Janice R. Andrews
Aug. 3, Portland — Portland Trails has launched a $100,000 emergency fundraising effort in response to the severe damage that last winter’s unrelenting storms inflicted upon its regional trail system. In addition to fixing the trails, this project intends to get them ready for a future driven by climate change that is becoming more unpredictable.
With over two decades of experience at the charity, Jamie Parker is an experienced trails manager, so he was shocked by the extent of the damage. Significant damage was done to eighteen paths, necessitating the rebuilding of 1,000 feet of bridges and the rehabilitation of washed-away riverbanks.
“To be honest, it’s a lot to keep up with, but we’re trying our best to restore the trails,” Parker remarked.
Lindsay Conrad, development director of Portland Trails, estimates that the cost of repairing basic storm damage is $750,000. This sum is three times what the group normally spends on trail upkeep and almost matches their yearly budget.
Portland Trails has raised almost $75,000 of its $100,000 goal for necessary repairs after two months of the campaign. In order to assist the charity meet its goal, supporters will match donations up to $3,000 throughout the remaining fundraising period in August.
Using agreements and legal easements, Portland Trails oversees a 78-mile network of regional trails on both public and private property. nearly 2023, over 1,500 volunteers put nearly 4,700 hours a year to maintain the trails, which saw about a million usage.
This voluntary effort is being organized by trail steward Daniel Bishop, who just assessed the damage along the Presumpscot River. The hemlock-lined riverbank collapsed near the intersection of the Sebago to Sea Trail and Forest City Trail due to storm floods and runoff, resulting in a precipitous drop-off.
Bishop said, “The second storm, which occurred a few days later when the river rose and the runoff hit, swept all the dirt and the rocks away. The first storm soaked the earth, weakening the bank. “It’s representative of everything that’s going on in our system.”
Even though they are more visually pleasing and simpler to build, waterfront paths are especially susceptible to flooding and runoff damage. As a result, long-term maintenance will cost more.
Attractive but Expensive Waterside Trails
Extensive bridging is also necessary on waterside routes to preserve marsh plants and keep hikers dry. Many of these bridges were damaged or completely destroyed by the storms of last winter, highlighting the necessity of moving, elevating, and expanding them in order to endure more storms.
For example, fallen trees and damage from strong rains and floods forced the temporary closure of the white route in the Fore River Sanctuary, which runs from Congress and Frost to the train lines. The trail’s numerous washed-out bridges serve as a stark reminder of Portland Trails’ mounting financial burden.
Even with volunteer engineering services, a 40-foot bridge will need to be built in place of the basic 8-foot wooden bridge that was previously built for $400.
“In Maine, storms are nothing new,” Conrad said. “We budget for storm repairs, but we still expect to be severely damaged occasionally. It’s different now, though. These days, we get severe blows many times a year. We don’t have the money to develop resilience, much less recover.
Bishop and Conrad have asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for $100,000 in reimbursement for the repairs they have made to public land trails, and they are optimistic about a statewide trail bonding package. These monies, however, are not intended for initiatives tailored for a warmer, wetter future, but rather for restorations.
Moreover, a lot of the group’s paths pass via private land, which makes fundraising more difficult.
In the future, the group intends to apply for funds from FEMA and other organizations for climate adaptation and to raise its budget for trail maintenance and repair. These monies will go toward programs that assist Maine adjust to its changing environment as well as repairs on private land.
Bishop said, “The repairs we’re making now will just be washed away if we don’t prepare for what’s coming.” “I anticipate that the majority of my time will soon be dedicated to improving our community’s preparedness for the impending changes, including our trail system.”
