Maine Trails Bond Approved by Voters

News release

Maine voters have decisively approved (55% - 45%) a first-ever $30 million Maine Trails Bond to repair and expand all types of trails statewide. The successful passage of the bond solidifies Maine's position as a national leader in outdoor recreation to support local economic growth and expand access for all users.

Starting in January 2025, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands will initiate a new competitive grant program to provide $7.5 million per year over four years to towns, organizations, and clubs. The funding will support design, maintenance, and construction of trails of all types, including non-motorized, motorized, and multi-use trails.

The campaign to pass the bond brought together a diverse array of outdoor recreation interests. More than 520 Maine towns, organizations, businesses, and clubs endorsed the bond, including the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, L.L. Bean, Maine Municipal Association, Maine Snowmobile Association, ATV Maine, Bicycle Coalition of Maine, New England Mountain Bike Association, Maine Tourism Association, and Maine Outdoor Brands. The Maine House of Representatives voted 133-6 and the Maine Senate voted 29-3 to send the bond to the ballot.

"This resounding approval reflects how deeply Maine people value the outdoors and recognize its importance to our way of life," said Jenny Kordick, Executive Director, Maine Outdoor Brands. "The Trails Bond will solidify Maine's position as a national leader in outdoor recreation and fuel growth in our $3 billion outdoor economy. Investing in trails means investing in Maine's future-making our state an even more desirable place to live, work, visit, and do business. With this support, our outdoor brand and industry will continue to thrive."

"This strong vote by Maine people to invest in current and future trails is great news for our economy and trail users statewide," said Pete Didisheim, Advocacy Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. "Passage of the Trails Bond was the result of a broad-based statewide coalition of people, organizations, and towns who were united around a common vision of making Maine a top-tier state in the nation that is known for our outstanding trails."

"What a night for Maine's trails! It's not often you get to see this type of support that will pay dividends for generations to come," said Gabe Perkins, Executive Director, Inland Woods + Trails and Co-Coordinator of the Maine Trails Coalition."No matter if you walk, bike, ski, sled, ride, paddle, or roll, trails in Maine will be better off in the future than they are today with this $30 million investment. I'm so thankful to the voters of this great state for supporting this historic investment in our recreational infrastructure."

"I'm very impressed by our commitment to achieve this goal of passing a first-ever trails bond!" said Al Swett, President of the Maine Snowmobile Association. "The MSA snowmobile clubs, and all of the other clubs and organizations who value trails will now be able to use these funds to make Maine an even better trail destination for the future!"

"I am beyond excited about this win on the Maine Trails Bond. I cannot express enough how thankful I am to the people of Maine!" said Steve Kasacek, Assistant Director, Outdoor Sport Institute."Over the last few months, I've met with many communities across the state, helping them assess, plan, and design trails. These communities have been putting in the prep work and are ready to make use of these funds as soon as they're available. While the bond passed, the hard work is just beginning. Now 'it's time to roll up our sleeves, sharpen our saws, grab our trail tools, and get dirty! I am thrilled to start putting people to work on our trails, especially young people. This bond will not only improve our trails, creating huge returns on investment, it will give people meaningful hard work outside, something this state is well known for."

Here's how the Maine Trails Bond will work:

• Beginning in 2025, 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.