Maine Trails Bond offers voters a record-setting opportunity for Greenway support

The East Coast Greenway Alliance and its partners with the Maine Trails Coalition stand alongside leaders from Maine’s outdoor recreation, conservation, transportation, public health and economic development communities to encourage voters to invest in the state’s trails by voting Yes on Question 4 on November’s ballot.

This fall, many important issues are on the ballot across the country. It's a chance to support biking, walking, climate action, public health and the institutions that keep our communities strong. Let’s vote and encourage others to do the same.

In Maine, Question 4 will provide sorely needed funding for trails statewide through a first-ever $30 million Maine Trails Bond. This funding could be used to repair heavily used or damaged trails, expand and connect trails, create new trails and accessible outdoor spaces for everyone statewide

“Maine is already a national leader in outdoor recreation, with a significant portion of the state's economy and jobs tied to this vital sector,” said East Coast Greenway Alliance Executive Director Dennis Markatos-Soriano. “The Maine Trails Bond has the potential to elevate Maine as a national model by creating the resources necessary to meet the rising demand for trails and to ensure their ongoing maintenance. Continued investment in trails can make Maine the national leader in outdoor recreation.”

Maine’s trails, including more than 130 completed miles of the East Coast Greenway, are the heart of outdoor experiences and a core part of the state’s identity, fueling its economy, supporting local jobs and connecting communities across the state.

“We have an incredible opportunity to make transformative progress in Maine, given the current supportive legislative leadership at the state level, combined with record federal infrastructure funding. Our vision is to fill critical gaps of the East Coast Greenway in Maine with safe, off-road paths. Supporting the Maine Trails Bond can help make this vision a reality,” said East Coast Greenway Alliance Northern New England Manager Emily Paskewicz. 

The 367-mile East Coast Greenway spine route in Maine features more than 130 miles of beautiful traffic-separated trail. The route begins in Calais at the Canadian border and continues south and west through Downeast blueberry barrens, beautiful coastal communities and historic mill towns. The 87-mile Down East Sunrise Trail is the longest continuous stretch of the East Coast Greenway to date. Visitors to the Greenway can also enjoy a complementary 150-mile coastal route from Bucksport, which heads through Camden and Rockland, reconnecting with the spine route in Brunswick. 

“A completed East Coast Greenway will offer countless benefits: safe and accessible active transportation connections within and between communities; allowing residents and visitors to easily access and enjoy nature; and providing economic opportunities, especially in underserved rural communities,” Paskewicz said.

Despite their importance, many trails are in dire need of repair and enhancement, especially after unprecedented storms and record levels of use. Communities and organizations across Maine are developing exciting plans for expanded trails but lack the funding to make them a reality. Currently, Maine invests almost no public funding in Trails.

“Question 4 offers a rare opportunity for Mainers across the state to come together and support something we all value – our trails, the ones we enjoy today and the ones we can build for tomorrow,” said Emmie Theberge, Outreach Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. “Over the past 15 years, Maine voters have approved more than $1 billion for highway bonds, but we’ve never had an opportunity to vote for a Trails Bond. Now we’ll get the chance.”

“The Maine Trails Bond will help reaffirm Maine’s status as a national leader in outdoor recreation and further boost our $3 billion outdoor recreation economy,” said Jenny Kordick, Executive Director, Maine Outdoor Brands. “Investments in trails are an investment in our entire state, helping make Maine a desirable place to live, work, visit  and do business. Our outdoor brand and our outdoor industry will be strengthened by the Maine Trails Bond.”

How the Maine Trails Bond will work:

• The Bureau of Parks and Lands will administer $30 million over four years ($7.5 million per year) in competitive grant funding to towns, organizations and clubs;

• Funding will support the design, maintenance, and construction of trails, prioritizing accessibility and sustainable design standards;

• The Bond will provide equal access for all types of trail projects, including for motorized trail use, non-motorized uses, and multi-use trails; and

• The $30 million will help leverage other sources of public and private funding to support trail projects.

The Maine Trails Bond (L.D. 1156) was introduced in 2023 by Rep. Jessica Fay (D-Raymond) and Sen. Russell Black (R-Franklin County). More than 520 Maine towns, organizations, businesses and clubs signed a letter urging the Legislature to pass the legislation, which an overwhelming majority of the House and Senate did in April 2024. Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed the final measure, sending it to the November ballot to be considered by Maine voters.

The coalition that has endorsed the Maine Trails Bond includes 75 Maine cities and towns, 168 businesses, 41 ATV and snowmobile clubs, 43 statewide organizations and 193 local organizations. 

Support for outdoor recreation also is on the ballot in Rhode Island in the form of an Environmental and Recreational Infrastructure Bond Measure. If passed, the 2024 Green Bond would allocate $53 million in bonds for environmental-related infrastructure, local recreation projects and for preservation of land. Of these funds, $5 million would go to 80% “matching grants for municipalities to acquire, develop or rehabilitate local recreational facilities to meet the growing needs for active outdoor recreational facilities.”  

Live outside the East Coast Greenway corridor but want to “Vote for Bikes” this fall? People for Bikes has compiled a list of funding measures on state ballots this November. “Many of the issues and values we care about are on the ballot across our nation. We all need to step up for biking and walking, for the climate and public health and for respect for the democratic institutions that help our communities and nation thrive,” Markatos-Soriano said. “We need to turn out ourselves and encourage our friends and neighbors to do the same.”