Council and assists the editor of Accidents in North American Mountaineering.

About The American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club provides knowledge and inspiration, conservation and advocacy, and logistical support for the climbing community. The AAC advocates for American climbers domestically and around the world; provides grants and volunteer opportunities to protect and conserve the places we climb; hosts local and national climbing festivals and events; publishes two of the world’s most sought-after climbing annuals, The American Alpine Journal and Accidents in North American Mountaineering; cares for the world’s leading climbing library and country’s leading mountaineering museum; manages the Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch as part of a larger lodging network for climbers; and annually gives $80,000+ toward climbing, conservation, and research grants to adventurers who travel the world.
More at  americanalpineclub.org.

Source – American Alpine Club Southern Appalachian Newsletter – Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/gUaa .