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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.

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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.

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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

Published in the Scarborough Leader, Community News, 2/3/2107

Town & Country Federal Credit Union announced that it will make the largest philanthropic gift in credit union history to the Eastern Trail Alliance’s Close the Gap campaign.

A bridge will be built in honor of two board members who, between them, volunteered over 85 years at the credit union.

Town & Country Federal Credit Union, a leading Maine-based financial institution and active supporter of projects designed to connect communities across Southern Maine, will donate $100,000 to the alliance’s Close the Gap project.

The project aims to complete a 1.6- mile gap that interrupts off-road travel between South Portland and Saco.

This gift marks Town & Country’s largest gift to a single community initiative in the credit union’s 63-year history and the largest single gift ever made by any Maine credit union.

“This project is symbolic of Town & Country’s mission to create a personal connection with each of our members,” says CEO David Libby. “The Eastern Trail connects dozens of Maine communities and completing this missing piece in Scarborough will enhance that community connection and create accessibility for even more Mainers.”

Town & Country is making this donation in recognition of two long-time volunteer board members, who together dedicated over 85 years of service.

“We are pleased to make this gift in honor of Wilfred Couture and Edward Connolly, two people who worked tirelessly on behalf of the credit union and our community for eight decades,” Libby said.

The $100,000 gift will be earmarked to build the ‘Connolly-Couture’ bridge over the Nonesuch River on the trail between South Portland and Scarborough.

Wilfred Couture, a resident of South Portland, celebrated 40 years of service to Town & Country’s board in 2016.

Read the entire article on-line here

Go here to view a related article in the same Scarborough Leader issue about donations made by the Scarborough Community Chamber of Commerce, and the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce.

The gift from Town & Country Federal Credit Union will be used to complete a 1.6-mile gap in the Eastern Trail as it runs through Scarborough.

By Kelley Bouchard, Portland Press Herald Staff Writer

Town & Country Federal Credit Union will donate $100,000 to the Eastern Trail Alliance’s plan to complete a 1.6-mile gap in the off-road trail as it runs through Scarborough, credit union officials announced Tuesday.

The gift is the largest made by the credit union in its 63-year history and one of the largest ever made by a credit union in Maine.

“This project is symbolic of Town & Country’s mission to create a personal connection with each of our members,” credit union CEO David Libby said in a news release. “The Eastern Trail connects dozens of Maine communities and completing this missing piece in Scarborough will enhance that community connection and create accessibility for even more Mainers.”

The Eastern Trail is a 65-mile section of the on- and off-road East Coast Greenway that runs between South Portland and Kittery. When the Scarborough gap is completed, the recreational pathway will have 16 miles of uninterrupted, off-road access from Bug Light in South Portland to downtown Saco.

Town & Country, which operates six branches in South Portland, Scarborough, Saco and Portland, is making the donation in honor of two longtime volunteer board members, Wilfred Couture and the late Edward Connolly, who together dedicated over 85 years of service to the credit union.

Libby described Couture and Connolly as “two people who worked tirelessly on behalf of the credit union and our community for eight decades.”

The $100,000 gift will be earmarked to build a bridge over the Nonesuch River that will be named after the two men, Libby said.

Read the entire article online here.

Go here to read an article about the donation in the Town & Country Federal Credit Union/s e-newsletter.

The ambitious Eastern Trail project will add another key component next year, as work begins on a 1.6 mile section to connect South Portland and Scarborough.

By Deirdre Fleming, Portland Press Herald Staff Writer

SCARBOROUGH — While the first frigid gusts of winter swept across the Scarborough Marsh last week, Janice Cohen had warmer thoughts as she walked her black Labrador, Abe, along the Eastern Trail. When Cohen learned the trail would be extended, she stopped to envision the impact.

“We bought our home next to the Eastern Trail because of the Eastern Trail,” said Cohen, who moved to Portland from Hallowell two years ago. 

“I believe in community. Walking on the same trail every day, you get to know the people who use it. People have a safe place to walk. It connects people. Roads don’t connect people, but trails do.”

This time next year, work will begin on the 1.6-mile section of the Eastern Trail that will connect South Portland to Scarborough, linking four towns along a 16-mile off-road path that runs along the coast in the most developed part of Maine. And users of the trail are delighted about the plans to close the gap over the Nonesuch River.

Read the entire article online here.