The goal of the Eastern Trail Management District is to establish a four-season, multipurpose, transportation and recreation trail between Portsmouth, New Hampshire and South Portland, Maine that provides a connection between areas of historical and natural significance, existing local trail systems, the beach areas and inland plains and municipalities both on and near the trail.

Funding for the ETMD, for it to operate as well as to build the Eastern Trail, is vitally important. Click here to get a look into ETMD revenues and expenses.  More explanation of this is provided below.

The important role of local elected officials in building the Eastern Trail

ETA encourages Eastern Trail supporters to encourage their elected municipal officials to support the ET. Cynics will often tell you that elected officials don’t care. Your elected officials do care what you think. Your elected officials donate countless hours with little of no reward for their dedication.

Please contact your selectmen and councilors. Let them know that you support the Eastern Trail. Ask them to join you in the campaign to get it built and managed.

Democracy works. When the people want something, they can get it. But, you need to ask.

Here's some documents that might help if you have a chance to talk to any of these local elected officials about the Eastern Trail:

The need for funding to operate the ETMD

The Eastern Trail Alliance, working with the twelve towns of the Eastern Trail Corridor, created the Eastern Trail Management District (ETMD) to act for it as a quasi-governmental agency. The ETMD qualifies as an acceptable entity to manage federal transportation enhancement (TEA-21) funds. The volunteer-base Eastern Trail Alliance, as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is not legally allowed to manage federal TEA-21 construction funds. ETMD is the natural organization for working with both public works departments and public safety agencies to support the ET.

ETMD cannot operate without funding. When chartered by the 12 towns, they defined municipal dues to support the ETMD. The benefits for those dues are more than 100 times the dues payments. Click here to get a look into ETMD revenues and expenses.

Who is participating in the ETMD?

Towns along the Eastern Trail Corridor (from north to south, and showing their official web pages, where available):

• South Portland

• Scarborough

• Old Orchard Beach

• Saco

• Biddeford

• Arundel

• Kennebunk

• Wells

• North Berwick

• South Berwick

• Eliot

• Kittery