The Orono Bog Boardwalk has opened for its 16th season.

Boardwalk volunteers were very busy getting ready for the 2018 season. Before winter set in, volunteers worked many hours installing 96 new Boardwalk sections, three wheelchair turnouts, and two interpretive stations. With spring’s arrival, volunteers have completed further maintenance and clean-up chores.

In the past five years, Boardwalk volunteers have installed 396 new sections, durably constructed of composite decking with cladded aluminum siding and stainless steel footings. They are expected to last for many years. There are 113 more sections to be purchased and installed. Fundraising is in progress with a goal of completing all phases of reconstruction by the end of 2018.

The Boardwalk is located in the Rolland F. Perry (Bangor) City Forest, where it wends its way through forested wetland and out onto a broad, open peat bog. Since it opened in June 2003, the Boardwalk has been visited by more than 350,000 people. They visit alone or in groups, for active exercise, educational tours, or solitude, or simply to watch the seasons unfold in a rare and beautiful habitat. The wheelchair-accessible Boardwalk features seven interpretive stations along its route, as well as numerous benches where visitors may rest and contemplate their surroundings. It is free of charge and open from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. seven days a week during summer, with hours adjusting for day-length changes in autumn.

A volunteer staff maintains the Boardwalk and provides information and education for visitors, including school and community groups. The facility is jointly managed by the Orono Land Trust, the City of Bangor, and the University of Maine. Its operation and maintenance are funded entirely through donations, sales of Boardwalk merchandise, and grants.

For information about the Boardwalk or to volunteer please visit umaine.edu/oronobogwalk/ or e-mail james.bird@maine.edu or call 207-866-2578. Contributions to the Boardwalk reconstruction campaign are always welcomed. Please donate online at our.umaine.edu/OronoBogBoardwalk. Donations can also be sent and made payable to the University of Maine Foundation, 2 Alumni Place, Orono, ME 04469-5792. Please put ìBoardwalk Campaignî on the memo line.