Patrick Conlon ET Trail Manager
Patrick Conlon, Eastern Trail Manager in a kayak

Trail Manager Patrick Conlon retrieves a safety pylon from the Scarborough Marsh adjacent to the Eastern Trail in August 2024. A trail manager’s work is never done and is different every day!

Dear Friend of the Eastern Trail,

One of the best parts of my job as the Trail Manager for the Eastern Trail Alliance is seeing you and thousands of people like you enjoying the Eastern Trail each year. And wow, do I love my job!

When I see families out enjoying the trail together or folks walking their dogs, I think about what an extraordinary asset the Eastern Trail is to southern Maine. Whether you cycle for daily exercise, walk to clear your mind, or run to meet your training goals, the Eastern Trail provides a car-free, nature-filled environment to make it possible.

You can safely use the Eastern Trail because I remove downed trees, clean drainage ditches, pick up trash, and so much more. Your contribution to the Eastern Trail Alliance helps make my work possible and protects the safety and natural beauty of the Eastern Trail.

Just yesterday, a trail user passed while I was working trail side and said, “I guess your work is never done.” He couldn’t have been more right. The challenges of 2024 tested us in new ways: rising tides, increasingly severe storm surges, and more frequent freeze-thaw cycles caused extensive damage to the Eastern Trail.

The ETA adapted quickly. We launched a new Trail Conditions page on our website to keep you informed and safe. We monitored the trail closely, working with our municipal partners to address conditions and tackle larger maintenance projects. On a tight budget, we kept up with essential repairs – fixing fencing, bollards, signage, and more – and removing graffiti, trash, and pet waste aplenty.

Please Donate NowIn short, what that trail user said to me is this work is needed – it matters. Please make a year-end gift to the Eastern Trail Alliance today. The challenges of 2025 are already on the horizon, and we need your help to weather whatever nature throws our way. Your support ensures that we can continue to monitor, maintain, and protect this incredible resource. Your generosity keeps the Eastern Trail beautiful and open to all. Please make a generous donation today and help us preserve this vital community asset.

See you on the trail!

Thank you,

Patrick Conlon
Trail Manager
Eastern Trail Alliance