This week, the State of Maine announced the results of the first round of Maine Trails Program (MTP) grants, and our request was fully funded! The award provides $237,990 for public access and wildlife conservation in the Gorham Community Forest.
This will be a transformational project for downtown Gorham.
Located off of New Portland Road, with anticipated parking and trail access behind Village Elementary School, the Gorham Community Forest is 53 acres of forested wetlands, stream, and meadows. The preserve will include an outdoor classroom, a multilingual storywalk, a scenic overlook of Indian Camp Brook, and a multi-use trail for running, biking, and snowshoeing that will integrate, in the coming years, with the existing Crosstown Trail.
“We’re designing over a mile of scenic trails, with accessible boardwalks, that families can use year-round,” said Toby Jacobs, PRLT’s Program Manager. “This gift will allow for clearing and trail development to begin as soon as the snow clears this coming spring.”
The Maine Trails Program was created by the legislature and was passed overwhelmingly by voters in November 2024. If you voted YES on Question 4 last fall, you have helped make this project possible – thank you! From now until 2034, grants from the Maine Trails Program will provide over $30 million for the design, development, and maintenance of trails for outdoor recreation and active transportation. Over $17 million in requests were received from 108 organizations across the state for the $7.5 million available in the first year of funding. Besides PRLT, 43 other projects were awarded grants across 15 of the state’s 16 counties.
PRLT will use our funding to improve water quality and support wildlife habitat while expanding Gorham’s network of publicly accessible trails to promote health and outdoor learning for the growing downtown population. Working with Gorham School District and the Town of Gorham, PRLT will ensure that this project is deeply rooted in the community it serves.
“This investment from the State speaks to the vision and importance of our efforts,” says William Sedlack, Executive Director of PRLT. “Working with our local partners, we will create a vibrant hub for conservation, outdoor recreation, and environmental education for the people of Gorham. We deeply appreciate the State’s investment and all the work done by Adam Fisher, Doug Beck, and everyone at the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry to get this program off the ground.”
PRLT announced the creation of the Gorham Community Forest last May. The project is made possible by three key land donors: the heirs of Frederick Robie, Jock and Susan Robie, and KV Enterprise. A $20,000 financial commitment from Maine Community Bank will directly support trail construction, the development of the outdoor classroom, and accessibility features. These contributions helped fulfill the program's match requirement.
But the work is far from done. Projects like the Gorham Community Forest take years to come to fruition, and conserving this preserve is another chapter of our longstanding efforts to increase access and connectivity in downtown Gorham and beyond. Consider donating to PRLT’s Conservation Catalyst Fund to invest in Toby and Will’s work to find the next great project and ensure that open space is preserved across our region in the years and decades to come.
Photo credit: Ross Donihue / Presumpscot Regional Land Trust