MTC Member Spotlight: Emily Paskewicz

This month, the MTC Member Spotlight blog posts will be featuring members involved in Maine’s long distance off-road trails. MTC started out as a group that met about frustrations and delays in advancing trail corridors, specifically along inactive state-owned rail corridors. Since then, our Coalition has grown to encompass trails and supporting trails as a broader concept. However, this work group still plays a large role having released a vision for a connected off-road trail network  titled, “Maine Active Transportation Arterials”.

In this blog post, we speak with Emily Paskewicz, who serves on the MTC Leadership Team and Trail-until-Rail Work Group.  Emily’s work directly involves working with communities in Northern New England along the East Coast Greenway (ECG) route. This route is a 3,000 mile vision (not complete) connecting 15 states from Key West, FL to Calais, ME. Learn more about the ECG in Maine here.

Now let’s learn a bit more about Emily and her #WhyTrails…

Name: Emily Paskewicz (she/her) Town or region: Currently based in the MidCoast region of Maine

Organization/Affiliation: East Coast Greenway Alliance; Northern New England - Maine, New Hampshire, & Massachusetts

What trail project are you currently working on or most involved with? What do you like about your work? Since starting with the East Coast Greenway Alliance in January, I’ve  gotten involved with several Trail Until Rail (TuR) projects in Maine including the Calais Branch Rail Use Advisory Council (RUAC) process and routing discussions with local partners and the Casco Bay Trail Alliance (CBTA) to connect from Danville Junction through Lewiston/Auburn to Brunswick and from Brunswick to Yarmouth via trail. 

The best part about my work is helping communities use the East Coast Greenway as a catalyst for more trails and better bike/pedestrian infrastructure that’s close to home. 

Do you have a favorite section of the East Coast Greenway in Maine? A recent favorite has been the Kennebec River Rail Trail. I love the easy access that it provides to each of the downtowns that it runs through. I have two favorite sections of the trail located outside of Maine. I lived in Philadelphia before moving to Maine so the Schuylkill Banks section will always be a favorite. I also love the Emerald Path in Emerald Isle, NC for a run or bike ride to local coffee and  ice cream shops. 

Favorite trail activities? My favorite trail activities include hiking, trail running, biking, kayaking, backpacking, and XC skiing.

Favorite trail or trail memory in Maine? It’s so hard to choose just one, so I’ll go with another recent favorite. In June I ran in the Eastern Trail Alliance’s John Andrews Memorial 5k. It was a beautiful morning for a run on a really shady and flat  stretch of ET. It was also just hot enough that I was comfortable jumping into the water at nearby Old Orchard Beach afterward to cool off. A perfect Saturday morning by my standards!

Favorite trail snack?  Dried mango is my current favorite.

Why do you Love Maine Trails? I really love the wide variety of landscapes that you can explore through Maine’s vast trail system. From the Brook Trail to the top of Tumbledown Mountain, to Marginal Way’s sea cliffs in Ogunquit, to the Downeast Sunrise Trail’s marshes and blueberry barrens, it feels like there’s always a new environment to explore by trail.

Why are you involved with the Maine Trails Coalition? State trail coalitions are so important for sharing information, organizing, and prioritizing, particularly around legislation.  I participate in MTC’s Trail Until Rail (TuR) work group, which works collaboratively on rail and long distance trails throughout the state, many of which are part of the East Coast Greenway’s envisioned/future route.  

How do you see your work with MTC improving access to trails and trails for all?  (Referring to both barriers to getting to trails, but also in using/being on/feeling welcome on trails). The MTC’s TuR work group’s focus on rail corridors for trail development is a really valuable opportunity to bring accessible, multi-use trails near, and often through, Maine’s cities and larger towns.  The locations of many of these corridors will allow more users to access the trail without a car, which reduces access barriers and creates opportunities for active transportation use. 

If someone wants to get on the East Coast Greenway to check it out who has never been, do you have any advice?
Check out map.greenway.org to find off-road trail sections that are safe and comfortable for a wide variety of ages and abilities. For those who are comfortable with, or would like to try, road biking the East Coast Greenway Alliance recently teamed up with the Adventure Cycling Association to publish several short routes in New England. 

How can someone become involved with the East Coast Greenway Alliance in Maine? The East Coast Greenway Alliance is always looking to partner with new organizations, agencies, businesses, and individuals in Maine.  Please feel free to reach out to me to discuss -  emily@greenway.org. 

You can also keep up with our work and Greenway news by following our instagram, facebook, X, or signing up for East Coast Greenway news updates.