Presumpscot Regional Land Trust

10/16/2026

Our October Newsletter is out! We've got a busy weekend ahead of us celebrating a trail opening, annual meeting, and the glory of fall in our region. Plus, volunteer water quality monitoring results are in, and we share details on our upcoming prescribed burn at Steep Falls. Read up on all the news at

Fall is a great time to be outside, and the PRLTeam will be out and about in our community all weekend! We hope you can join us for any (or all?) of the below activities.

10/16/2026

Look at that crew! Volunteers from Evergreen Credit Union spent Indigenous Peoples' Day at Mill Brook Preserve walking all the trails and helping us inventory fallen trees, dangerous roots, and broken bridge decking that is in need of a little TLC. Massive thanks to this team for helping PRLT staff keep this large preserve safe for our community to enjoy - we're so grateful for your partnership!

10/16/2026

We are planning to conduct a controlled burn at Steep Falls Village Preserve on Saturday, October 24, in partnership with Standish Fire-EMS. Mill Street will be closed the entire day, along with Mill Street Park and the trail network on the Steep Falls Village Preserve. After the burn, the preserve may be closed for up to a few weeks to monitor conditions for safety.

Prescribed fires are common tools for managing grasslands and vegetation in the southern parts of the United States, but are relatively new concepts to our area. We know people may be wondering: what is a prescribed fire? And why are we doing one at Steep Falls? Abigail has been preparing us for this burn for months, and is here to give lots of background (including how she personally became interested in this management practice) in our latest blog post –

This fall, PRLT is conducting its first prescribed fire. But what exactly does that mean? Abigail steps in to explain how and why burns are safely used for land management.

10/15/2026

We're opening the new Universal Access Trail and celebrating the name change at Windham Community Forest this Saturday! All are welcome to join us and the Town of Windham, Maine/Windham Parks & Recreation at 9:00 a.m. at the Atherton Hill Trailhead (189 Falmouth Road - formerly East Windham Conservation Area) for short remarks and a walk on the finished trail.

What is the Windham Community Forest, you ask? Following several months of work and a recommendation by the East Windham Steering Committee, on September 8th the Windham Town Council voted to formally rename the combined property of East Windham Conservation Area and Lowell Preserve to Windham Community Forest. Read more about the process on our blog at https://www.prlt.org/blog/2026/10/2/re-introducing-windham-community-forest

10/14/2026

We're in peak foliage season here in Southern Maine! Emily gave some recs to the Portland Press Herald for PRLT preserves where the leaf peeping is sure to be popping off this week.

With Southern Maine at peak leaf season, here are some of the best places along Route 302 for viewing fall colors

10/12/2026

Did you know that some of PRLT's preserves are open to hunting? Abigail has been putting up yard signs at our properties where hunting is allowed (subject to all state and local regulations, of course) including Black Brook Preserve, Mill Brook Preserve, and Windham Community Forest.

Please take care when you're on the trails this fall – we recommend wearing bright orange whenever you're in the woods during hunting season so you're easily seen by all.

10/10/2026

This is the last weekend for prize pickup! Bring your completed Summer Trail Challenge passport to REI Westbrook (90 Rock Row, Westbrook, ME 04092) to claim your special 2026 patch (and sticker!) before the end of the day on Monday, October 12. Imagine all the outdoor gear you could add this badge of honor to – a sweatshirt, a backpack, a hat, the options are almost endless. We'd love to see how you display your patch, so tag us in any photos you post on Facebook and Instagram!

10/10/2026

Our 2026 Annual Meeting is right around the corner! From building Gorham Community Forest, to making improvements at East Windham Conservation Area and Lowell Preserve, to updating our water quality monitoring program, we’ve had a busy year worth celebrating. Whether you’re a member, volunteer, business sponsor, partner organization, or just enjoy walking at one of our preserves, this event is also a celebration of what you share with our community.

📅 Sunday, October 18, 2026
🕔 3:30–5:30 PM
📍 Randall Orchards
🖋 RSVP: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/egUqkyysqI2MxUbB3keB5Q

We’re excited to be welcoming a guest speaker this year! Keith Carson, former broadcast meteorologist and current Director of Environment and Science Communications with Maine Conservation Voters, will be joining us for a short keynote. He’ll share data about how our climate is changing and impacting the lands and waters we love, as well as strategies for how we can work in community to spark collective change.

Come raise a glass (of c***r, of course 🍎) and toast with us to a year full of growth and connection. We look forward to seeing you there!

10/08/2026

We're excited to be hosting an orienteering and scavenger hunt at Windham Community Forest exactly a month from now! Up North Orienteers is organizing a full day of exploring in the woods for expert and newcomers alike.

There is no pre-registration: drop by any time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8 at the Lowell Farm Trailhead (47 Falmouth Rd) to grab a course map that suits your abilities. (If you come early, you may be able to try multiple short courses!)

10/08/2026

Rivermeadow Nature Preserve has been hit with several graffiti tags lately, including on a bench, the kiosk, and the story walk. It makes it reallyyyyyyyy hard to read a book when the words are half-covered in paint.

Consider this our plea to anyone thinking about defacing public property: please do not ruin items on our preserves that are there for our community to use and enjoy.