Steve's Trail Blog: Late Winter Update

Steve Kasacek | OSI Director of Trail Development & Education

During my tenure at the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), February always marked the start of field season. I’d drive south through the blooming redbuds and start somewhere like Georgia, slowly heading back north. Nowadays, at OSI I don’t usually see the woods until April or May, but this year I got the jump on fieldwork in the middle of March.

While the winter has kept me busy with prep for the upcoming season, I was excited to get some miles on the boots so early. OSI kicked off in the Katahdin region with a project in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). While there were no big backcountry hikes, we did help facilitate a day in the region looking at trail development sites.

As part of their CORA grant, TNC partnered with OSI to develop a trail design for a new walking path behind the Katahdin Higher Education Center (KHEC) in East Millinocket. KHEC recently completed an expansion and new early learning center. To provide outdoor learning opportunities and offer an easy walking option close to downtown, KHEC decided to create a trail behind their building on land donated by the Town.

In addition to the trail design, TNC is partnering with the Penobscot Indian Nation through their CORA funding. Jennifer Neptune and Tim Shay, both of the Penobscot Nation, joined us at KHEC to help envision the trail. Once the field layout is complete, Jennifer, Tim, and others will return to KHEC to walk the proposed trail and imagine Penobscot storytelling opportunities along it.

TNC’s CORA grant will also fund two monuments created by Tim Shay. These monuments will be stone statues, carved by Tim, to depict the Penobscot creation story of Glooscap. The monuments will be a set of seven, intended to be spread across Katahdin region trail sites while providing unique Penobscot storytelling.

OSI helped to facilitate a regional tour for Jennifer and Tim, travelling north to the Sebois River and stopping at active or planned trail sites along the way. Visits included discussion about the meaning of place, unique landscape features that spoke to Tim and Jennifer, and the importance of connection. OSI and TNC had the opportunity to listen to and learn from Jennifer and Tim, building a relationship for future partnership in the Katahdin region.

Part of this work that is always refreshing and inspiring is the variety of people I meet. I’ve always come to appreciate the stories I hear and perspectives I learn about while working across many communities. It was an honor to spend time in the woods with Jennifer and Tim and I look forward to more.

In the spring OSI will finalize the design of the KHEC walking trail with Penobscot support. A second regional tour during warmer months will allow the partners to better explore trail sites and meet with communities to spread the word about this exciting new project.