Three projects in Farmington, Kingfield and Strong are getting assistance from High Peaks Alliance, a volunteer, nonprofit organization working since 2007 to ensure continuing public access to Maine’s High Peaks Region for all.

Earlier this year, the Alliance secured $50,000 from the Northern Forest Center to build Franklin County’s first all-access trail in Farmington, making improvements to a trail in the Prescott Fields trail system to accommodate people with disabilities, families with strollers and walkers of all ages. Work began in July.

The existing trail introduced by the Alliance’s newest board member, Gina Oswald, was identified as a need by the University of Maine at Farmington faculty.

Scott Hoisington, past staff member at UMF who was the first to start mowing the trails and looking toward accessibility, “actually volunteered to drive me from the Portland airport to Farmington for my interview almost three years ago in order to explain his idea for improving the accessibility of the trail system and recruit me to help him with grant writing and project implementation,” Oswald wrote in a recent email. “I was hooked immediately and agreed to help … as soon as I got the job and returned.

“I co-authored the first grant to the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund the summer I moved to Maine, before my contract even commenced at UMF,” she said. “With that grant, we were able to fund accessible kiosk and information signage, as well as some student work. From there, I met Brent West, executive director at High Peaks Alliance, who has been instrumental in accelerating and expanding the project.”

To make the trail more accessible for all, several changes were incorporated.

“The preexisting trail consisted of prolific roots that are tripping and wheelchair hazards, very steep sections, and several low-lying areas that generally remained mud pits throughout the spring and summer,” Oswald noted. “In addition, the trail had no viable access to the trailheads for people with disabilities. To improve accessibility, our project rerouted one of the existing trails from low-lying areas.”

“The new trail is surfaced with local crushed rock, which provides a firm and stable surface for individuals with wheelchairs and mobility issues, older adults, and families with strollers and small children,” Oswald said. “The new trail was built to provide gentle grades, meeting the United States Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines and United States Forest Service Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Guidelines, and features a wooden bridge over a low-lying, perpetually wet section. The project also resurfaced the parking lot, created an accessible trailhead and features accessible informational signage.”

Additional work on the trail should begin next week with all work completed by the end of September, Oswald indicated.

UMF students have been involved with this project.

“Sam Shirley, a committed UMF student, has provided trail maintenance and winter grooming on the trails for years,” Oswald wrote. “In addition, my research assistant, Josh Vincitorio helped with ADA-compliant trail signage information. Emma Pierce assisted us on the graphic designs for the kiosks. Students from my Mindfulness in the Helping Professions classes developed nature-based meditation recordings and accessible mindfulness activities for the trails. Finally, students in two First Year Seminar Courses (Making Change in Maine) participated in trail mapping activities.”

The trail is used with a variety of UMF classes.

“I personally have used it with four incoming first year student summer experiences (classes) and my mindfulness courses,” Oswald wrote. “The trails are also heavily used by faculty in natural sciences and many other disciplines.

“We are committed to supporting the improved access to outdoor public spaces and recreation for all community members, especially those with disabilities,” she noted. “We believe the physical and mental health benefits of being in nature are too important and impactful to exclude even one member of our community.”

Beginning at the south end of Front Street, the trail meanders through a silver maple forest leading to a local swimming hole on the Sandy River. From there the trail continues on to connect to the public parking area near Narrow Gauge Cinemas.

“Look out this fall as we plan to host a foliage walk once the trail is completed,” West wrote in a recent email.

Strong trail work

Another trail project is underway in Strong.

“In cooperation with the town of Strong, High Peaks Alliance, the Sandy River Riders ATC Club, and the Narrow Gauge Snowmobile club, the trail from Scott Paul Park to Main Street is being rebuilt,” West wrote. “The bridge will be widened to allow the groomer to cross. This will allow for a smoother trail, which is a benefit to both motorized and nonmotorized users.”

Some project funding is from Maine Community Foundation and Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund grants, West noted.

Planning has been underway for a year, project leader Dana Bowman said in a recent phone interview. Initial work started about three weeks ago, getting materials has been troublesome, he said. The approximately half mile long section from Burbank Hill Road to North Main Street will be eight feet wide with a 12-foot bridge to provide access for the groomer, he added.

“We’re hoping by the end of September the bridge and trail will be 75 to 80% done,” Bowman said. “Once we start, we’ll have to close the trail.”

The weather has not cooperated, he said. Either it was so wet the ground was greasy or so hot work couldn’t be done, he noted.

Beams are coming from ARC in Kingfield, lumber from Dimension Lumber in Livermore and gravel from Rob Elliott Excavating in Strong, Bowman said.

“We’ll see how far the money goes, we may have to regroup to find more,” he said. “We want to help the park out some too, it needs all the help it can get. We have a beautiful park, the town has no money.”

The hardest part is getting helpers, he said.

“When the snow flies, we’ve got to be able to ride,” Bowman stated.

Shiloh Pond management

A different type of project is underway in Kingfield where a committee is developing a management plan for Shiloh Pond, which was recently gifted to the town.

“The town of Kingfield needs to have a draft management plan together and submitted for review by October,” West wrote in an email Sept. 1. “This will help guide the town in how the property is managed and will need to be approved by Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program.”

MNRCP is a fund that was established to compensate for impact to wetlands and water resources that come from development projects, West wrote. It paid for the majority of the Shiloh Pond Project, he noted.

“The committee will be responsible for all activities that could happen on the property,” West wrote. “The plan allows the committee to understand what restrictions are in place and also how the property should be managed and used. We are really fortunate that we have such a diverse group of members, from Maine guides, to writers, teachers, foresters, and even a previous US Forest Service employee.

“Initially the committee has to investigate the current conditions of the property and develop the plan based on these results,” he said. “The plan recognizes the rich ecology of the area including the 20-acre pond, numerous wetlands and streams. These all must be protected. The committee wants to fix the road leading to the property and redeck the aging bridge. In the future the committee will look at the possibility of trails and things like invasive plant management.”

Notifying schools of this new property and getting input on how this could support curriculum are goals of the committee.

“This property would be excellent to study forest ecology, water quality, wildlife studies and outdoor recreation,” West noted. “We believe growing up outdoors is vitally important to creating a society that cares about our land.”

This area had the largest increase in real estate transactions of the entire state, West noted.

“This means we are seeing more posted signs and trail closures,” he wrote. “The High Peaks Alliance believes we should all have access to the outdoors and that some areas should be open to all of us. That is why we are now acquiring land as a land trust to ensure the places our community uses remain open.”

Anyone wishing to preserve this region, conserving their land, joining the alliance, or volunteering should reach out to brent@highpeaksallinace.org or call 207-491-2750.

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