Portland Trails - 25 years serving the community
Portland Trails is approaching its 25th anniversary. The organization has grown over the years. It started as a Portland-centric group focused on land conservation and trails. It has since expanded outward to support strong trail and walking networks throughout the greater Portland area. They also now help promote, fund and build natural playgrounds and walkable communities. In fact, the Canal school has recently approached them for assistance with creating a natural playground.
A recent acquisition is the Conant-Saunders property in Westbrook. This is 5 acres along the Presumpscot River that was gifted to Portland Trails in the will of Ellie Saunders. There is potential for a boat launch on this land and also a possibility of connecting to the river walk at some point in the future. Another Westbrook trail is currently in the works between the skate park on William Clark Dr to the Armory and cross walk on Stroudwater St. Some funding for that is coming from the Westbrook Recreation and Conservation Commission.