Author: Larry Glantz

The children of Dr. Philip Thompson made the contribution to the Eastern Trail Alliance to celebrate his 100th birthday.

By Kelley Bouchard | Staff Writer | Published in the Portland Press Herald 5/17/2017

The children of Dr. Philip Thompson, a retired rheumatologist who celebrated his 100th birthday last weekend, have donated $25,000 in his honor to the “Close the Gap” campaign of the Eastern Trail Alliance. The alliance is raising $3.8 million to complete a 1.6-mile, off-road section of the recreational trail in Scarborough, including bridges over the Nonesuch River near Eastern Road and railroad tracks near Pleasant Hill Road.

Thompson, who lived in South Portland for many years before returning to his native Portland, is a charter member of Portland Trails and a longtime supporter of recreational trail development. He said his family’s decision to support the “Close the Gap” campaign reflects his belief that increasing outdoor recreational opportunities can save lives.

“Exercise improves your health and extends your life,” Thompson said. “It’s life-saving.”

The Eastern Trail is a 65-mile on- and off-road recreational trail that runs from South Portland to Kittery. It’s part of a larger effort to establish a 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway from Calais to Key West, Florida.

The alliance has raised $3.25 million through the “Close the Gap” campaign and plans to complete the project in 2018, said Executive Director Carole Brush. Then, trail users will have access to 16 contiguous, off-road miles from downtown Saco to Bug Light Park in South Portland.

Read the entire article online here.

By Melanie Sochan on May 11, 2017 SCARBOROUGH

What’s an appropriate gift for a beloved father’s 100th birthday? For one family, it was the decision to donate $25,000 to the Eastern Trail Alliance’s Close the Gap Project.

Philip Thompson, a retired physician who now resides in Portland but was a resident of South Portland for more than 40 years, will celebrate his 100th birthday on May 11.

Thompson’s six children donated the $25,000 on their father’s behalf. Meanwhile, The John Andrews Memorial Eastern Trail 5K will be held on May 20 at 9 a.m.

Sponsored by O’Reilly’s Cure, the run honors John Andrews, the founder of the Eastern Trail, who died Feb. 20. “Without John there wouldn’t be an Eastern Trail today,” said Carole Brush, executive director of the Eastern Trail Alliance. “His vision and untiring spirit gave us the enthusiasm to keep going.” Andrews will be honored at the alliance’s May 11 annual meeting in Wells. Registration fees for the 5K are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the event. One beer is included for those 21 years of age or older. Participants can register online here. Proceeds from the race will benefit the Eastern Trail Alliance and go directly to the Close the Gap campaign.

The Eastern Trail Alliance is now just under $550,000 away from starting its 1.6-mile Close the Gap project.

The alliance has already raised more than $3.25 million towards the $3.8 million project, closing in on the funding needed to make the proposal a reality. The funding must be in place before construction can begin, most likely in 2018, according to Alliance representatives.

The Close the Gap project would connect the trail in South Portland to Scarborough. Bridging the area would create a 16-mile continuous off-road trail from Bug Light in South Portland to downtown Saco.

The 1.6 miles would link the Wainwright Recreation Complex in South Portland and a section of trail in Scarborough that ends at the Nonesuch River, near Eastern Road.

Cyclists and pedestrians now have to traverse the streets of Gary Marietta Way, Highland Avenue, Black Point Road and Eastern Road to continue on the trail.

Thompson, a family physician who practiced in Portland and specialized in rheumatoid arthritis into his 70s, was an advocate of trails and exercise.

Read the entire article online here.

Do you enjoy being out on the Eastern Trail? Meeting people? Learning about the History of the area and sharing what you’ve learned?

Perhaps looking for an activity to do with your children, spouse or best buddy? Want to become more involved with the Eastern Trail and your community?

Then we invite you to become an Eastern Trail Ambassador!

The first Ambassador Program training event was hel by the Eastern Trail’s Board and Staff on Tuesday, May 23, 2017.  More details on the program will be coming soon!
For more information email nancy@easterntrail.org

Read more:  Details flyer and Poster.

Order the “Good for a Cause Burger” and 25% will be donated to the Eastern Trail during the month of April. View flyer here.

By Garrick Hoffman, Staff Writer | Biddeford Saco OOB Courier  | 3/23/2017

BIDDEFORD/SACO – When University of New England professor Noah Perlut first heard about upcoming construction happening on the Eastern Trail, he knew he wanted to conduct some kind of study on it, and he has finally found the right time to do so.

“I’ve always kept my eye on this (construction process), and I’ve always wanted to do a wildlife project on the Eastern Trail,” he said. “I’ve built this in my mind over time and thought, OK, now’s the time.”

Perlut’s project has been launched in anticipation of construction on the trail, which is scheduled to begin sometime in 2018. The construction project is called “Close the Gap” – hence Perlut’s project title, “GapTracks,” – that aims to finalize a 1.6 mile gap of the 65- mile portion of the Eastern Trail in Scarborough, where there are few formal trails, according to materials provided by the Eastern Trail Alliance. The gap interrupts travel between South Portland and Saco, and the project involves construction of two bridges, totaling $3.8 million. At least $3.2 million has already been raised, with Maine Department of Transportation committing $1.55 million, with $550,000 left to raise.

Perlut’s study, now under way, involves eight mounted Bushnell cameras that can endure extreme conditions, one man and about 40 undergrad students, all backed by the support of various local entities. The cameras cost $2,000, Perlut said, and the only other expense will be Perlut’s time, paid for by UNE. He received funding for the cameras from Friends of Scarborough Marsh, a nonprofit organization, and received support from the Eastern Trail Alliance, the town of Scarborough and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

Perlut, 42, is in the environmental studies and science department at UNE. He has a doctorate in wildlife biology from the University of Vermont, where he taught wildlife classes before moving to Maine eight years ago. A fulltime and tenured professor, Perlut continues to teach wildlife classes at UNE and classes on conservation biology and environmental issues. He’s also an ornithologist, which means he studies birds, and has been published in conservation, biology, ornithology, wildlife and college journals.

Perlut mounted the eight cameras on the bottoms of trees within a one-mile radius of Scarborough Marsh on Feb. 26 to detect terrestrial, or ground, animals. The cameras run 24 hours a day, using infrared technology at night, to capture behavior and wildlife activity in that area. The purpose is to collect data from the cameras over a three-year period – with construction ending before the third year – and have students at UNE analyze the data, write it up and present what they learn to Scarborough High School students. He also plans to publish results in scientific literature, which he said students will also help with. He’ll visit the cameras once every month or two to retrieve data.

Read the entire article online here.

<!– tghe rest of the article in case the online version goes away

Cameras monitor the area that will be under construction.

The last time the trail saw new additions was in 2012, when 14 mile markers were installed on more than three miles of trail, extending from the Arundel northern boundary to Route 35 in Kennebunk, according to the Eastern Trail Alliance website. Since then, crossing improvements have been made with marked crosswalks and flashing warning lights on Black Point and Pine Point roads. In addition, Memorial Bridge opened in August 2013, which is considered a critical link for those who enter the trail at its southernmost point in Kittery. It connects Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Kittery.

“Right now what we’re doing is kind of a pre-phase,” he said. “We’re looking at wildlife and human use before construction. We’re going to keep this up during construction, then continue the cameras to run post-construction for an equal amount of time as preconstruction.”

Perlut said he and students will look at how the environment changes before, during and after construction. This goes both for looking at the wildlife community – the species that are using the trails, the abundance of animals that changes, and the abundance of animals that use the trail changes – as well as the frequency of human use.

“How does the human use affect wildlife use? We can look at (wildlife and human use) in tandem. That’s sort of the main point of this,” he said.

The project has three components, he said. One is to foster appreciation and knowledge of the Eastern Trail – a wildlife resource, he said. The trail is used by a multitude of creatures including foxes, raccoons and coyotes.

Another component is education related. Perlut plans to integrate the study in his terrestrial wildlife course, which he teaches every other spring at UNE. The course typically involves teaching students how to track animals in snow and encouraging them to think of how animals survive during Maine winters. The study will be integrated in the next semester of this course by collecting data and having students use it for the length of the semester. Students will score photos to determine the best ones, evaluate what animals were present and ask different kinds of questions about wildlife and human use of the trail. He will also integrate findings at Scarborough High School. The next time he teaches the class will be when GapTracks ends, so students will be able to use and analyze data across its three-year span, write it for publication and present it to Scarborough students.

“My whole research lab explores how animals – primarily birds – adapt to human habitat modification,” he said. “This (part of the Eastern Trail) is changing wildlife habitats, in some ways for the better. We created a trail right here and some wildlife could (navigate) easier because they don’t have to trudge through the snow. Others might be scared of it, because of the dog pee. So there could be positive and negative effects.”

The third component of the study is the science of it, which is to understand how the trails that comprise the Eastern Trail – as well as the human use of these trails – affect wildlife communities and their adaptations to it.

–!>

The Eastern Trail Alliance is raising $3.8 million to build two bridges that would give trail users access to 16 contiguous miles from Saco to South Portland.

[This story published online by the Portland Press Herald 2/22/2017 by KELLEY BOUCHARD, STAFF WRITER]

Wex, the South Portland-based provider of corporate payment solutions, has donated $25,000 to the Eastern Trail Alliance’s effort to complete a 1.6-mile section of the off-road recreational trail as it passes through Scarborough.

The alliance has raised $3.2 million of $3.8 million needed to build two bridges in Scarborough – one over the Nonesuch River near Eastern Road and the other over railroad tracks near Pleasant Hill Road, according to a news release. Once the bridges are completed, trail users will have access to 16 contiguous, off-road miles from downtown Saco to Bug Light Park in South Portland.

“Many of our employees live and work in close proximity to the Eastern Trail and these expansion efforts align with our philanthropic mission to support wellness within our communities,” said Hilary Rapkin, Wex senior vice president and general counsel.

Since the “Close the Gap” campaign started in 2012, the alliance has received funding from Maine Department of Transportation, $1.55 million; Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System, $1.1 million; Scarborough and South Portland, $286,000; Town and Country Federal Credit Union, $100,000; Avangrid, $25,000; and the Thompson Family of South Portland, $25,000, among other donations.

Read the entire article online here.

It is with many fond memories and heavy hearts that we share the passing of John Andrews, the “Founder of the Eastern Trail” and an ETA President Emeritus.  John was, indeed, an inspiring man of vision and untiring spirit.

John’s vision to create the Eastern Trail started in the early 1990’s. He was persistent, but patient, and made tremendous progress in a relatively short amount of time.

Sadly, John passed away this past Monday, February 20th. Read his obituary here.

Go here to read more information about John and his work to build the Eastern Trail, including some of the many public tributes being made to him.

The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation funds community efforts through its “Community Matters More” program. You can vote for the ETA to get funding – but voting ends Tuesday Feb. 28!

In April, the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation will give more than $100,000 to 40 local non-profit organizations. You can help them decide how to best distribute these funds.

Please write in “Eastern Trail Alliance” in one of the “Other” write-in slots under York County, on your ballot.

Cast Your Vote Today

(Vote today! Voting ends Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 11:59pm.)

Thanks for helping!

A total of 32 grants will be awarded to the organizations listed on the ballot and to the top 8 write-in recipients. The top two organizations in each of the eight regions (including write-ins) that get the most votes will receive $5,000 each. The remaining 24 organizations will each receive $1,000.

By RYDER SCHUMACHER, Journal Tribune Staff Writer, Published 2/15/17

YORK COUNTY —Bikers and hikers of York County may have a new trail to traverse in another year, as actions to extend the Eastern Trail in York County have picked up momentum.

Wells and Kennebunk have been working conjointly to extend the Eastern Trail — 65 miles of recreational trail extending from South Portland to Kittery— from its cutoff point in Kennebunk, near Alewife Road, to its cut off near Pratt and Whitney in Wells; a total length of about 8.5 miles where the trail contains a gap.

The towns applied for a split grant with the Department of Transportation last year to hire a consultant to conduct land surveys of the trails proposed path. Both towns are awaiting final plans, but according to Wells Town Planner Mike Livingston, constructing the extension should prove to be a smooth process.

“In Wells and portions of Kennebunk, the trail’s going to be located on an existing old railroad bed that’s been abandoned for 100 years,” Livingston said. “Other than a few brook crossings and a few road intersections that will require some construction our route is going to be less expensive than what’s been expended in the past.”

According to the Eastern Trail website, the rail line operated as a mode of transport from Portland to Boston from 1842 to 1945 and was known as the Eastern Railroad Corridor. The line ran through Scarborough, South Portland, Saco and parts of southern York County, including North Berwick.

In 1965, after the railways’ services had ended, Portland Gas Light purchased most of the abandoned right-of-way and constructed a below ground natural gas line that is still in use today. Unitil, a public utilities company from New Hampshire, bought the line in 2008.

The current plan is that the extension trail will follow the railway on the opposite side of the entrenched gas line, Livingston said, adding that the towns have met with Unitil representatives on multiple occasions to ensure the trails path along the right-of-way.

“We just need to make sure we don’t effect the gas line,” Livingston said.

Additionally, the towns have applied for another grant with the DOT for land that still requires surveying for the proposed trail extension in both Wells and Kennebunk. Afterwards, the construction of the trail will be much clearer says Livingston.

Read the entire article online here.

By Melanie Sochan, published on February 9, 2017

SCARBOROUGH — The Eastern Trail Alliance is just under $600,000 away from starting a 1.6-mile Close the Gap project.

The alliance has already raised more than $3.2 million towards the $3.8 million project, closing in on the funding needed to make the proposal a reality.

The funding must be in place before construction can begin. Alliance representatives said construction won’t begin until 2018.

Close the Gap would connect the trail in South Portland to Scarborough, and bridging the area would create a 16-mile continuous off-road trail from Bug Light in South Portland to downtown Saco.

The 1.6 miles would link the Wainwright Recreation Complex in South Portland and a section of trail in Scarborough that ends at the Nonesuch River, near Eastern Road.

Cyclists and pedestrians now have to traverse the streets of Gary Marietta Way, Highland Avenue, Black Point Road and Eastern Road to continue on the trail.

Carole Brush, executive director of the Eastern Trail Alliance, said the surface of the new section will be made of stone dust. The funding would pay for two bridges in Scarborough – one over the Nonesuch River off Eastern Road and another that would cross the Pan Am Railways track near Pleasant Hill Road.

Diana Nelson, a volunteer with ETA and director of communications at Black Fly Media, said the company has published drone video of the Eastern Trail that includes aerials of the land and river where the two bridges will be built. The 51-second video can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/191156005.

According to Brush, funding includes $1.55 million from the Maine Department of Transportation and $1.1 million from the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System. Town and Country Federal Credit Union donated $100,000 in December for the project. The Eastern Trail Alliance has matched $50,000 in donations, for a total contribution of $100,000. Other large donations have come from the town of Scarborough ($216,000), WEX ($25,000), Avangrid ($25,000) and the Thompson family ($25,000).

Donations may be made at active.com/donate/closegap.

Read the entire article online here