Blue flag with royal fern, skunk cabbage, pitcher plant and bog rosemary on red peat moss, and bladderwort… just a few of the unique plants you’ll see as you stroll along the .8 mile Orono Bog Boardwalk. On land stretching from the Bangor/Orono town line through to the University of Maine, this handicapped accessible trail was built on a natural bed of peat moss. In fact, the moss is 25 feet deep in some areas of the bog.
Much work has gone into preserving the bog since the National Park Service officially designated it as a national natural landmark in 1974. Although the bog is jointly managed by the University of Maine, the City of Bangor, and the Orono Land Trust, the wooden boardwalk built in 2002 and 2003 was the result of hard work and contributions by the Maine Conservation Corps, a Charleston Correctional Facility crew, and numerous other volunteers.
One active volunteer for the Bog Boardwalk is Encore Leadership Corps’ very own LYNN DEGRENIER. Lynn joined the project after attending a presentation by Jim Bird, Director of the Orono Bog Boardwalk, at the ENCorps Bangor regional gathering. Her children were heading off to college and she was looking for ways “to fill the void.” She saw the project as a way to get more involved in her community.
In 2010 she contacted Jim and soon became a central agent to the annual yard sale to raise money to maintain the Boardwalk. Nearly half the costs of maintaining the Boardwalk are covered by this fundraising event alone. For Lynn, one of the most rewarding aspects of working on the yard sale is witnessing the Boardwalk’s ability to be largely financially self-sustainable.
“It’s amazing to see how successful the one event proves to be each year,” she says. The event has become ingrained in the community and does not rely on solicitation. Lynn takes great pride in the ability of the event to be maintained year to year in “polite fashion. Nobody is bothered or guilted into making donations.”
Prior to her work with the Orono Bog Boardwalk, Lynn was an active leader in the Safe Medicine Disposal for ME program through her participation in the UMaine Center on Aging Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). Through her connection with Safe Med and RSVP, she began leading presentations on a regular basis and came to enjoy the bonds she made with people she met and it was there that she learned about Encore Leadership Corps. “I love the free workshops,” she says, “staying connected with other volunteers, and finding new ways to get involved.”
According to Lynn, the most empowering part of coordinating the yard sale each year is the social network she’s created with others in her community. She has also been able to use her connections to gain media coverage of the event. She reflected on how small the world can be when she spoke of seeing her son’s name along the Boardwalk as a volunteer many years ago.
“It makes you feel like you’re contributing,” she says, “like you’re getting more than you give.”
The boardwalk is open May 1- late November. In addition to the boardwalk, you will find 9.15 additional miles of trails through the Bangor City Forest. For more information and directions to the Orono Bog Boardwalk, visit www.oronobogwalk.org.
If you would like to help maintain the Boardwalk during the 2012 season, contact Phil Locke, Boardwalk Maintenance Leader, at plockebangor@hotmail.com.