Yarmouth’s Cousins River Fields and Marsh Preserve, an 82-acre Maine Coast Heritage Trust property, will soon be open for more visitors to explore its meadow, wander its forest and admire the saltmarsh visible from Interstate 295 up close.

While a small network of trails was established after the trust acquired the parcel alongside community partners in 2023, the conservation nonprofit is starting to upgrade the trails at the preserve to be more accessible to nature lovers of all abilities.

“When we acquired the property, it was with the intention of making this an easy place for lots of people to have an experience in the outdoors,” said Andrew Deci, the trust’s Southern Maine regional stewardship manager.

“And one of those components of making it an easy experience is making sure that the trails are as comfortable and easy for people of all types to use,” he said.

MCHT has partnered with Outdoor Access Solutions, a Maine-based accessibility consulting business that helps organizations including land trusts and adventure outfitters make the outdoors more inclusive. While the business was formally founded this year, co-founder Enock Glidden is not new to advocating for accessibility in the outdoors. A wheelchair user himself, Glidden has been a well-known activist for people with disabilities in Maine.

Glidden and OAS co-founder Alexandria Sukeforth are surveying Cousins River Fields and Marsh Preserve to provide accessibility recommendations to MCHT. This includes assessing the slope and material of the trails, the access of information available to visitors, and the accessibility of the restrooms and parking. Changes to these preserve features would not just make the location easier for wheelchair users to navigate, but people of all abilities, including those with visual impairments, cognitive disabilities, and children or the elderly.

“I always say it’s all the demographics. Yes, you’re literally building it for everyone,” Glidden said.

Glidden said he hears from people who have brought their older parents on Maine trails thanks to the knowledge about accessibility that he provides though his advocacy and blog.

“They’ll say, ‘I’ve been out on trails with my mom or my dad because of you, because you pointed out a place where we could go,’” Glidden said.

An accessible trails needs a hard, durable surface and cannot be too steep nor have roots or other debris that would hinder a wheelchair or trip someone walking. OAS measures the slopes of the trails at the preserve, advising they be adjusted when the trails are upgraded.

Ideally, slope grades would be under 8%. While accessibility standards say less than a 12% grade does the trick, Glidden said that slope is still “ridiculously hard” for a wheelchair user. Other trail construction considerations include creating rest areas at the top and bottom of slopes for users to take a break in their climbs or descents, particularly if they are more steep.

OAS then tags the trail data its gathers on a digital map. A trail construction team will then use the information to make the adjustments to trails through the meadow and down the woods to the marsh to create over a mile of accessible trails. Other accessible upgrades will include interpretive signage, benches and picnic tables.

MCHT launched a fundraising campaign goal for $500,000 by the end of the year for the project in Yarmouth, and the organization hopes to continue expanding the access of its preserved properties across the state going forward.

“This project, on a highly visible preserve thousands drive by every day, represents an extraordinary opportunity to advance these goals,” Deci said.

Glidden’s own adventures have also gained him a reputation in Maine and beyond as a formidable athlete. A shooter, skier and wheelchair racer, before age 18 he completed the Maine Marathon three times. In 2016, Glidden climbed El Capitan in Yosemite National Park — preparing with 800 pull-ups a day — about which a short documentary was made.

While Glidden may personally opt for the extreme end of outdoor adventures, he said that accessibility in the outdoors is about people making their own decisions about their ability to try something based on acute, ability-aware information about an outdoor location.

“It’s about really good information. That’s where accessibility really starts,” Glidden said.

“We’re not trying to tell people what’s accessible. We’re trying to give them the information so they can decide what’s accessible, because really, everyone deserves choices,” he said.