SOUTH PORTLAND — The South Portland Land Trust is working on an organizational planning initiative to increase community support, one of which is to add signage for existing trails.

Julie Isbill, National Parks Service consultant, and a core planning team have been leading the organizational planning, Richard Rottkov, president of the land trust, said. The process began in mid-June with a survey of 99 members.

Based on the survey results, the team has identified five priorities to focus on through the fall, Rottkov said.

“Because SPLT is an all-volunteer organization, one desired outcome will be a strategy to be able to build and retain staffing support,” the land trust’s 2020 summer newsletter said. “Additional focus areas identified include suggestions for growing the membership, raising funds, increasing the organization’s visibility, and creating achievable short and long-term projects that both support our mission and galvanize interest in who we are and what we do.”

The land trust is now creating five sub-teams that are based on each priority, which will create proposals with recommendations for successful implementation, Rottkov said.

One of the teams will look at recommendations for signage of the land trust’s existing trails, he said. This will make trails easier to spot.

“People don’t know how to find our trails,” he said. “We’ll work with the city and code enforcement to point to where trails may be located. Portland trails have that.”

The land trust is also interested in hiring staff, Rottkov said. The organization hasn’t had a program manager for a few months and a committee will determine what type of staffing position it can afford.

Rottkov said that proposals should be presented in late October and November.