Naming ceremony and Universal Access Trail ribbon-cutting planned for Saturday
WESTBROOK – The crowd-favorite natural spaces of East Windham Conservation Area and Lowell Preserve have been officially united under one identity. On Sept. 8, the Windham Town Council voted to formally rename the combined property as Windham Community Forest.
“As we learned more about how people use the spaces and began thinking about long-term management plans, it became clear that unifying the two preserves under one identity would make a lot of sense,” Linda Brooks, director of Windham Parks and Recreation, said.
The Council established the East Windham Steering Committee in January to recommend a new name that unifies the two preserves and to develop a process for establishing a master plan for further development and management of the property. This committee is composed of 11 representatives from town committees, recreational groups, nearby residential associations, and the general public and is staffed by Brooks and Presumpscot Regional Land Trust’s Executive Director Will Sedlack.
The committee brainstormed names over the course of several sessions and sent the top four choices for public input via FlashVote in mid-August, then shared survey results with the Council to make the final name selection. The Council also approved new names for the two entrances to the preserve: the trailhead and parking area formerly for East Windham Conservation Area will be called Atherton Hill Trailhead (189 Falmouth Road) and the one formerly for Lowell Preserve will be called Lowell Farm Trailhead (45 Falmouth Road), honoring the history of both locations.
The land now known as Windham Community Forest consists of 1,104 acres of hilly and forested terrain with a mix of hardwood trees and scenic views of the White Mountains and Little Duck Pond. It is part of an over 2,000-acre conservation corridor–larger than any state park in Southern Maine.
“The scale of this project is considerable and is an incredible asset to our community,” Mark Morrison, chair of the Windham Town Council, said. “We believe that the name change will help promote this area as a recreation hub, bringing more visitors to Windham to experience this outdoor destination.”
The Town of Windham and PRLT have jointly managed Lowell Preserve since 2021 and East Windham Conservation Area since it was opened in 2023.
“With the Town as the property owner and PRLT holding a conservation easement, we have collaborated to make sure these spaces provide both a great place for the community to recreate year-round and for wildlife to thrive in perpetuity,” Sedlack said. The purchase of East Windham Conservation Area was made possible by the Land for Maine’s Future program, the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Town of Windham’s conservation bond, lead business partner Maine Community Bank and over 400 local individuals, businesses and foundations.
The preserve offers over 16 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, trail running and cross-country skiing. The newest trail is a Universal Access Trail, designed with a low grade and smooth path so wheelchairs, strollers, and other users with mobility concerns have access to the outdoors. The one-mile trail stretches from Atherton Hill Trailhead to the White Mountains Overlook and was partially funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
To celebrate the new name and the completion of the Universal Access Trail, PRLT and the Town are hosting a naming ceremony and ribbon-cutting on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. at the Atherton Hill Trailhead. All are welcome to come recognize and celebrate these community milestones. Weather permitting, following the ceremony, attendees will be invited to enjoy a guided walk along the UA Trail and experience the improved access it provides for all visitors to the preserve.
These changes are all part of continued strategic improvements at the preserve to elevate the user experience and to make the spaces easier for PRLT and the Town to manage. The steering committee will continue meeting to develop a management plan for the property. For future updates on the committee’s work, visit https://www.windhammaine.us/880/East-Windham-Steering-Committee.
For more information about the celebration, visit https://www.windhammaine.us/m/calendar/event/detail/7881.
For more information about Windham Community Forest, visit https://www.prlt.org/windham-community-forest.