Connections

Last week I took a trail walk with some students from Falmouth Middle School. I got an email from an 8th grade girl who had volunteered to research Portland Trails and get in touch with someone who might advise them on how to fix up an informal trail through the woods out behind the ball field. Their teacher Chuck Barnard had an idea that this type of project might intruigue this particular group of kids and their high school counterparts.

Stopping in the classroom first i was able to talk a bit about Portland Trails and what we do, but mostly i listened to them razz each other, and try to settle down, and worry about taking notes, and whether it might be raining out...and maybe we should just call the thing off...

But they led me out there and, as always I'm seeing all this great potential; connections to make throughout the campus, and out to the surrounding neighborhoods, landscaping to be done, view spots for a bench....but i let them lead, they're on a mission. As we started down the hill into the woods, the kids got that walk going, where they're excited to be out of their element, and they're following slightly different rules, and noticing things they hadn't before. Or not, but it's not the classroom!

So they showed me some erosion spots, and some real rooty sections, and then two old snowmobile bridges, both 90% beyond function. We made it over the first one; a bog bridge 8 inches off the ground, but the next was a 30 foot span 4 feet over the east branch of the Piscataqua - not suitable for this class, or really even a trails manager (maybe "off-duty" some day?...)

The bog bridge is no big deal, and probably a perfect project for this class, but the bridge over the river will take some doing. But that's where the gears start to spin; this class could follow this project all the way through high school. Get the permissions, write the letters, get the town on board, raise $$, get some lumber donations,....what a project! And the end result would be a real contribution to the community.

But for now, they had a community service project for the year, and they seemed pretty excited about it too; asking all kinds of questions and offering suggestions for types of materials that might be used to fill the ruts and harden the trail. They had obviously put some thought into this! We decided that these first three things were achievable by next spring: harden the trail down the hill and install some water bars, cut out the biggest roots and fill in around the rest to smooth the lower section, and build a 35 or 40 foot bog bridge, with all Maine materials, for under $1000. Totally do-able.

I left that day wishing them well and knowing they would get at least some of this done. But now I'm thinking about the bigger picture: how does this tie in to The System?! There's a lot of land back there; and I can sort of picture where i am, but Falmouth is really just a vast mystery to me. Without a doubt, Google Earth was in my immediate future. Later I zoom in; and this isn't some loop trail to nowhere in the backyard as so many schools do (better than nothing) but a real piece of infrastructure. This trail could connect disparate neighborhoods, municipal buildings and sports fields, commerce, history and resources. River Pointe Park sits just over that bridge, the site of native american settlements, and hundreds of years of farming since. Now the building and fields there are being used to graze goats by Sudanese American children and a local non-profit. There's a canoe put in. You can access Portland trails Presumpscot River Trail, or the #4 METRO bus. Four different neighborhoods back up onto this trail system. In the other direction is Casco Bay, granted its a ways off, but there's nothing but woods in between!

Always, there's potential. Connections can be made; people will meet, things will get built, and others will decay, but regardless, it's out there to explore. We'll do our best to keep it open.

Speaking of exploring...I'm going up to the Camp this weekend!! Five of the original Six will be there, plus 7 kids and a gaggle of other visitors. We hope to do a little trail work on PT West, in addition to some other woody projects. Have a great long weekend everyone, winter's comin' !!

Cheers,

Jaime