This award is given to a partnership which benefits agencies or services within the field of trail planning, design, or implementation.
Members of the Waldo County Trails Coalition
Waldo County Trails Coalition support community wellness by creating more opportunities for outdoor recreation, environmental education, nature observation.
The Waldo County Trails Coalition is a collaborative project of nine Waldo County organizations working to create a 47-mile year-round recreational footpath stretching from Unity to Belfast, Maine known as the Hills to Sea Trail.
The Coalition’s objectives are to support community wellness by creating more opportunities for outdoor recreation, environmental education, nature observation, and to deepen our sense of place.
The Coalition envisions the trail as a way to raise environmental awareness, support the working landscape, connect and strengthen communities, and support economic opportunity for farms and area businesses through tourism.
In 2012 work began on the 47-mile Hills to Sea Trail. Volunteers helped with the trail layout, cut, and establishing the trail. Over 60 land owners granted permission for the public to cross their land. The last section was completed in September 2016. The trail is open to hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
Without the support of local towns, citizens, businesses, nonprofits and schools, the trail would not have come to pass.
2023: USDA Forest Service Eastern Region 10-Year Trail Shared Stewardship Challenge
