ASHEVILLE – In the wake of a recent fatal stabbing on the Appalachian Trail, the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy has updated its website to make finding help, and reporting suspicious or illegal activity, much easier for hikers in remote stretches of the trail.

At the same time, there continues to be only one full-time law enforcement officer assigned specifically to the trail, which is a unit of the National Park Service, like the Blue Ridge Parkway or Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a nonprofit based in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, with regional offices including one in Asheville. The group oversees maintenance and educational outreach for the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail, which runs through rugged, mountainous terrain in 14 states from Georgia to Maine, including nearly 96 miles in North Carolina.

The redesign of the ATC’s safety and crime prevention page includes incident reporting resources, a bold, red 911 button, a National Park Service phone number and the ability to submit an incident report from a mobile device, said Jordan Bowman, ATC communications manager.

Previously, the incident report form was a PDF that had to be downloaded, filled out and emailed back. The updates went live Memorial Day weekend and have been tweaked several times since then, Bowman said.

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Ronald S. Sanchez Jr., 43, of Oklahoma, was stabbed to death in an attack on the Appalachian Trail in southwestern Virginia on May 11.

James Jordan of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, has been charged with murder and assault with intent to murder for allegedly attacking Sanchez and a female hiker, who hasn’t been named.

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Authorities said Jordan, who was believed to have spent time in Hot Springs just days before the attack, had repeatedly threatened four hikers before chasing them with a knife. Two managed to escape.

Hikers had complained to authorities in southwestern Virginia and in Tennessee in recent weeks about Jordan’s alleged threats.

“The incident was definitely an impetus for us to take another look at the website,” Bowman said.

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“What we’ve done is took a look at the language and make it straightforward and a lot more visually interesting and easy to understand immediately what actions can be taken,” he said.

“Before there were no hyperlinks or buttons. We put it through a visual design refresh, so someone knows first step in an emergency, is dial 911, let NPS dispatch know, send us an email and lastly submit online incident form.”

Bowman said as they continue to upgrade the website, the ATC will take any suggestions from the public on how to make it easier to use, by emailing info@appalachiantrail.org.

There is still no "Safety" heading in the navigation bar, however. Visitors to the site must click on the "Explore" tab and then click on "Report an incident."

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He also said the ATC is working with the National Park Service and other partners on social media messaging and other safety campaigns.

While the ATC’s website has gone through a “design refresh,” to find the safety information on the National Park Service website, one must go to https://www.nps.gov/appa, click on the “Plan Your Visit” tab in the navigation bar, then the “Safety” link. This will take you to alerts, which currently include bear warnings at overnight sights in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The message to call 911 or the park doesn’t appear until you scroll to the very bottom of the page.

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A report from Appalachian Trail Acting Chief Ranger Kurt Speers says there were “over 170 recordable incidents” reported on the trail in fiscal year 2018 (Oct. 1, 2017-Oct. 31, 2018), ranging in offense from vandalism and graffiti to theft and damage to resources, human-wildlife encounters, stolen vehicles, assault, harassment, stalking, alleged child abuse and mission or overdue hikers, among others.

Speers said while his office works cooperatively with other agencies along the trail, from other national parks and forests to local sheriff’s offices, he is the only commissioned law enforcement officer assigned to the headquarters office in Harper's Ferry specifically to the nearly 2,000-mile-long trail.

He advises people not to hesitate to call for help.

“If you feel like there’s there’s a situation like people are in danger, or there is an unsafe condition, that is when to dial 911,” Speers said. “There can be unsafe conditions like a leaning tree, when it’s not the time to dial 911.”

According to the ATC, more than 3 million visitors hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail each year. "Thru-hikers," those who attempt to hike the entire trail, take an average of six months to complete a northward hike. Only a quarter successfully complete a thru-hike each year.