East Windham Conservation Project on track for fall opening

By Ed Pierce

In a recent update from the Presumpscot Region Land Trust, officials say that work is progressing to create the East Windham Conservation Project, which when completed will become part of a 2,000-acre conservation corridor and larger than any currently existing state park in Southern Maine.

On track to open this fall, the East Windham
Conservation Project will conserve 750 acres
of forest land and build 10 miles of new 
multi-use trails that connect to 20 miles of
existing trails, making it a destination for
walking, hiking, mountain biking, trail
running, snowshoeing, cross country skiing,
and bird and wildlife watching.
COURTESY PHOTO  

In a newsletter, the land trust reports that the project, a collaborative effort with the town of Windham, will be roughly the size of Bradbury State Park and will become the largest wildlife habitat, clean water, and recreational trail corridor in Greater Portland. The corridor will include the Lowell Preserve, the North Falmouth Community Forest, and the Blackstrap Hill Preserve.

“We are on track to conserve the land this summer and build out miles of trails this year,” wrote Presumpscot Regional Land Trust Executive Director Rachelle Curran Apse in the newsletter. “This fall, we plan to host a Grand Opening. Stay tuned for an official notice that the land is conserved, followed by a date for the Grand Opening.”

In its update, the land trust says that the outdoor experience will feature a 30-mile trail network with 10 miles of new trails for walkers, hikers, bird and wildlife watchers, trail runners, and mountain bikers.

“We are delighted that it will also include a one-mile universal access trail for people of all ages and abilities to visit Little Duck Pond and an outlook with sweeping views of the White Mountains,” Curran Apse said.

The $4 million land protection and outdoor recreation project includes funding from the Land for Maine's Future program along with lead business partner Gorham Savings Bank, and from dozens of additional businesses and foundations, and hundreds of individuals and families.

Once open, the East Windham Conservation Project will conserve 750 acres of forestland and build 10 miles of new multi-use trails that connect to 20 miles of existing trails, making a destination for walking, hiking, mountain biking, trail running, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and bird and wildlife watching. It will protect 38 acres of wetlands, 1,500 feet of Little Duck Pond frontage, and miles of pristine headwater streams that lead to Forest Lake, Highland Lake, and onto the Presumpscot River.

The area will provide programming opportunities for school and afterschool groups and create an accessible one-mile trail for people of all ages to walk, push a stroller, and bike to visit Little Duck Pond and visit a scenic overlook with sweeping views of the White Mountains.

Windham’s Open Space Plan has identified developing and maintaining open space partnerships and relationships as key mechanisms to grow conservation efforts in the town. When the Windham Town Council formally adopted the Open Space Plan in 2021, Windham representatives reached out to the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust to become an open space partner by holding a conservation easement and sharing responsibility for the trail management on the adjacent 308-acre Lowell Preserve.

During a Windham Town Council meeting earlier in 2022, Linda Brooks, Windham Parks and Recreation Director, said that the creation of the East Windham Conservation project will expand the town’s growing tourist economy by creating a new outdoor destination with miles of accessible forested trails and a spectacular 360-degree view from which will be the only observation tower from on top of one of the highest points in the Greater Portland area.

"Four season recreational opportunities will help local business realize benefits from tourists throughout the year,” said Brooks. “Acquisition of this property will protect resources for hiking, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, skiing, mountain biking, picnicking and other recreational activities. In addition to all the recreational benefits for all ages, there are educational benefits to be considered as well. We do have members from RSU 14 who will serve on the steering committee to help us with educational development. The East Windham Conservation Project offers a unique opportunity for K to 12 educational activities in a large and diverse outdoor classroom setting.”

Last summer, the land trust received nearly 400 gifts for the East Windham Conservation Project, and it is now in the final stages of conserving land for the project before construction of the trailhead and 10 miles of new trails can begin this summer.

The State of Maine also recognized the significance of the East Windham Conservation Project by approving $998,000 Lands for Maine’s Future grant and matched by a bond created by the town. During Windham’s Annual Town Meeting last June, Windham residents voted to allow the town to enter a partnership with Presumpscot Regional Land Trust and authorized a bond to purchase and conserve 661 acres near Little Duck Pond in East Windham for the conservation project.

Future plans envisioned for the site include creation of a year-round trailhead parking area, multi-use trails, access to fishing, hunting and wildlife observation area, a universal access trail connecting from Falmouth Road to Little Duck Pond and Atherton Hill, an observation tower that will provide scenic views to Casco Bay and Mount Washington, and destinations with scenic views of the western mountains and the pond for visitors. <

‘Wreaths Across America’ a transformative experience for WPD officers

By Lorraine Glowczak

After five years volunteering as police escorts for the Wreaths Across America (WAA) caravan, providing safety at intersections as it traveled through Maine, Windham Police Department (WPD) Detective Eugene Gallant and Sergeant Jason Burke received an opportunity this year to participate in the entire six-day convoy that travels to Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington D.C.

Windham Police DCetective Eugene Gallant and Sgt. Jason
Burke helped to lay 247,000 wreaths on the graves of fallen
soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery as part of the annual
Wreaths Across America event. They experienced many
meaningful moments on the trip and say it made a
significant impact on their lives. SUBMITTED PHOTO   

In its 30th year, this annual 730-mile one-way procession begins at the Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, Maine where the wreaths are made and then delivered the first week of December. Upon arrival, Det. Gallant and Sgt. Burke helped to lay 247,000 wreaths, transported in 18 semi-trailers, onto the graves of fallen soldiers. They both agreed that laying wreaths and saluting fallen soldiers were very humbling experiences.

“Gene and I thought it was a great way to honor our soldiers and the people who sacrificed their lives for our country and the freedoms offered here,” Burke said. “Since we began escorting for WAA, it became a bucket list item for us to travel to Arlington to show our appreciation, so when the opportunity arose to be a part of this convoy, we jumped at it.”

Gallant and Burke also participated in wreath-laying ceremonies at the William H. Taft Memorial, JFK Memorial, RFK Memorial, USS Maine Memorial, the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They also paid their respects by rendering a salute at the gravesite of fellow WPD officer Justin Hudnor’s grandfather, a World War II veteran. Although there were many significant events that took place during the six-day period, the sergeant and detective shared two meaningful experiences.

“During the trip to D.C., we made many stops along the way at various New England towns,” Gallant said. “At one stop at a War Memorial in New Jersey, a woman approached us and asked us to transport a stone to Arlington. The stone had the name of her son engraved on it. He was stationed in Afghanistan and was on a convoy detail when he was hit and killed by an IED [improvised explosive device]. She asked us to take him. One of the truckers [delivering the wreaths] was a veteran who had a tour in Afghanistan and asked if he could take her son to D.C. with him. Of course, we gave the stone to the trucker to travel with a fellow comrade. This is an experience that Jason and I definitely did not expect. This made a great impact on us.”

Another significant experience happened while placing 184 wreaths at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, a memorial for those who did not survive the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks. Burke said that a Pentagon Police lieutenant explained the monument and what the layout meant.

“The direction of the benches signifies the direction the plane flew into the building,” Burke said. “The names on the benches are laid out so that if you are looking toward the sky, it represents those on the plane. The names on the ground are of people in the building. It is a very powerful and meaningful memorial that Gene and I would encourage all to attend.”

The WAA tradition began in 1992 when the Worcester Wreath Company had a surplus of 5,000 wreaths, and the owner of the company, Morrill Worcester recalled a powerful experience of his own. He knew immediately what he had to do with the extra wreaths.

The story began when Worcester was 12 years old in 1963. He won a trip to Washington D.C. while working as a delivery boy for the Bangor Daily News.

“His first trip to our nation’s capital was one he would never forget, and Arlington National Cemetery made an especially indelible impression on him,” the Worcester Wreath Company website stated. “This experience followed him throughout his life and successful career, reminding him that his good fortune was due, in large part, to the values of this nation and the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.”

So, in 1992, Worcester remembered his boyhood experience at Arlington, and he realized he had an opportunity to honor our country’s veterans. “With the aid of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, arrangements were made for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the cemetery that had been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year.”

The tradition continued, and in 2007, Wreaths Across America became a non-profit organization.

Although U.S. veterans are honored and remembered on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Sgt. Gallant and Det. Burke understand more profoundly the appreciation the veterans deserve daily.

“We like to encourage others to honor and remember those who have sacrificed so that we may have the freedom to live the life of our dreams,” Gallant said.

For more information about the Worcester Wreath Company, one can peruse the company’s website at www.worcesterwreath.com. To learn more about Wreath Across America go to www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.<