By Emily Patrick
On Wednesday, February 12, the Northern Forest Center and AMC hosted the Moosehead Outdoor Summit, inviting the public to share their input on outdoor recreation opportunities in our region. This was part of an ongoing project funded by the Maine Office of Tourism. With free pizza and plenty of camaraderie, the event was worth venturing out on a blistery weekday evening in Greenville.
Moreover, attendees were able to help inventory the area’s outdoor assets and hear about a variety of exciting outdoor initiatives that are happening in the region right now! Many of us know we live in a special place, but in case you need a reminder, here are some of our most valuable assets people in our community are working to improve and protect for generations to come:
Dark skies. It’s estimated that 80 percent of people worldwide live under light-polluted skies. Fortunately for us, we have a dark sky patch right in our backyard, managed by AMC. The organization’s Maine Woods International Dark Sky Park is the only dark sky park in New England and spans 75,000 acres. What’s more: the organization hosts a range of outdoor recreation opportunities on their managed lands, and you don’t have to stay at an AMC lodge to utilize them for outdoor recreation.
Skiing. To our faithful readers, it’s not news Friends of the Mountain and the Moosehead Lake Economic Development Corporation have recently partnered and launched an effort to purchase Big Moose Mountain Ski Area. In addition to our many other assets, Executive Director Amy Lane says, “Most kids don’t have a ski area in their backyard.” Though our local mountain isn’t operating at the level of Sunday River or Sugarloaf- yet- Lane continues, “[The] grass is not always greener on the other side, and the snow it not always whiter, either.” Hosting 6,000 skiers in the last 27 days alone, Lane says the ski area is well on its way to Friends’ best season ever, and hopes brighter days are ahead for the ski area as a whole. She and her colleagues, “Believe in this campaign 100 percent.”
Mountain peaks. Steve Yokom of Destination Moosehead Lake shared some of the exciting things the organization is offering starting this year, including a “Round 2” of their popular Pinnacle Pursuit, in which participants are pushed to summit six of our local peaks. DML is looking to add six more to its list, and is also working on starting a “Paddle Pursuit.” Yokom says, “If we get people connected to those experiences, they’re going to keep coming back for more,” which will, in turn, help stimulate the local economy.
Mountain biking. Rodney Folsom, Jr., who sits on the Board of Directors of the Moosehead Outdoor Alliance, shared the group’s plans to make Moosehead a world-class mountain biking destination. The group is a 501(c)(3) organization formed in 2020, and in the short time since its incorporation, the nonprofit has managed to build 19 miles of trails in our region. Folsom says a rule of thumb in the mountain biking community is that for every 5 miles of trail offered, thrill seekers are willing to drive an additional hour out of their way. To earn the designation of a “destination,” Folsom says typically an area will need to have at least 25 miles of accessible trail. This will come to fruition once the seven miles the group is currently designing is installed on Little Moose Mountain.
Running. By now, many of you know our region is hosting its first-ever marathon this year in April, the Moosehead Marathon. So far, the event has been extremely well-received and Tyler Brinkman, one of the event’s planners, said they have far-surpassed their initial goal of 100 runners. The event will bring economic stimulus to local businesses during a traditionally “slow” month and draw a different demographic than the town is used to seeing. Brinkman says the most important way to help is to “be here on race day,” to cheer on the runners, though the success of the event will rely heavily on the participation of area businesses. To learn about other ways to help, visit mooseheadmarathon.com.
Snowmobiling. A staple of our winter economy, this outdoor sport has taken a hit in recent years with increasingly warmer winters in the forecast. Still, the Maine Snowmobile Association is working hard to keep this important part of our local culture alive and well.
Land. Carla Ritchie, President of the newly-incorporated Moosehead Regional Land Trust, succinctly said, “We all are here because we love what we have; we love our way of life.” Still, Ritchie has seen land use change in our region over time. In the past 30 years, it’s changing hands more rapidly than ever, and we are losing access to land we traditionally had access to at a disheartening pace. She continues by explaining we are at a turning point and have the opportunity now to, “…Really [define] the future for our kids.” The Trust is actively looking for board members and volunteers, and this group is offering us an unprecedented opportunity to conserve lands we all hold dear for future generations.
Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing. Though A Fierce Chase “just down the road in Monson” has offered recreational trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and even hiking for decades, John Chase announced at Wednesday night’s summit the organization was just granted its 501(c)(3) designation. In addition to the previously listed activities, the group offers a number of exciting Environmental Education programs, including fossil hunts and mycology field trips. Find them on Facebook!
Culture. Suzanne Auclair of the Maine Woods Thoreau Wabanaki Trail Festival highlighted the importance of the human element in our region, from the Wabanaki people who originally called it home, to Thoreau canoeing Moosehead’s vast expanse, “putting us on the map,” to the people and places that make our region special today, there’s no time like the organization’s 19th year to get involved.
Forests. Jake Metzler from the Forest Society of Maine spoke to the organization’s effort to ,“hold onto these lands in a way that people can still go out and recreate, still make a living,” while balancing the needs of landowners. The FSM, as the “land trust of the North woods,” holds an interest in small parcels like those at our Vistor’s Center to huge easements, covering vast areas of Maine’s wilderness. The FSM is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
Environmental Education. Suzannah Sinclair and Dawna Blackstone, representing NREC and PEEC, the Piscataquis Environmental Education Collaborative, spoke to their goal of, “Connecting community to the natural world.” Early on, environmental educators in our area realized they couldn’t afford to buy and protect all we see around us. What they could do: foster a personal connection between people and nature in the hopes future generations would become stewards of our natural resources. The best way to learn more about what they do is to visit NREC’s Facebook page, but you can also take a look at their brand-new website: nrecmoosehead.org.
Opportunity for Underserved Communities. Finally, Susan Adams of the Elliotsville Foundation shared the exciting progress her group is making on a trail project right in our backyard. To learn more: elliotsvillefoundation.org.
In closing, host Mike Wilson of the NFC admitted that, though we heard from a lot of speakers throughout the evening, the incredible things these groups are doing is, “Only the tip of the iceberg.” The goal of the summit and the groups’ ongoing effort is to foster development and economic growth in our region, “…while holding on to what makes this community special.” Wilson says it’s, “…not a ‘gimme’…not an easy answer.” To do this, they need your help. One thing we all can do is to take the Moosehead Lake Region Recreation User Survey using the QR code provided to help inventory the unique assets we have in our region and make a roadmap of what the future looks like for all of us who love our region or call it home.