MTC History and Milestones
Since its founding in 2019, the Maine Trails Coalition has grown in visibility, strategic influence, and collaborative momentum as the statewide voice for trails in Maine. Through partnerships, programming, and advocacy, MTC has built a strong foundation to support a more connected, equitable, and accessible trails network across the state.
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Recent significant milestones include the formal adoption of new bylaws grounded in MTC’s original charter, reaffirming our mission while strengthening governance. We also launched a new three-year strategic framework that clarifies our priorities and aligns the organization’s activities around shared impact goals.
As part of this evolution, the Leadership Group reformed, focused on rebuilding and realigning working teams to carry out the strategy effectively. These efforts have set the stage for long-term sustainability and reaffirming MTC’s role as the resource hub and critical partner in "all things trails-related" in Maine. |
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Oct 30, 2018 | Identifying Shared Goals
Organized by Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, and Merrymeeting Trail leaders, an early regional gathering brought together key partners eager to expand off-road, multi-use trails between local communities. This momentum was largely sparked by Merrymeeting Trail advocates pushing MDOT to extend the Kennebec River Trail from Gardiner to Bowdoinham—a goal that drew strong turnout and set the stage for broader regional collaboration.
January 24, 2019 | Statewide Expansion
Organized by the Merrymeeting Trailblazers and Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, over 70 advocates gathered at Augusta’s Governor Hill Mansion for the "Regional Trails Connecting Maine" meeting. Designed to build a statewide trail leadership team and set action items for 2019, the turnout far exceeded expectations—revealing a strong, widespread demand for connected trails across the state.
October 30, 2019 | The Birth of the Maine Trails Coalition
Trail advocates gathered in Waterville for a landmark meeting to determine the future of statewide trail advocacy. Despite debates over whether to merge with the broader Maine Outdoor Coalition, participants ultimately chose to establish a dedicated, trail-focused organization. With that decision, the Maine Trails Coalition (MTC) was formally launched.
Building on early momentum, the Maine Trails Coalition formally launched as a statewide voice for trail users, builders, and advocates, supported by the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust as its fiscal sponsor. From the start, the coalition operated as a grassroots effort powered by volunteers across its Advisory Group and committees. These individuals represented diverse trail interests—including land trusts, motorized clubs, mountain bikers, equestrians, and conservationists—all seeking a central hub for connection, resource sharing, and collective advocacy.
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Early Priorities: Securing Trail FundingIncreased funding quickly emerged as a top coalition priority. While members aimed to explore new revenue streams, MTC first set its sights on a crucial immediate win: ensuring Maine received its full allocation of federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds. Administered by the Federal Highway Administration and managed locally by Maine’s Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL), RTP is a primary source for trail acquisition and development. However, despite a federal apportionment of $1.428 million annually, MaineDOT was capping the program at just $937,000.
2019 | A Strategic Win with Lasting ImpactMTC successfully advocated for MaineDOT to raise the obligation limit, leading to a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MaineDOT and BPL that guaranteed $1.4 million annually for trails. This victory unlocked nearly $500,000 in additional annual grant funding for motorized, non-motorized, and multi-use trails across the state—an agreement that remains a cornerstone of state trail policy today. Yet, even with full RTP funding secured, the immense demand for local trail resources meant MTC’s search for new funding mechanisms had only just begun.
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2020-2021 | Expanding Legislative Advocacy: The Rail-to-Trail Milestone
Building on its advocacy momentum, MTC began successfully lobbying the Maine State Legislature to establish clearer processes for statewide trail development. A key victory was LD 1133, landmark legislation that created an official advisory process for "trail-until-rail" projects. For the first time, local towns had a formal mechanism to request converting unused, state-owned rail corridors into vibrant recreational trails.
Foreside Photography -Streetside Film Screening
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2022-2023 | A Vision for Statewide Connectivity: The Active Transportation Arterials PlanMTC published the Maine Active Transportation Arterials plan—an ambitious blueprint designed to link Maine’s 25 largest municipalities and two-thirds of the state’s population through an interconnected trail network. The vision proved transformative, leading the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) to formally integrate the plan into its first official state-level active transportation strategy.
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2024–2025 | Securing Maine’s Historic $30 Million Trails Bond
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Under the leadership of Co-Directors Gabe Perkins and Carrie Kinne, MTC helped rally a powerful coalition of over 260 businesses, municipalities, and non-profits to advocate for a historic $30 million state trails bond.
Voter approval of the bond established the state-administered Maine Trails Program, providing dedicated funding for motorized, non-motorized, and multi-use trails. Administered by the Bureau of Parks and Lands under the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF), the program awarded its first competitive grants in late 2025. |
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October 2024 | "Momentum for Maine Trails" Statewide Gathering
MTC convened more than 80 outdoor leaders at the YMCA Camp of Maine in Winthrop for a daylong gathering to build alignment across the state’s motorized and non-motorized trail communities. Attendees included land trust stewards, trail club volunteers, outdoor industry representatives, state partners, and congressional staff.
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Gathering Highlights
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2025 | Organizational Growth and the Launch of MTP Initiatives
The year marked a pivotal transition in leadership and organizational structure for MTC. Following Jenny Ward’s tenure as Interim Director (January–July), Leigh Hallett was appointed Director in August. During the first half of 2026, MTC formally adopted its strategic plan and updated bylaws, while reorganizing its Leadership Group to support long-term statewide impact.
To maximize the reach of the newly established Maine Trails Program (MTP), MTC launched two key initiatives:
To maximize the reach of the newly established Maine Trails Program (MTP), MTC launched two key initiatives:
- MTP Working Group: Formed to collaborate closely with partners and state administrators on effective funding distribution and program implementation.
- MTP Ambassador Volunteer Program: Established to build local capacity, providing grassroots volunteers with the training and resources needed to support trail projects across Maine communities.
2026 | Expanding Capacity, Governance, and Statewide Planning
In 2026, MTC focused on strengthening its operational foundation while deepening its role in statewide trail planning and support. The Leadership Group established essential baseline governance policies while actively addressing regional priorities. In the first half of the year, MTC hosted two major convenings: a workforce development roundtable in February and a strategic roundtable in July focused on sustainable, long-term funding options.
Operationally, the Coalition made a pivotal transition by partnering with the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA) as its new fiscal sponsor. Following a productive multi-year sponsorship with the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT), the move to ECGA strategically positions MTC to expand its state-level advocacy efforts and future programming.
Alongside these organizational shifts, MTC advanced several key technical and planning initiatives. The Coalition launched a new website and began developing a free, centralized Service Provider Directory to connect land trusts, municipalities, and trail groups with professional contractors across Maine. In parallel, MTC partnered closely with the Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) on two fronts: co-sponsoring a Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund (MOHF) proposal to support a comprehensive statewide trail planning initiative, and creating dedicated resources, guides, and volunteer MTP Ambassadors to assist Maine Trails Program grant applicants.
Operationally, the Coalition made a pivotal transition by partnering with the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA) as its new fiscal sponsor. Following a productive multi-year sponsorship with the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT), the move to ECGA strategically positions MTC to expand its state-level advocacy efforts and future programming.
Alongside these organizational shifts, MTC advanced several key technical and planning initiatives. The Coalition launched a new website and began developing a free, centralized Service Provider Directory to connect land trusts, municipalities, and trail groups with professional contractors across Maine. In parallel, MTC partnered closely with the Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) on two fronts: co-sponsoring a Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund (MOHF) proposal to support a comprehensive statewide trail planning initiative, and creating dedicated resources, guides, and volunteer MTP Ambassadors to assist Maine Trails Program grant applicants.
