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Sunday, December 11, 2005
Short, but special, trail
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||||||||||
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BOOTHBAY — A birder, a forester and a land-trust leader all leaned against a 130-foot bridge that offers viewing spots over a wetland where beavers once paddled and played. They debated and joked over the viability of bringing the beavers back and the cost of adding a viewing platform for birders. Protecting land is one conservation mission. These land trust members who broke into a fun-loving, impromptu debate over how to improve their beloved ecological park and local preserve have taken that mission a step beyond. The land trust's new expansive bridge that offers two long benches is more than a conduit for coastal hikers and eager birders. It is a landmark on the Boothbay peninsula, and throughout Maine, for that matter. The bridge and half-mile wheelchair accessible trail that opened last month at the 30-acre Penny Lake Preserve is one of only a handful in the state that are built each year. Frankly, all of the miles of state trails that are accessible for people with disabilities do not amount to much, although the state has no comprehensive list. According to Steve Curtis with the Bureau of Parks and Lands, very few trails around the state meet the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, which assure the trail will accommodate wheelchairs. For the Boothbay Region Land Trust, bringing its diminutive half-mile trail up to ADA standards was no small effort. The trail climbs slowly to an expansive upland forest, down toward a vibrant wetland and across to a proud vernal pool. The Boothbay Region Land Trust's short, but scenic, trail and bridge came at a cost of $45,000, compared to, well . . . "Oh, it would have cost next to nothing," said land coordinator Wolf Schumann. After 25 years of serving as an environmental showpiece in one of Maine's tourist hot spots, the land trust has amassed more than 1,000 acres in ownership and protects 318 acres in easements. But, you could say this fall it turned the proverbial corner in land stewardship. "The focus of the land trust is making sure the entire public has access," said the land trust's new director Julie Lamy. This tiny trail, Lamy said, is the land trust's first effort toward opening some of its 30 miles of preserve trails to, literally, everyone. A BRIDGE TOO FAR Along the pine groves near the Penny Lake wetland stream, Nancy Bither interrupts the chatter of hikers to point out the chirping in the canopy above. Here in this wooded wetland are 81 indentified species of birds, including least bitterns, green herons, American bitterns, wood ducks, black ducks, rails, and, as of Tuesday, coots. In the wet spring, woodcocks soar and twirl 300 feet in the air during their mating ritual, just feet from the parking area. Right next to this meadow's courtship dance floor, the land trust's accessible trail climbs at a 5 percent grade up to the upland forest, offering a clear shot of the woodcock waltz. The Penny Lake wheelchair accessible trail will serve all visitors with disabilities and on a daily basis be used by members of the St. Andrews Village Retirement Community, which abuts the preserve and donated a 25-acre conservation easement. The crushed gravel path is a 3-foot-wide flat path that slopes at a 5 percent grade at its steepest points. Its dimensions were specifically laid out by Schumann to keep it in accordance with the ADA standards. Those standards are high. Land trust steward Schumann, who supervised construction of the trail and is working with the local schools to coordinate cross country events on it, said the trail was completed mostly with volunteer labor. But the total cost of the materials, including the $22,000 bridge, still ran nearly $50,000. It was paid for by a grant from the Bureau of Parks and Lands and donations. It will last for decades, Schumann, a forester, said. And, the crushed-granite trails will be used by all manner of nature lovers. MAINE'S LEVEL OF ACCESSIBILITY Bud Newell with the Bureau of Parks and Lands, who gives the grants that help land trusts develop accessible trails, said in 2005, there were three other towns that had accessible trails put into wild areas: Fairfield, Belfast and Winthrop. In addition, he said there were 51 applications for similar such trail grants, up from 15 to 20 a year. But, in general, Maine's level of accessibility for people with disabilities is, for the most part, quite limited, according to the Bureau of Parks and Lands. The bureau ranks six of 30 state parks as having "good access" for people with disabilities and special needs and another 18 as having "limited access." There are three with no access at all for people with disabilities and special needs. While Newell said many of the trails around Maine considered to be accessible are built and used by ATV or snowmobiles, these specialized, wide trails do not meet the ADA standards. So, while they may offer ease of hiking for the elderly or some with physical limitations, they do not necessarily serve wheelchairs. They cannot be considered truly accessible, despite their appearance. Newell said that was true. Curtis, the bureau's southern region manager, said there are "very few" trails like the one the Boothbay Region Land Trust built at Penny Lake. Wolfe's Neck State Park has one, Ferry Beach in Saco does, and Mackworth Island as well. Curtis, who started with the bureau as a lifeguard at Sebago Lake in 1970, has seen the state's efforts in improving accessibility go from minimal to a level where additions are made every year. "I can tell you years ago, it was not how people made improvements at state parks, those weren't considerations. Now, it is right on top of the list," Curtis said. The desire is there within the bureau, Curtis insists. And in recent years, state park beaches began offering wheelchairs with big, inflatable wheels to provide improved access. However, in many instances, to learn of such equipment, a person would have to call the individual state park to find out what kind of accessibility it offers, Curtis said. And, Curtis said there is just one "banner park" that offers tremendous accessibility for those with disabilities - Range Ponds State Park in Poland. And that is due in part to the financial support of Poland Spring, he said. "We are trying very hard to accommodate. In some of the most spectacular areas, we are trying our best in those locations to give the same experience," Curtis said. "But it's hard because of the lay of the land. If people have ideas and thoughts, we do our best to answer the input in that community." Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:
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