The Camp Greentop Stable in Catoctin Mountain Park has fallen into disrepair. Built in 1980, the stable housed horses used by National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers to patrol trails and remote areas of Catoctin Mountain Park. As park visitation increased, park rangers were re-directed to other park missions, and the Catoctin Mountain Park Volunteer Horse Patrol became the “eyes and ears of the park.” In addition to patrol, the Horse Patrol maintained trails and cared for the horses and stables.
Volunteers and National Park Staff seized the opportunity to help others and maximize park resources, when Catoctin Mountain Park partnered with the League for People with Disabilities to establish the Camp Greentop Recreational Riding for the Disabled Program in 1981. As the first program of its kind in Frederick County, the project served hundreds of League campers each summer season. While the National Park Service Horse Program ended in the mid-1990s, the Camp Greentop Riding for the Disabled Program continued until 2016. Years of deferred maintenance had rendered the stable unsuitable for this use.
As Catoctin Mountain Park’s official Friends group, the Catoctin Forest Alliance (CFA) is partnering with the National Park Service to rebuild and restore the Camp Greentop Stable. It is hoped that the stable will be completed in time for the 2017 League for People with Disabilities summer camping season. A group of skilled craftsmen, associated with the Indiana Amish Anabaptist Service Program, have volunteered to replace the stable roof and siding. The CFA is seeking benefactors to fund or provide necessary materials. While time is short they are confident that park friends can help make this happen.
Cash donations, materials identified on the materials list, gift cards, and purchase discounts can make this stable project become reality. Please contact Debra Mills, CFA Director of Programming at
[email protected] to discuss material donations and purchase discounts. Cash donations can be made payable by check to Catoctin Forest Alliance and mailed to P.O. Box 411, Thurmont, MD 21788. Donations may also be made on-line at www.catoctinforestalliance.org. It is estimated that materials will cost approximately $10,000. There will be no labor costs, as the project will be completed by volunteer craftsmen.
An overview of the missions and programs of the Catoctin Forest Alliance can be found at the Catoctin Forest Alliance website at www. catoctinforestalliance.org, and on the Catoctin Forest Alliance Facebook Page.
The Catoctin Forest Alliance is the primary Friends group for Catoctin Mountain Park. The organizational mission is to protect the health of the Catoctin Forest, with special emphasis on citizen engagement and youth programs. Visit the CFA website at www. catoctinforestalliance.org.
