Public invited to Dec. 10 Moosehead Outdoor Summit
GREENVILLE – The Northern Forest Center, Appalachian Mountain Club and other local recreation providers invite the public to the second Moosehead Outdoor Summit on Wednesday Dec. 10 from 5-7 p.m. at the Bartley Family Event Center in Greenville.
Presenters will share results from the Center-led Moosehead Outdoor Recreation Investment Strategy project which engaged business, non-profit, municipal and state-level stakeholders in a recreation inventory and planning process over the past year. Attendees will also have a chance to review the high-level results of a comprehensive survey conducted by AMC of recreationists in the region.
Both projects were made possible in part by the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation’s Community Outdoor Recreation Assistance program. The AMC project was focused primarily on its Maine Woods Initiative and surrounding properties, while the Center’s project encompassed the entire Moosehead Lake region. Thanks to generous support from the RK Mellon Foundation, the Center is currently working to help activate several priority projects identified through the MORIS project.
“We hope this new Moosehead Outdoor Recreation Investment Strategy will help groups in the Moosehead region work together to attract funding, connect people to great recreation opportunities and support natural resource stewardship,” said Mike Wilson, senior program director for the Northern Forest Center. “It was great to gather local groups to collect input on the investment strategy last winter. Now we’re excited to use this new framework to support ongoing collaboration among all the groups working to create great recreational opportunities for residents and visitors to the Moosehead region.”
In addition to learning about this planning process, local outdoor recreation providers will share updates on programming and infrastructure developments that may be of interest to the public. The event is a follow-up to a similar gathering hosted last February.
The MORIS investment framework, a list of specific investment priorities, a comprehensive GIS-based recreation inventory and survey results are available at
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/609ee14bf4024b5db706d5d2af031665/page/INTRODUCTION ?org=CommunityGIS .
“AMC and the Northern Forest Center are excited to share these results with our community partners and recreation users,” said Steve Tatko, a lifelong area resident and AMC’s vice president of land and conservation. “AMC is committed to providing meaningful public access to the lands it owns and stewards. The results of the study confirm the significance of the land to our local communities and economy and present new opportunities to strengthen access for locals and visitors alike.”
In addition to the Northern Forest Center and the Appalachian Mountain Club, project partners included the Moosehead Outdoor Alliance, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, the Town of Greenville, Destination Moosehead Lake, Elliotsville Foundation, Community Geographics and CRO Planning and Design.
Registration is not required, but organizers appreciate RSVPs. Please use this link, https://forms.office.com/r/ADevgjDgHN.