Kick Off Event “Trail Stewardship Workday 101” Falls On National Trails Day June 1st
York Land Trust (YLT), a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving and protecting natural lands and waterways, is participating in the third annual Love Maine Trails Month (LMTM), which takes place from Saturday, June 1st through Sunday, June 30th 2024. Love Maine Trails Month is a month of statewide events bringing people and organizations together to care for Maine’s beloved trails. LMTM brings visibility to the substantial resources and effort required to maintain Maine’s beloved outdoor trail network.
“Recent increased use of our trails has highlighted both how much our community needs our trails, and how much our trails need stewardship from our community,” said Liz Walworth, Stewardship Director at York Land Trust. “We are excited to participate in Love Maine Trails Month and have several stewardship events planned to care for trails in the York, Maine region, an area that boasts rich and varied ecological values and trails that connect people to these values.” Walworth leads most York Land Trust trail-related events, and they recently published: Leaving the Trails Better Than we Found Them.
York Land Trust June Lineup for 3rd Annual Love Maine Trails Month
Trail Stewardship Workday 101 – Saturday, June 1, 2024 | 1:30 PM – 4:00PM
Join our Stewardship Director, Liz Walworth, for a basic training on trail stewardship skills on one of York Land Trust’s Limited Access Preserves. This hands-on training is welcome to people of all skill levels who are interested in caring for local trails. Training topics will include blazing, corridor work and storm recovery, Leave No Trace basics, reporting trail issues, and kiosks, parking and signage. All tools will be provided. To sign up and show your love for Maine trails, go to: https://www.yorklandtrust.org/event/trail-stewardship-workday-101/
Boardwalk Building Workday – Saturday, June 8, 2024 | 9:30AM – 12:30PM
Come join York Land Trust Stewardship Staff to help build bridging structures on York Land Trust’s Smelt Brook Preserve and help make our trails more accessible! All experience levels are welcome, and all tools will be provided. Please come prepared with work gloves, long sleeves and pants, appropriate footwear for muddy conditions, and bug spray, water and snacks. To sign up and show your love for Maine trails, go to: https://www.yorklandtrust.org/event/boardwalk-building-workday-at-smelt-brook/
Timber Footbridge Building Day – Saturday, June 22, 2024 | 9:30AM – 12:30PM
Join York Land Trust Stewardship Staff for a building workday to keep our most visited preserve accessible to visitors. Our volunteer crew will rebuild a new stream crossing in place of the NEC trail stream crossing bridge at Highland Farm Preserve. All experience levels are welcome, and all necessary tools will be provided. Please come prepared with work gloves, long sleeves and pants, appropriate footwear for muddy conditions, bug spray, water and snacks. To sign up and show your love for Maine trails, go to: https://www.yorklandtrust.org/event/timber-footbridge-building-workday/
Sustainable Timber Harvest Interpretive Walk – Thursday, June 27, 2024 | 5:00PM – 7:00PM
In 2023, a sustainable timber harvest was conducted on Smelt Brook Preserve. York Land Trust’s Consulting Forester, Charlie Moreno, will lead an interpretive walk of the area, touching upon why the harvest was conducted, how forestry can help manage for issues from disease to a changing climate, and what sustainable forest management looks like. The program will entail less than a mile of walking with several stops for discussion, and may be of interest to woodlot owners, students, naturalists, and anyone interested in the health of our forests. To sign up go to: https://www.yorklandtrust.org/event/timber-footbridge-building-workday/
About York Land Trust
York Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that protects and cares for significant natural lands and waterways in the greater York Maine area for the benefit of the community and the environment. YLT stewards 3,600 acres of conserved lands, including Public Access Preserves, Limited Access Preserves, and Conservation Easements. Since 2002, YLT has worked with local, state and federal partners through the Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative (MtA2C) to protect more than 15,500 acres of conserved land and open space within a 48,000-acre focus area that includes more than 50 miles of hiking trails across 30 public preserves. To keep connected with YLT, visit the website at www.yorklandtrust.org, follow on @Facebook and @Instagram, and subscribe to the e-blasts.
About Maine Trails Coalition
The Maine Trails Coalition (MTC) is a grassroots organization formed in 2019 to be a statewide voice for trail users, supporters, and advocates. With trails serving as a major component of the health of citizens and the outdoor recreation economy in Maine, we believe an inclusive statewide group dedicated to advancing trails will benefit communities and the people who live, work, visit, and play all across the state. To keep connected with MTC, visit the website at www.mainetrailscoalition.org, follow on @Facebook and @Instagram, and subscribe to the e-blasts.