Have you heard? Fat biking is all the rage! Our “Connecting Community to Town Forests” initiative is the result of a longstanding working relationship between Georges River Land Trust and the Thomaston Conservation Commission. A collaborative effort to engage local youth in healthy outdoor experiences through the construction of a professional single-track multi-use path through the town-owned forest. Georges River Land Trust, the Midcoast Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association, Trail Runners of Midcoast Maine, Sidecountry Sports, Stonescape Masonry, and Oceanside Middle School all collaborated on phase one of the project. These trails opened to the public in October 2018 and support a new physical education program at Oceanside Middle School.

Oceanside Middle School was the recipient of the Riding for Focus grant from the Specialized Foundation. The school has been awarded 36 mountain bikes through the grant for physical education and after school programs to use cycling as a tool for students to achieve academic, health and social success. The Riding for Focus program will provide a combination of cycling, fitness and academic performance, all while instilling a lifelong passion for the outdoors in students who participate in the program.

Georges River Land Trust thanks Sidecountry Sports in Rockland for their ongoing generous contributions to the “Connecting Community to Town Forests” initiative.

The project needs your support, too, through contributions and volunteering to continue into the second phase. Businesses like Sidecountry Sports and Stonescape Masonry are examples of local leaders making their communities better. If you would also like to contribute (donations, supplies or volunteer) please call Brent West at (207) 594-5166. Thank you!

Click here for more information on the Thomaston Town Forest.