Over the years I've occasionally volunteered to take part in trail maintenance of the AT here in Georgia, as well as some of the other trails that spider-web the Blue Ridge mountains in the northern part of the state. Not real often, mind you, but after every few hundred miles I begin to feel guilty about excessively using this masterpiece of a trail that others have broken their backs to maintain, so I volunteer for a day or two. Most of the work is organized and coordinated through the Georgia chapter of the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conference). I've never been asked to pay for the privelege of working a trail. I've had to supply my own tools at times, and BYO food/beverage, but it's generally a pretty straightforward effort. In fact, I can't recall ever seeing an AT or other eastern trail project that had a fee attached in addition to the volunteer effort - at least nothing more than maybe $15-20 a head for lunch and possibly group transportation from point A to point B.
The AT being the AT - the granddaddy of all big American trails, and an iconic national treasure - I would assume all maintenance work has to dance to the tune of as much (or more) regulatory red tape as any trail in the country. From an apple-to-apple perspective, I don't see the financial disparity. Below is a link to one of the more referenced websites for AT volunteer work - is there something that takes place in the Sierra that is dramatically different than here, or elsewhere in the country, that drives this "fee", or is it simply a matter of knowing your audience?
http://www.trailquest.net/trailmaint.html
