Program Updates
Program Updates
- Details
- Category: Program Updates
Members of the MTB Collaborative have been working hard this summer to increase the accessibility of trails and mountain biking infrastructure in their communities. Together, the six organizations manage nearly 200 miles of very fun, well-constructed trails within roughly two hours of each other, centered in northern New Hampshire and extending to adjacent parts of Vermont, Quebec, and Maine.
The Collaborative decided in August to support three new projects that will help form thriving community connections and benefit local businesses. The mini-grants come from a shared pool of funds administered by the Center.
- Details
- Category: Program Updates
Attendees of the Moosehead Lake region’s first-ever Community Destination Academy are buzzing with energy about their initial “destination development” projects. As a result of the program, at the end of August, a rebuilt lakeside boardwalk will be installed in the center of Greenville, and participants are working together to enhance the capacity of 10 local events to attract visitors to the region.
The Northern Forest Center is working with its partners in the Maine Woods Consortium to bring this program to the Moosehead region. Additional partners include the Maine Office of Tourism, Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, and Destination Moosehead Lake.
- Details
- Category: Program Updates
Mahoosuc Pathways has hired an experienced forestry team to conduct a Natural Resource Inventory on the proposed 978-acre Bethel Community Forest in western Maine. Foresters Dave DeGruttola and Patrick Smerczynski of LandVest in Bethel will also help the community create a 10- to 15-year stewardship plan for the property.
The Northern Forest Center and the Trust for Public Land are partnering with Mahoosuc Pathways, the Town of Bethel and local residents to create this new Community Forest, which, when completed, will provide access to the neighboring Bingham Forest and create a 3,600-acre tapestry of conserved lands between Bethel and the peaks of Sunday River.
- Details
- Category: Program Updates
To address the critical need for reliable broadband in the rural communities of western Maine, the Center has helped develop a roadmap intended to lead to WiFi Hotspots, digital literacy training, community infrastructure, and a new regional fiber loop. The newly released Maine West Regional Broadband Technology Plan focuses on improving high speed internet access in the Maine West area that stretches across the Oxford Hills, Bethel, and River Valley areas. 
The plan grows from a yearlong process involving nearly 100 people that was led by the Maine West collaborative, a partnership coordinated by the Northern Forest Center. Members include local and regional organizations dedicated to addressing systemic rural challenges and enhancing community well-being in western Maine through increased collaboration across the economic, education, health, and conservation sectors.
The ConnectME Authority awarded a $78,000-grant to the Center to fund the project, which was coordinated by Community Concepts Finance Corporation, another partner in Maine West. The Maine West Regional Broadband Technology Plan includes recommendations in three categories: Regional Collaboration, Community Infrastructure Plans, and Digital Inclusion and Literacy.