Dave Adams is modest about what he’s contributed to the local chapter of the North Country Trail Association.

Adams, the trail maintenance coordinator for the Butler County chapter of the NCTA, as well as a founding member of the chapter and a former president, will be honored this weekend with a Distinguished Service Award and a Presidential Citation at the organization’s annual celebration. In Wednesday’s Butler Eagle, Adams said he was surprised to find he’d done thousands of hours of volunteer work for the trail, and that he wanted to share the recognition.

“There are many unrecognized volunteers who maybe don't turn in their hours,” he said. “I accept the award on their behalf.”

But as Jen Ganaway, president of the local chapter, noted Adams is the person the group relies on to get out quickly and clear obstructions on the trail.

“His main focus is making sure the trail is clear and clearly marked for the hikers,” she said.

Volunteers like Adams are a key part of keeping the massive, 4,800-mile trail open. First proposed in the 1970s and approved by Congress in 1980, the Northwest Country National Scenic Trail starts in North Dakota, at the forks of the Missouri and Sheyenne rivers, follows the Sheyenne east and goes through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York and ends at the foot of Blue Ridge Mountain in Vermont.

There are about two dozen chapters and several affiliated organizations that have built — and continue to build, rebuild and maintain — the trails, and the work is never done. The Butler County chapter, for example, has spent much of the last two years replacing bridges along the trail.

Without the dedication of the few, of people like Adams and other volunteers, there would be no trail for thousands of hikers to use annually.

So while he’s been recognized before, we’re pleased he’s being honored again, because his dedication to keeping the natural gifts we all share accessible to all is something to admire, and to imitate.

— JK