Built on Trust: The Long Game Behind The Katahdin Region’s Emerging Trail Networks

Maine Trails Program grant at work in Northern Maine

Major trail networks aren’t built with a single windfall or major grant - they are built over time with stacked capital investments and deep community trust. Outdoor Sport Institute’s (OSI) recent success in Northern Maine proves how critical a diverse funding mix can be. By pairing a $1 million federal grant with a $250,000 Maine Trails Program (MTP) award, OSI lined up vital state and federal funding programs to accelerate construction of a regional trail network known as Katahdin Area Trails (KAT). 
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This strategic capital stack is powering exciting developments for the Katahdin Area Trails initiative. The communities of Island Falls, Millinocket, and Patten are collaborating on an interconnected projects to expand regional trail networks and build local community amenities. Led by OSI, the project is a notable example of the new, bond-funded Maine Trails Program, illustrating the potential transformative power of state support integrated with federal dollars to transform a region. 

​OSI will use the MTP funds to construct 1.6 miles of shared-use track at Hammond Ridge, rehabilitate a key connector trail in the Millinocket community trail system, and establish 2 miles of beginner singletrack in Island Falls beginning this year. In early July, we talked with Mike Smith, Executive Director of OSI, to learn more about the nonprofit’s trail work in these communities and how they successfully secured this significant federal and state funding for trail work in rural Maine.
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