Long Creek Trail. Courtesy of South Portland Land Trust

The South Portland Land Trust is holding a work day at Long Creek Trail on June 3 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event falls on National Trails Day and is part of Maine Trail Coalition’s Love Maine Trails Month.

Long Creek Trail is managed by the South Portland Land Trust. The first part of the trail was created in 2008. The trail moves through oaks and maples to a viewpoint above the creek and its tidal marshlands. There is currently a project to restore Long Creek. For more information, visit https://www.restorelongcreek.org/about.

The Maine Trail Coalition was created in 2019 as an organization to stand for the establishment, use, and stewardship of all trail types in Maine. This month the coalition has organized Love Maine Trails Month as a time of trail stewardship. Staff and volunteers across Maine from various towns, organizations, land trusts, and agencies work together on trail projects. This year will be the second Love Maine Trails Month.

According to organizers, trails are often taken for granted, but stewardship is needed to maintain them. Last year, 60 projects were hosted by 23 organizations from Love Maine Trails Month. Over 300 volunteers spent thousands of hours working on 30 miles of official trails in Maine. Based on the Independent Sector volunteer rate, this work is valued at $103,357. With trail infrastructure being a constant challenge, volunteer workers make a huge difference.

Last year, South Portland Land Trust was awarded the Completing the Vision award from the Maine Trail Coalition. The trust won the award for completing the 2.1-mile Clark’s Pond Loop, an effort that took 15 years.

“This is an opportunity for people who like to get outdoors and want to take care of our cool trails in South Portland,” said Charles “Tex” Haeuser, vice president of South Portland Land Trust. “It’s a great trail because it overlooks where Long Creek is coming out into the Fore River.”

The efforts will include cleaning up the trail, trimming back brush, removing invasive species, and improving trail accessibility.

“It’s a project that we’re featuring through the land trust for trail month and we’re very pleased to be part of it and looking forward to having some people come and give a couple of hours of trail work with us,” Haeuser said.

To register to join the volunteer day, visit https://www.southportlandlandtrust.org/upcoming-events/longcreekproject. For more information about the trail, visit https://www.southportlandlandtrust.org/long-creek-trail.

Volunteers will meet at the trailhead at the Opportunity Alliance and are advised to bring gloves, clippers/loppers, and sun and tick protection.

For more information about Maine Trail Coalition’s Love Maine Trails Month, including other volunteer days, visit https://www.mainetrailfinder.com/love-maine-trails-month.