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Group Blazes Nature Trail to Maine Mall

December 26, 2007 - SOUTH PORTLAND -- A determined group of conservationists recently plunged into snowdrifts in a pine-studded forest in South Portland and blazed a trail for nearly a mile before they emerged within sight of the Maine Mall. The group's chilly walk last week highlighted the South Portland Land Trust's latest effort to create an 8-10 mile network of hiking trails in the unlikeliest of places: the Maine Mall area.

City Councilor Tom Blake - a founder of the land trust - led the 1-mile winter walk that started in the parking lot behind Home Depot and ended at the Hampton Inn. The hike extended through woods that have not been touched by development in the 40 years since the mall area grew into the state's largest retail hub.

Dubbed the Red Brook Trail, the path is expected to become the second trail that the trust's West End Trails Committee will complete near the Maine Mall.

The trust officially opened the Clark's Pond Trail in September. It traverses a freshwater pond commuters see driving along Western Avenue to and from the mall. Blake said that Clark's Pond Trail, maintained by volunteers, already gets a lot of use by people who live and work in the area.

The trust's overall goal is to create a series of trails for biking, jogging and hiking to promote outdoor recreation in the city's highly developed west end.

"The Red Brook Trail will be so great to have as a place to take my girls on hikes," said Shay Bellas, a member of the South Portland Conservation Commission, who attended last week's hike.

Bellas, who represents District 5, also lives a short distance from the Maine Mall.

"We will be able to pack up a lunch and go out on the trail," Bellas said. "My husband works at Wright Express. For him to get out in the woods for 20 minutes means a lot. It is a big deal to him."

The new Red Brook Trail, which has yet to be built - or officially named - is more ambitious. It branches off from Clark's Pond Trail at Home Depot. It follows the Red Brook, running southwest to Philbrook Road.

The West End Trails Committee will need to obtain permission to develop the trails for public trail use from the property owners. They include the state Department of Transportation, mall owner General Growth Properties and JB Brown & Sons.

Blake said the Maine Mall is "a major player" in the trail development, since the group needs easements to its property for hiking trails. He described discussions and meetings with the mall as positive.

The Maine Conservation Corps, a nonprofit, will design the trail. The West End Trails Committee is funding the design with grant money from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, a private nonprofit.A community trail building is tentatively scheduled for June 7, 2008, which is National Trails Day across the U.S.

Trail building will involve teams of volunteers to clean up leaves and debris, and trim trees to open up the path, leaving as much growth as possible.

"Our plan is to have the path as natural as possible," Blake said. "Any trash will have to be carried some distance.

"We also will need one to two bridges and one to two set of steps," which likely will be handled by expert trail builders from the Appalachian Mountain Club or the Maine Conservation Corps.

The plan is to have a grand opening of the trail next fall, in conjunction with National Public Lands Day.

"The path is surprisingly long and wooded with a very attractive pool of water on Red Brook, which flows year round," Blake said.

"It will have easy access for thousands of employees and dozens of businesses in the area. Just like Clark's Pond Trail, it will surprise and delight a lot of people. It will continue our vision of 8-10 miles of trails in the area."

This next phase is likely to cost up to $25,000, with major costs covering the creation of a bridge and wood steps built into the land. But taxpayers will not pay for it. Instead, the trust will seek grants and volunteer labor.

Blake said he believes that people need to experience nature close to where they live and work. Many people do not have the money or opportunity to travel to national parks, he said.

He has described the trail system's development as "a major step in our long-term vision to make the western part of South Portland, including the Maine Mall area, recreationally and environmentally appealing for our citizens."

After last week's walk, Blake said that Red Brook Trail offers surprising views of nature that contrast the concrete and traffic nearby.

"At the end of the Red Brook Trail, there is an attractive water drop as the Red Brook flows from a large culvert under the turnpike spur," he said. "This fall creates a pool of water that seems like it belongs in northern Maine."

SOURCE: KeepMECurrent.com

DATE: 12-20-2007


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Regions: Sebago


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