David Marcus, a 17-year-old Wiscasset High School junior, wants to make trails between Morris Farm, the Sortwell Pines Management Area, and the Community Center more accessible. He will get his Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts as a result and the community will benefit by having new kiosks at each trail head and markers, he said.

“A lot of people around here just run along the road,” Marcus said as he stood in his Boy Scouts uniform at the start of one of the trails. “It seems like wasted space if they're not used.”

In a letter to the editor, Marcus asked the community for help with the project, which seeks to improve the trails and to let people know the location of the trail system.

Marcus said the sidewalks narrow at certain points out along town roads, which poses a hazard for people who like to get outside and run. “It's also a way for the community to get tied into nature more,” he said.

With community support from members of his father's snowmobile club and others, Marcus plans to build informational kiosks at the head of each trail in this trail system. The kiosks will have large maps of the trail system, distances of each trail and also event notices for the Community Center, he said.

Marcus is also organizing an annual trail clean-up and maintenance day, which he hopes will attract many participants.

Wiscasset Parks and Recreation Director Tod Souza said staff would help Marcus with his project and hopes others will pitch in to help.  

“I don't think people realize what a great trail system we have out there,” Souza said.

The trails are not easily recognizable from the Community Center, nor from Morris Farm. There are clear trails through the woods, with small paint marks and arrows on the trees, but out in open areas there are no signs pointing visitors in the right direction.

“David is a fantastic young man,” Souza said, commenting on Marcus's involvement in community projects and involvement in outdoor activities. “I'm proud of David for taking on this project. This is a project that will benefit the community for years to come.”

Donations to the cause can be sent to the David Marcus Eagle Project, 132 West Alna Road, Wiscasset, ME 04578. To learn more about it or to volunteer, contact Souza at the Community Center: 207-882-8230.

Wiscasset has many trails that are open free to the public. To learn more, click here.