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| Bennett offers water to a thirsty dog. |
Dreams can be big and small,
but no matter the size, once it has been achieved the feeling is amazing. Molly
Bennett is doing just that. Bennett has been hired for the summer as the Town
of Windham’s Park and Recreations Park Ranger. This is a new position for
the town and Molly could not be happier to be working in this role for Windham.
Bennett is a sophomore
at the University of Maine at Orono. She is only here for the summer but is
very excited about the opportunity. Bennett is studying wildlife ecology at the
university and this role is a great place for her to apply what she has learned
so far.
“The aspect of the position
I’m most excited about, is the opportunity to educate people about the natural
world,” Bennett said. “Our livelihoods all depend on it in one way or another,
and I think people should know that our community in Windham applies to more
than just people. If we can understand the wildlife around us, we can do what’s
best for it (and, ultimately, us) in Windham and beyond.” Bennett is a
lifelong Mainer and has enjoyed the outdoors ever since she was a child.
Bennett
will be working in some of the parks in the town including Donnabeth Lippman
Park located off of Route 302, the Lowell Preserve located off of Falmouth Road
and Dundee Park, located off of River Road.
For
those who frequent the nature trails maintained by Windham Parks and
Recreation, they may be happy to know that there is a park ranger hiking the
trails too; making them even better and answering questions if one happens to
meet her on a daily or weekly walk.
“You can find me out mapping and marking
trails at Lippman Park and Lowell Preserve, water sampling at Dundee Park,
putting up information in kiosks and around town, and trying to get to know the
Windham residents that use our parks and trails, including the four-legged
ones,” stated Bennett. “I want to share what I love about Windham by getting
more people outdoors and making the outdoor properties in Windham more
accessible without detracting from their natural value.”
“Exploring
the outdoors is very important to my family and one of our favorite things to
do in the summer. We love to be outside and enjoy finding new ways to
explore,” she said. Bennett states, “A few things I’ve been excited about this
week are: the family of snapping turtles living at the Mountain Division
Trail, kids using trails at Chaffin Pond through summer camps, and a trail
maintenance day/BBQ around the Chaffin Pond trails.” For details on these and
other trail activities, stay tuned on the Windham Parks and Recreation Facebook
page at www.facebook.com/Windhammaine.us/
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| Welcome Molly Bennett |
Bennett
is excited to make the Windham nature areas better and more accessible to
everyone. As she works to accomplish her goals in the park ranger role, keep your
eye out for her this summer. She welcomes feedback on how to improve
Windham’s parks and make them a place that everyone can explore.
If
you see Bennett working on one of the trails in Windham during one of your
hikes, be sure to welcome her.
