Hawkes Preserve has been conserved by PRLT since 1995. The trail winds through hemlock forests along the scenic Presumpscot River and includes the historic Cumberland-Oxford Canal towpath.

When Great Falls Elementary was built abutting the preserve, it was a natural fit to make sure kids had the opportunity to access natural spaces during their school day. But last year safety concerns were raised about having a public trail located within close proximity to the school.

“We needed to re-route the public trail to avoid it tracking so close to the school building, but we didn’t want that change to impact the ease of taking kids outside during the school day.” — Toby Jacobs, Director of Lands and Water

Toby started making adjustments to the trail system at Hawkes Preserve last summer. The updated public trail is now a 1-mile loop from the parking area at the end of Tow Path Road, off of Route 202 near the Gorham/Windham town line.

This summer, Toby and Abigail, our seasonal MCC Environmental Steward, turned part of the old trail that ran by the school into its own short trail for use by the teachers and students of Great Falls, accessible only from the school property.

While collaborating with staff at Great Falls on this project, it became clear that the school’s outdoor classroom needed some serious TLC: Maine weather had taken its toll, making the ground uneven, and logs that kids had previously used for seating were completely rotten.

Luckily, the leveling, wood chipping, and bench-making required for the needed upgrade was exactly within the skillset of our team.

Toby, Abigail, and a handful of volunteers started the work by leveling out the ground, which required moving some large rocks. Leftover lumber from another project was turned into enough benches for an entire class of students to sit together in a circle.

Using leftover wood to build Leopold benches

Work in progress - deciding where the benches and rocks will go

Shifting rocks to make an even footing for the circle of benches

Next came wood chips, which were provided by Gorham Public Works. Volunteers from University of Maine School of Law spent a session spreading the chips out around the pond to create a loop from the school to the classroom.

Students from Maine Law spent a volunteer session spreading wood chips for the path

The end result: a safe space for learning surrounded by trees, water, and birdsong.

"We are so grateful for PRLT’s partnership and commitment to creating meaningful outdoor learning opportunities for our students. This space is going to be such a wonderful addition to Great Falls and will give our students so many opportunities to learn, explore, connect with nature, and take their learning beyond the walls of their classrooms.” — Becky Fortier, Principal of Great Falls Elementary

PRLT is already in the process of creating another space for outdoor learning: when the Gorham Community Forest officially opens next year, it too will have an outdoor classroom, for use by the teachers and students of Village Elementary in downtown Gorham.

“It’s really important to us for children to experience the outdoors. I see it in my own young kids, how good spending time outside is for their health and development. But for PRLT, it’s critical to have people build strong connections to our natural spaces so they’ll feel invested in protecting them as they grow up.” — Toby Jacobs, Director of Lands and Water

Stay tuned for more updates about how our work at Gorham Community Forest is coming along!