A plan eyed by Lewiston officials would create a new trail at Garcelon Bog that would tie existing walkways together to improve the park’s recreational and educational offerings.

The city is seeking up to $50,000 for the project from the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.

“We’re really excited about this project,” said Megan Bates, a Lewiston public works official who’s helping put the request together.

The project, if approved, will link and improve a trail that runs between Marguerette Street and Warren Avenue to the boardwalk trail that extends from Russell Street into the bog.

There’s a gap of about a third of a mile between the two trails that would be traversed by the new walkway, which would include about 300 feet of boardwalk over some wetlands.

“This would open up four different neighborhoods” for easy access to the park, Bates said.

The project would also add more information kiosks and create a small overlook a bit north of Reservoir Avenue.

The bog property, which survived largely untouched, offers pleasant walking trails and a refuge for plants and wildlife that struggle to find a haven in urban environments.

Joshua Nagine, a board member for the Androscoggin Land Trust, which owns a conservation easement on the bog property, called it “a really unique environment in a downtown area” that includes some uncommon species for an urban setting.

The city said the primary recreational activity for the new trail system would be hiking, walking and snowshoeing. It added, as well, that the bog “would also serve great for birding and various educational opportunities.”

Nagine said much of the work involved in the new trail project would be done by professionals but volunteers are also needed to help.

Federal funds available through the state’s Recreational Trails Program of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry would cover 80% of the cost if the plan is approved.

Nagine said the 20% local match could be covered by in-kind services and fundraising.

Through most of the city’s history, the bog was eyed as a potentially lucrative source of peat fuel or as an odiferous mess that should be developed or perhaps a fine place for a highway. But for the last two decades, it’s been held by the land trust, which aims to protect it in perpetuity.

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