Grant awarded for creation of motorized vehicle trail in Moosehead Lake region

Work will begin on a multiuse snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle trail that will link the Greenville Junction Trailhead to the Prong Pond Trailhead thanks to an $18,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture obtained by the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council.
 
Both ATVs and snowmobiles are now blocked in Greenville, and the grant will fund creation of a loop trail around Moosehead Lake for snowmobilers, the council’s Ken Woodbury, who wrote the grant proposal, said Thursday. It also will open up a good portion around the lake for ATV riders, with the exception of Seboomook, where some private landowners will not allow them, he noted.
 
“This represents a significant impetus to reconnect the snowmobile trail from Greenville to Kokadjo and access the Moosehead Lake Loop Trail,” Woodbury said.
 
Woodbury said the grant will provide local snowmobile and ATV experts the cash to scout and design the best-fit trail that has landowner permission. President Ken Snowdon of the Moosehead ATV Riders Club and Tom McCormick, president of the Moosehead Riders Snowmobile Club, will take the lead in designing a trail connecting Greenville to the Kokadjo trail system. The Maine Department of Conservation will assist the local clubs.
 
The grant also has training funds to help Moosehead Lake region businesses attract and retain off-road motorized vehicle customers. Woodbury said the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce and the economic development council will hold workshops for business owners to help them determine how to serve these people.
 
The match for the grant is being funded by off-road motorized clubs, according to Woodbury.