The courtyard of Riverton Trolley Park in Portland. MaineCF photo
Thoughts of Maine might conjure up lush landscapes, but 96 percent of Maine's low-income and non-white residents live in a nature-deprived area.
In this episode of "Maine Ties" Nan Cumming, executive director of Portland Parks Conservancy, and Tom Farrell, director of parks and recreation for the Town of Brunswick, discuss what they are doing to bridge the nature gap and provide accessible green space for their communities.
The Portland Parks Conservancy is revitalizing Riverton Trolley Park, an overlooked space in an underserved neighborhood with support from MaineCF's Conservation for All grant program. A $10,000 grant in 2020 supported the initial planning phase to make Riverton Trolley Park’s shoreline, trails, woods, and fields more.
In Brunswick, the town is on a decades-long mission to return Merrymeeting Park to the public. MaineCF's Maine Land Protection grant program supported the purchase of the once-private property along Androscoggin River with water access and historical, prehistorical, and ecological assets.
