Trail News Digest - December 2023
Happy Winter Solstice to friends of Maine trails! It sure doesn’t feel like winter with the devasting rain and flooding this week here in Maine, and we eagerly welcome lighter days. We know that our communities have been impacted by heavy rains this year, as have our roads and trails. Trail managers and volunteers have been out assessing damage to trail systems and trail infrastructure.
MTC plans to work with our partners to gather information on storm-related trail damage across the state. Stay tuned for a possible survey. We will work to keep you informed with other information and resources as they become available as well.
In the meantime, if you are a trail manager or trail user and want to share a few words or photos of trail damage from storms this year, please contact us.
We recently shared this blog post about snowmobile trail grooming in Maine, and quickly heard back that the club’s trails definitely sustained damage that they had just fixed from flooding in May. They are not the only ones in this situation.
This blog post (below) is our first edition of a monthly “Trail News Digest”. This digest encapsulates trail-related resources and news from Maine and beyond; we hope you find it valuable. The goal is for this resource to be useful to trail managers, trail builders, community organizers, and trail users alike.
If you have anything you’d like us to consider including in our monthly Maine Trail News Digest, please let us know through our e-news tip line here.
The MTC was pleased to be involved with the planning of the Maine Outdoor Economy Summit (MOES).
A highlight for us was hosting the New England premiere of the World Trails Film, a powerful testament to the significance of trails to individuals and communities throughout the world. MTC members engaged in presummit outings, such as a tour of newly built and signed trails, an e-bike ride around Rockport, and even a cold dip- all of which added a dynamic and memorable dimension to the experience.
We connected with like-minded individuals and organizations, recognizing the pivotal role of stewardship and trails in the broader outdoor industry. The coalition is very pleased to have represented trails at MOES. Read the MOB recap of the summit here.
Thank you to Maine Outdoor Brands and Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation for hosting an amazing event and welcoming us to the table!
Have you checked out these resource pages on our website?
Trail Resources- this page shares a few ways you can find trails or trail organizations in Maine, as well as sources of funding, and trail planning and construction resources
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access- this page hosts Maine-Based and National Resources and has a section for trail and outdoor focused Employment Resources
These pages are living documents. If you see anything that you think should live on these pages, please let us know.
MTC Member Spotlights
December’s MTC Member Spotlight is with Andrew Walton of the Mountain Division Alliance, check it out here.
Trainings & Webinars
Advancing Trails Webinar Series
Outdoor Electric Assist Devices: Opportunity or Opposition
Thur, Dec. 21, 1:00-2:00pm ESTRisk Management During Trail Construction
Thur, Jan. 11, 1:00-2:00pm ESTMeasuring our Success in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Recording + Resources here) with Rachel Hailey (She/They), DEI Outdoors.
Foundations of Sustainable Trails e-Course Series (free). This new five-part series of online micro-learning courses from American Trails is intended to provide those new to the trails workforce with a baseline understanding of terminology and concepts that give them a solid foundation to support future trails education and ongoing professional development.
Problematic Place Names in Maine & How to Make Positive Change
Thur, Jan. 4, 5:30pm EST. Part of the Place Justice Event Series collection.
Celebrate Trails Day: An Overview of the Celebration + Ways to Engage
Tues, Jan. 9, 1:00pm EST (Rails to Trails Conservancy)
Learn about becoming a Celebrate Trails Day (April 27) partner.
Funding Opportunities
American Trails: Trails Capacity Grant Program | Deadline: January 15, 2024
This grant program targets funding for small local trail projects that engage the community and connect trail assets to a broader spectrum of users.
Great for: trail managers, trail stewards, professionals
Funds: trail stewardship training, maintenance, research, and education
More info here.
Supplementary RTP Rapid Round | Application deadline: March 15, 2024, 5pm
Limited period increase in available RTP funding grant cycle. Applicants may request up to $50,000 for the regular project category, or up to $120,000 for a large-scale project. Projects awarded in this grant cycle will have two full construction seasons within which to complete the proposed work.
Great for: municipalities, other qualified sub-divisions of state government, non-profit organizations
Funds: Maintenance and restoration of existing recreational trails; Development and rehabilitation of trail side and trailhead facilities and trail linkages for recreational trails; Construction of new recreational trails; Acquisition of easements or fee simple title to property for recreational trails or recreational trail corridors.
Application documents are posted to the RTP Website here.
Rebuilding Aerican Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant
Deadline: Feb 28, 2024. This grant supports trails and active transportation.
More info here.
Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program | Deadline: Monday, Feb. 24, 2024 | Info Webinar Jan. 10th, 11am
Great for: nonprofit organizations, municipalities, Tribes, and other partners to engage in conservation efforts in the Appalachians in portions of Maine, NH, VT, MA, CT, NJ. Grants of up to $50,000 to support projects that result in the permanent protection of resilient and connected lands in focal landscapes within the Appalachians and the Nature Conservancy’s Resilient and Connected Network. Focus areas include: connectivity, climate, communities. More info here.
Winter Trail Grooming and Trail Etiquette
> Curious about Winter Trail Grooming in Maine? Read our guest blog post from the Wild River Riders, a snowmobile club based in Western Maine and get involved in your local club.
> Make sure you are aware of common etiquette for the trails you visit this winter! Read some general winter trail etiquette guidelines here. Be aware of the Freeze/Thaw cycle on warmer winter days. Trails tend to be most fragile once the temps warm or sun begins to hit them, especially when they aren’t snow covered. Avoid trails during this time period and after rain.
> The Northern Forest Center and Bike Borderlands collaborative are conducting a survey on mountain biking etiquette that closes Dec 22nd. Enter for a chance to win a Ride With Gratitude hoodie. TAKE THE SURVEY
Grooming in progress- Photo credit: Wild River Riders
Winter Trail Grooming featured in THIS blog post.
Outdoor Gear Access
Did you know that many local libraries and gear libraries exist in Maine to help you get outside for less or try equipment out? Find out “Where to Rent Outdoor Gear in Maine” in this great resource compiled by Teens to Trails.
Request a Traveling Story Walk or Snowshoe Loan from Winter Kids
Volunteer Opportunity | Appalachian Trail Visual Resource Inventory
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) has undertaken a project to document and evaluate all the views along the trail, the Visual Resource Inventory (VRI). This data will allow for better management of views, assist ATC and its partners with protecting views and to reach conservation goals in the region.
This multi-year project focused on most of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club’s (MATC) section of trail this summer. The field crew was out inventorying from Katahdin to South Arm Rd in Andover this field season trail taking photos, collecting GPS data, and other metrics, in addition to rating the scenic quality using a rubric. This summer had some hiccups with the rainy weather fogging in many views in addition to water logged trails and high-volume stream crossings.
They will be back to finish the remaining miles at the end of the summer 2024. In the meantime, they need view importance data for each of the views they evaluated this summer.
How to Participate: The ATC is looking for participants THIS JANUARY to provide feedback on views collected in Maine this year. This process relies on research and local knowledge of the area, notes anything of scenic, historic or cultural importance, takes visitation into account, and rates the view using a 9-category rubric.
No training, credentials, or other visual resource knowledge required- just a familiarity with the section of trail and/or the surrounding lands. Participation time is minimal and in exchange, folks get to weigh in on the views they find relevant and important to them.
> To inquire about the volunteer opportunity, contact Visual Resource Program Manager, Pamela Roy, at proy@appalachiantrail.org for more information or to express your interest.
>Read the ATC Journeys article, "In the Eye of the Beholder" to learn more about this project trailwide.
Don’t forget! The Maine Trail Finder Event Calendar is a great place to post (free) and find out about trail events and volunteering opportunities.
Panorama from Chairback Mountain. Photo Credit: Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Trail News - Trail-centric news from Maine and beyond
Maine’s outdoor recreation economy grew to $3.3 billion in 2022
A major snowmobile trail with rain damage likely won’t be fixed this season (Bangor Daily)
Storms muddy future for ATV enthusiasts (Maine Monitor) - For Maine BPL ATV News and Notices, bookmark this page or subscribe to updates here and with your local club.
Stillwater River Trail of Light Returns to Orono (and was closed recently due to flooded trail. Visit on their social media page for status.
Investing in Rural Recreation Along Maine’s Downeast Sunrise Trail. Maine’s 87-mile, natural-surface Down East Sunrise Trail is the longest continuous off-road segment of the entire 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway. It’s also one of the most unique sections of the Maine-to-Florida route, as cyclists, runners and hikers use the trail alongside motorized ATVs and snowmobiles.
Poodunck Snowmobile Club in Dixfield buys new trail maintenance equipment with USDA grant
Lacking volunteers and money, an Aroostook snowmobile club will disband (Bangor Daily)
Maine gets $1 million in grants to create new hiking trails (Press Herald).
> $1 million in federal grants for new conservation and outdoor recreation projects, including the purchase of more than 950 acres to create public hiking trails in Windham, New Gloucester and Searsmont.A federal grant will help create a new community forest in Rumford & $1M in funding announced for land trusts (Bethel Citzen)
DATA DRIVEN: Understanding Park Visitors. Friends of Acadia’s Recreation Technicians gather real-world insight into how and when visitors interact with the park, helping resource managers make decisions in Acadia.
Stewardship projects enhance access to Androscoggin River (Conway Daily Sun)
BOREALIS on Maine Public. Watch a few of our favorite clips:
#WEOUTSIDE helps asylum-seeking teens explore Maine's outdoors (4:41 min). Learn about #WEOUTSIDE from the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust
BEYOND
Lessons from Irene helped Green Mountain Club trails survive recent flooding
Maintaining New Hampshire’s 7,000 miles of snowmobile trails
The Making of an Appalachian Trail Shelter - The replacement earlier this year of two popular shelters in Connecticut gives us a chance to peek behind the curtain of cooperative management of the A.T.
Legislative proposal would boost Utah Trail Network, help aging canals
First phase of multi-use Adirondack Rail Trail opens in time for winter use
The making of the longest rail trail in New England: the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail
Reflections From the Trails Movement -elevating Opportunity in 2023.
This past year, a major theme resonated for trails across the country: activation. The landmark infrastructure bill signed in late 2021 infused unprecedented funding into the federal trail and active transportation landscape—putting trails at the forefront.House Introduces "EXPLORE" Bipartisan Recreation Policy Package. A bipartisan package of outdoor recreation policy that could serve as a companion to a similar package in the Senate, America’s Outdoor Recreation Act (AORA).
NC Year of the Trail Part I (11 min) - WXII 12 News takes you on a statewide adventure — that’s great, but What is the NC Year of the Trail?
Perspectives
Guides Gone Wild Podcast- Talk to Cool People (Then Say Yes!) with Alicia Heyburn, Teens to Trails. (51 min)
Maine Conservation Corps Blog: The Loneliness of Being Black in Conservation, by Rebekah Smith
Trail Society Podcast - Episode 55: Using running as a tool for advocacy and the importance of embracing your heritage with Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone
Nature Based Education Consortium Stories for Change Series. Check out the whole series here. Recent Stories:
Alejandro Strong of Packraft Maine shows Alicia how to secure the raft to her bike
Off we go snowshoeing into the distance… see you in January… please bring some snow with you. #LoveMaineTrails
