STRONG — A 124-acre property along the Sandy River has been permanently conserved, protecting forest, farmland and river habitat while securing public access to the land.

High Peaks Alliance announced the conservation of Walrath Woods on South Strong Road about a mile south of the village. The property includes 1.7 miles of river frontage and will eventually be home to the Sherry Walrath Memorial Trail, a roughly 0.8-mile out-and-back path with river access, viewpoints, kiosks and benches.

The project combines two central goals: conserving an ecologically important stretch of the Sandy River and ensuring that Strong residents can continue to reach and enjoy it.

“The location along the Sandy River, which is underconserved and world-renowned for Salmonidae, drew our attention,” Amanda Laliberte, High Peaks Alliance’s director of engagement, said. “Conserving the river habitat is critical. We also wanted to ensure access to the Sandy River for the Strong community forever.”

The northern trailhead is planned for 489 South Strong Road.

Before the trail can open, sections of the route must be reestablished, bog bridges installed in wet areas, signs completed and debris removed from the riverbank.

“The trail needs to be reestablished with some light trailwork,” Laliberte said. “A couple of bog bridges will be installed in the wet spots. We need the community’s help removing tires and old TVs that have been thrown down the bank along the property.”

High Peaks Alliance plans to hold a community cleanup day, though a date has not yet been announced. The organization is also seeking donated lumber to build Aldo Leopold-style benches for the trail.

Laliberte said the Alliance is moving as quickly as possible and hopes to open the trail by September, depending on cleanup, construction and volunteer support.

Walrath Woods will become Strong’s first conserved property with a formal public trail, according to the organization.

“Walrath Woods is a milestone for Strong,” Executive Director Brent West said in the organization’s announcement. “It’s the town’s first public trail, and 1.7 miles of riverfront are now conserved for the community. This is a place where people can get outside, connect with the Sandy River, and know this landscape will stay open for generations.”

The trail will be named for Sherry Walrath, who owned and cared for the property with her husband, Doug, for more than 40 years. She regularly walked the trail and died in fall 2025 while the conservation effort was underway.

“She passed last fall during this project, and this is a meaningful way to pay tribute to her,” Laliberte said.

Doug Walrath said conserving the property will allow others to experience land his family enjoyed for decades.

“Thanks to the stewardship of High Peaks Alliance, the wonderful shoreland and trail along the Sandy River that Sherry and I and our family enjoyed for many years will now be available for others to enjoy for years to come,” he said.

The property also borders a stretch of the Sandy River considered highly important to Atlantic salmon recovery.

The federal government expanded its endangered species listing for Atlantic salmon in 2009 to include the Kennebec River watershed, including the Sandy River, and designated sections of the watershed as critical habitat.

A Sept. 19, 2024, habitat assessment prepared by Jennifer Noll, a marine resource scientist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, found that the section of the Sandy River bordering the Walrath property contains important Atlantic salmon spawning and juvenile-rearing habitat.

The assessment found the project area has been stocked with juvenile Atlantic salmon eight times since 2010. Salmon spawning nests, known as redds, have also been documented in the river adjoining the property.

Juvenile salmon were present in 90% of assessment sites sampled along the Walrath section between 2009 and 2020, according to the department.

“This conservation project certainly abuts an area of high importance to Atlantic salmon,” Noll wrote in the assessment. “The Sandy River is some of the best habitat for Atlantic salmon in the Merrymeeting Bay Salmon Habitat Recovery Unit.”

High Peaks Alliance is also working to conserve an adjoining parcel directly south of Walrath Woods.

That project would protect another 100 acres and an additional mile of Sandy River frontage, creating a larger connected conservation block while expanding public access and protecting more wildlife habitat.

The organization is fundraising for the proposed acquisition and is seeking donations and community support to complete the project.

Together, the two properties would protect about 224 acres and 2.7 miles of Sandy River frontage.

The Walrath Woods project received support from the Maine Trails Program, Davis Family Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Mountain Collaborative, Horizon Foundation, private donors and partner organizations.

Residents can support the effort by volunteering for cleanup work, donating trail materials or contributing to the campaign for the adjoining parcel. For High Peaks Alliance, the immediate work of clearing a footpath and removing debris is part of a larger effort to keep nearly three miles of Sandy River frontage open and protected for the Strong community.

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