 So welcome. Thanks everyone for coming tonight to the Portland Trails annual meeting if you're a member This is your meeting. You're the ones who vote for our officers those folks that direct the organization Officers and new board members. So please make sure that you've signed in I think we caught everyone, but if you didn't sign in, please Please do so. We have to document who's here for the technicalities of the annual meeting portion of the event We'll take about 15 minutes and then we'll get to the really interesting part of the meeting with all of the presentations So if you're not a member of Portland Trails We strongly encourage you to become a member and you can also do that back here at the entrance table So don't hesitate to do that then you can vote So Who do we have in the room tonight? What does it take for Portland Trails to succeed? It takes all of us Everyone that's in this room is helping Portland Trails succeed in one way or another So we're gonna do a little exercise here When I call out a category if you fit in it stand up So who here is among the 1,700 Volunteers that have worked on our trails in the last year to keep them in good shape. Go ahead and stand up Who is here that are one of the 200 people that have volunteered at various events to help those events go? Smoothly over the course of the last year. Go ahead and stand up Partners that are here this evening. Please stand up and if you stood up keep standing. Don't sit on How about race participants who ran the trail the ale or the holiday dash this year go ahead and stand up Who's who's a member all of our members? Please go ahead and stand on up How about board members and advisory trustees stand who's been on a trail in the last year? All right, if there's anybody who didn't stand up yet You have to come see me So I can get you out on a trail Thank you so much to every single one of you for all that you do to support Portland trails We're only able to do the work because we have so many great supporters. I Want to thank the people that have supported this event this evening certainly oxbowl brewing and Bottling for this great event And then you we also have some excellent food over there on my far left Coming from Duchess from standard baking from Trader Joe's and from Dean's Suites So don't miss it be sure and and help yourself at some point this evening As I've said our work takes a lot of people and what I want to do next is highlight the many committees That our board has because these are great ways for you to get involved I'm going to introduce the committee chair So you'll know who does search out over the course of the evening if you would like to get involved on a committee So first the finance committee Yvonne Moumé over here Trails and active transportation we have Mark Arienti He was somewhere work. You're hiding. He's here The communications committee is chaired by Laura Barger There she is Our development committee is chaired by Laura Greenstein It's great that Development is popular because it's very important and it doesn't mean developing real estate Place our placemaking work group is headed up by Kate O'Brien And finally we're actively working to organize a conservation working group So if that's an area that you have expertise in would like to get involved in Please see either myself or Kara over the course of the evening. It's important work that we do Our focus as I'm sure all of you know For Portland trails is to work to create a healthier community Through trails through active transportation through conservation and through community building across all of greater Portland That's why we're here. That's what we do every day We've had an excellent 27th year With a lot of different accomplishments. Some of them I'll run through we've greatly strengthened our trail steward program thanks to Support from Evergreen Credit Union who's represented here tonight So the there are trail stewards are the folks who commit to going out on a particular trail or segment of trail every week To help us know if there are maintenance issues or things we need to be mindful of when you have a staff of five and 70 miles of trail It's wonderful to have those extra eyes to help maintain it all. So we're really excited about the trail steward program We've made significant trail upgrades in Evergreen Cemetery in the Four River Sanctuary and in Virginia Woods Hopefully some of you have seen some of that work We've made progress restoring the health of the forest and estuary systems at Burley Mile Pond And in the Brickyard Point in Falmouth We've had a sixth year of successful Sundays on the Boulevard where the Boulevard is closed So everyone can skate and play ride their bikes have a great time on Sundays That will start in May so start planning some fun on the Boulevard In collaboration with the City of Portland Parks We made significant trail upgrades in the trail network in Presumskot River Reserve And we're so very fortunate to continue to have very positive Collaboration with the municipal staff and many departments across Portland South Portland Falmouth and Westbrook to get our work done We had our 19th running of the trail to AL-10k That of course means this year is the 20th big one We had our 9th running of the holiday dash in December again 10th one coming up big one and I think the last thing that I'll highlight that was Really really wonderful was that we were able to significantly raise our profile on the international stage this year As Cara was invited to speak at the World Trails Network Conference in Barcelona at the very end of September basically basically introducing the concept of urban trails and Pointing out how very valuable they can be in cities and communities of our size So that was super exciting and really what it did for those of us working closely with Portland trails it was a real moment to step back and Just realize what a very unique and valuable resource We have right here in Greater Portland helping us have a healthier and more vibrant Community to live in so wonderful work happened in 2019 thanks to everyone who made that possible as I've said this work takes all of us This room and about 2,000 more people when we add up all of our volunteers but There are certain people that deserve some very Significant and special recognition and that is the teeny tiny staff of Portland trails driving it all So I would like to take a moment and introduce Cara Waldrick our executive director Jamie Parker our trails and active transportation manager Daniel Bishop our stewardship and volunteer manager Nancy Grant our advancement manager Allison violet our Everything falls that to Allison person and Laura Newman. I don't believe is here, but continues to work Very actively on school ground greening. She's an important member of the team. This is my chance This is my chance to make a little plug. We're right now Looking for a part-time communications manager So if you happen to know anyone with that skill set looking for a fun environment and a great mission To work for and with we sure would love to get their resumes. So thanks for that again Thank you to this amazing staff for everything that they've been able to accomplish in 2018 Lastly, I'd like to take the board a second to thank the board. They'll be introduced later I won't do that now, but I personally would just like to thank the board and the staff For all of their support over these last couple of years during my term as president We've tried some new things. We've some have gone. Well, some have been learning experiences But I think it has been a great couple of years And it's certainly been an honor for me to serve in this position So thank you to everyone and with that I'll turn it over to Kate O'Brien Who will run the heart of the business meeting? I have the privilege my name is Kate O'Brien I'm vice president of the Portland Trails Board. I have the privilege of doing the business portion of our meeting We'll keep it quick. But if you're a member this time is for you to do some voting I'd like to introduce to you our slate of trustees that are up for reelection When I call your name, please stand Stephen Wells original election in 2013 Rob Levin original election 2004 Jennifer Kutchall original election 2016 Bill Hall original election 2016 Thank you Do you all elect to approve these directors to a three-year term hang on a second way for it? I would like to call for a motion to approve Thank you may have a second all those in favor, please raise your hand. Thank you Congratulations fellow trustees and now we have a potential new board member who has been nominated to the board of trustees His name is David Marsden David has lived in Maine most of his life. He's a proud Portland resident since 1987 He resides in the Deering area with his wife honor Mac a professional artist and Mika professor Their daughter Olivia and faithful canine companions Arlo and Tilda The family frequents the Portland Trail system in the four river sanctuary and the Stroudwater River area for quick escapes into nature David is one of Portland's top realtors enthusiastically helping clients find new homes in our wonderful city When he's not in the office David can be found playing in the outdoors enjoying everything from windsurfing or paddling on Casco Bay to skiing and riding the slopes of sugarloaf So you might imagine why we're thrilled to have him on a slate as a potential trustee of the organization May I have a motion to approve David's nomination to the board of trustees? May I have a second? All those in favor, please say I Thank you And welcome David. We've got some work for you to do with us Now may I present to you the full board of trustees for 2019? Officers who serve two-year terms? Wendy Sirstett president until June Just not ready This is a little awkward Cato Brian vice president who will become president in June Yvonne Moomey treasurer and Rachel Alfon secretary trustees Andy Abrams Mark Arienti Matt ball Laura Barger Jennifer Kutchall Matthew Forsyte Laura Greenstein Bill Hall Alex Agerman Jenny shoe Stephen Wells and David Marston. I also like to draw your attention to our advisory trustees If you could please stand when I call your name on these are folks who help us and guide us in our direction In a number of special ways Colin Baker Ellen Belknapp Roger Burley Michael Brennan Heather Chandler Jim Cohen Nate Dyer Elizabeth Aaronfield Bruce Hyman Tom Jewel our co-founder Susie Kist Bob Krug Brie the case David Lattell Burnham Martin Jay Peter Monroe Eliza Cope Nolan John Osborne Phil Parrier Aurelia C. Scott Nathan Smith co-founder Richard Spencer co-founder Phil Thompson and Lois Winter Thank you so much for your support. I'd now like to turn the mic over to Yvonne for the treasurer's report It's my pleasure to report to you on the state of Portland Trails finances Portland Trails annual expenses are approximately five hundred thousand dollars We are able to keep our expenses low as we rely on over a thousand volunteers annually to help us build and maintain the trails Assist with events and service advisors To pay for expenses the majority of our income comes from individuals like youth for memberships Contribute contributions to our annual fund and participation in events such as the Trail to Ale. Thank you Thank you also to the local businesses who support us through corporate partnership event sponsorships and our adopt a trail program After our accountants finalized the review of our 2018 Financials we anticipate having a modest surplus. Thank you to Portland Trails staff supporters and volunteers for making 2018 a successful year If you have any questions or would like more detailed financial information, please be sure to talk to me this evening. Thank you And I'd like to welcome Wendy back to the stage So that basically concludes the business meeting this evening. I would like to one more time Thank you for joining this annual meeting. I've also got three important save the dates So those of you that have phones you're allowed to get them out and put these dates right in there right now So July 13th that will be the city at your feet Modal scavenger hunt across the city if you've never done this. It's hilarious. It's well worth wonderful summer afternoon to participate walking running a biking taking the bus Finding clues around greater Portland. So July 13th. It'll be a wonderfully fun time Our trail the ale the 20th running of the trail the ale will be September 15, and that registration is open so come on out and Finally the 10th annual holiday dash will be December 8th You don't have to get your Santa suit out yet, but you should be thinking about it. So some big events coming up also www.trails.org Very important and a very cool that that is our website Dan Daniels got the volunteer days already posted for the upcoming few months to come on out and help maintain a trail If you haven't done it before that's also very much worth your time So lots going on lots to keep up with you can keep up through the newsletters through the email blasts or Any type of social media that you happen to to use so please keep up with us Please continue supporting Portland trails and thanks again for being here. So I'm Cara I'm the executive director of Portland trails. Thanks for coming to our annual meeting and 15 by 15 Thank you to oxbow blending and bottling for hosting us Thank you to Portland Media Center who is filming tonight Thank you to Dutch's Trader Joe's Dean suites and standard baking company for the yummy snacks over there If you didn't see them get on them. They're really good Thank you to our members volunteers supporters our board our staff and everyone who pitches in in countless ways throughout the year This is about you guys tonight Often people ask us what we're up to so just a little preview about 2019 what we're up to We'll be doing some significant trail upgrades in for River Sanctuary We are hoping to create a wheelchair accessible trail in Kenco Woods Which is That land is owned by the city and we manage it and we're hoping to partner with residents from woods at Kenco to do that Habitat restoration is a focus of our work throughout the trail network We'll be providing many grants to community-driven place-making projects in Westbrook South Portland and Portland this summer We're enhancing our trail stewards program. These are the Awesome awesome volunteers that go and visit a trail every single week and report back to us about what they find There are eyes and ears on the ground and we are looking for another 10 or so this year So if you're out there walking a dog or yourself or a child or riding your bike through Stop on by the table and talk to whoever's over there about joining the team We'll have the sixth season of Sundays on the boulevard starting the first weekend of May And with the rapid pace of new construction development You can be rest assured that we'll be focusing on Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout greater Portland It's important to keep that in mind always But why are we doing this work? Why are we transforming greater Portland into a healthier community for people-powered transportation Conservation and recreation why are we creating and maintaining a network of trails and green spaces and parklets and bicycle infrastructure? That connect to people with places. I'll give you a few logic-based reasons first. We do it for humans When a trailer of green spaces within a half mile of a person's home, they're much more likely to use it People who use local green spaces are physically mentally and emotionally healthier Healthier individuals lead to thriving and diverse neighborhoods better schools and a more resilient and robust local economy We do it for nature Green spaces and urban areas provide crucial wildlife habitat important air and water quality benefits as well as natural ways to decrease the impacts of climate change We do it for the community when a town or city is built at a human scale Versus a scale of an automobile. It encourages healthier exchanges between people. It encourages more walking and cycling That's why we transform greater Portland, but how do we do it? That's where you get to the heart of the matter You are how we do it. We keep chipping away at cynicism by bringing people together 2,000 of them each year to get their hands dirty to invest and to love their community We remind people that changing this world is not about voting is not only about voting every two years It's also about taking a walk every single day It's not just about getting corporate dollars out of the government It's about walking and biking to a local business and spending your dollars there It's not about you having to solve climate change. It's about you choosing not to drive your car a couple times or every day It's not about red politics. It's not about blue politics. It's about improving a trailhead With a neighbor who looks or loves or prays differently The stories you will hear tonight will provide evidence from the heart We all have stories to share tonight You are going to meet some amazing people who are brave enough to get up here and tell their stories under the constraint of the 15 by 15 format For that alone, they deserve our admiration Combined tonight stories reveal the character of our community It's easy to see where our neighborhoods city policies transportation systems and schools could use improvement It's easy to complain about what is wrong But it takes an entirely different spirit and set of skills to instead see the opportunity and start working toward a better future That's the spirit of tonight's presenters These are the doers. These are the folks that create positive processes and outcomes that strengthen our community Portland Trails is honored to host some of Maine's change agents tonight It is their spirit and tenacity and humor and mindfulness that make the Portland Trails community unique Thank you to each of our presenters Thank you to our audience. You guys have a role tonight, too You don't get out of it. Just because you're sitting We need you to give your thumbs up your yee-haw's your claps your woo-hoo Throughout the presentation support people while they're up there up here You also have stories to share and we intentionally have an intermission between the presentations So that you can meet somebody new in the community and share your story our community is strengthened by the sharing of these stories and In order for me to make sure that you guys are all feeling lively and jazzed Somebody that's worked at Portland Trails for the longest period of time is celebrating a birthday today and She'll probably kill me right after this, but it's time to sing happy birthday to Laura Newman Thrilled to introduce tonight's ringleader, you know often we call them the master of ceremonies And I was like, hey Casey, it seems weird to call you a mistress of ceremonies So let's call you the ringleader Casey Gilbert is executive director of Portland downtown Casey strives to make downtown a cleaner safer more vibrant place for all Her love of all things downtown ignited 15 years ago when she volunteered for her local Main Street program in Laconia, New Hampshire When she's not thinking about urban placemaking Demographic shifts or planning strategically you can find Casey on the tennis courts the bowling alley Or snuggled up by the wood stove with her fur babies Koji and Samson Some of her favorite Portland Trails are in and around evergreen where she enjoys people peaceful walks, especially on warm summer days If you want to strike up a conversation with Casey simply mentioned Australia her home away from home Welcome Casey. Well, thank you Cara for the wonderful introduction and thank you all. I'm so honored and humbled to have been asked to MC tonight's 15 by 15 event Portland Trails is an organization that's near and dear to my heart and the impact that they make as you all know is both hugely positive and Also incredibly visible When I moved to Portland I spent the first several months introducing myself to everyone and there's many of you in this room Who are like, oh, yeah, I remember Casey called me for coffee when she got here Cara was one of the first people I met and when I was thinking about how I might describe her in three words And you have to give me a little leeway because one of them is hyphenated What I came up with was kind Collaborative and mission-driven and I think you can all agree with that Her leadership is integral to the success of Portland Trails So you may have already applauded her tonight But I think we need to give Cara a huge round of applause just for being Cara As a nonprofit executive director myself, I understand that it takes a village to make everything come together So I'd also like to recognize the staff and board I know you've probably applauded but we're getting our hands warmed up here So for the staff and board of Portland Trails one more round of applause for these hard-working non-profit warriors and Finally Portland Trails couldn't do a fraction of the work that they do without all of you the members Supporters and friends of Portland Trails. So one final round of applause for all of you tonight. Okay All right, so now you have your applause hands all warmed up So I'm gonna give you an overview of what to expect and I think Cara did a good job But just to debrief again, we're gonna hear 11 presentations From passionate change makers who are doing amazing and impactful work in the greater Portland area and across the state From land conservation and trails to active transportation and healthy and sustainable communities There's no doubt. You're gonna leave here tonight inspired by their stories So here's how it works for these brave people in just four minutes each Presenter is gonna go through 15 slides do the math. That's 15 seconds a slide. I have no idea how they're gonna do it Most of them have done nothing like this before So first we're gonna have six captivating and energizing presentations Then we'll have a break so you can hydrate grab a beer stretch and connect with each other And then we'll all come back and give our undivided attention to the final five presenters Who are all as equally and as visionary and passionate as each other So before we begin just a quick and friendly reminder to please turn off your cell phones This would be a great time to just disconnect and pretend you don't even have a cell phone for the next hour And most importantly, there's three rules. The first rule of fight club is no, I'm just kidding Okay, there's three rules tonight that you cheer wildly for each presenter and I've already tested you so I know you can clap That's great. The second one is to listen attentively while they're presenting So I know it's really easy to get caught up in all the interesting amazing people who are here with you tonight But these people have worked really hard on these presentations So if we can give them our undivided attention while they're presenting that would be wonderful And then we want you to discuss passionately during the break and for days and weeks after tonight Do you think you can do that? Okay, I think we need to practice one cheer before we get started So how about you give me your best way to go well done hooting and hollering ready? Let's go Okay, you've proven yourselves worthy of our first presenter Mary Cerulo So Mary Cerulo's thing is the ocean So much so that when she moved to Maine in 1981 she bought a complete fixer upper Just because it was two blocks from the ocean Mary a self-proclaimed dilettante in the name of translating science has come face-to-face with ten Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas We're glad she survived that ordeal to be with us today Let's welcome Mary to the stage to be the first to ring the bell. How many people here love Casco Bay? Okay I'm with friends of Casco Bay and I have a challenge for you if you were to do this one thing it would Improve the health of Casco Bay immediately tomorrow. Does anyone know what it is? Stop using fertilizers and pesticides How does this move does this move automatically? Oh Okay We started a program 20 years ago Called base gaping because we recognize the connection between our backyard including the one of mine that was a fixer-upper falling down House that needed all sorts of repairs, but it was two blocks from Mullard Beach We started a program. That's called base gaping which recognizes the connection between what we do in the land and What happens in the ocean? I don't know if any of you remember the days of The blue laws When they didn't have big box doors. Well, that's when things started to change in development our program is based on research education and recognition and so we tested water That was flowing into Casco Bay We tested sediments that we found pyrethroids in and these are some of the results that I'm happy to share with you online But we found 13 different pesticides flowing into Casco Bay and that was enough for us to be concerned to ask people to stop using pesticides some of which can kill Insects and kill lobsters, but we're actually more concerned about this thing here the rise of slime which leads to Green slime on coves And it's a result of these little beasties the plants that need nitrogen phytoplankton algae and Too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing And what happens is when there's excess nitrogen in the water It ends up creating all sorts of problems and here you can actually see where we tested and found that a lot of that Excess nitrogen is course coming from us and closest to land is where the worst conditions are So we have been trying to get people to stop using Things like well, you can't stop sewage, but it comes from there Reduce their driving because it comes from tailpipes and smokestacks clean up after your pet and If you were going to do one thing lawn fertilizer Because this may look great as a color for your lawn This is the wrong color for a cove in Casco Bay and some of you may recognize behind Hannaford and South Portland and when you get this much green slime all the little things that live underneath die and Then once the green slime dies, then you have problems in fish kills. See those white dots Those are all dead fish because bacteria use up the oxygen and then the bacteria as they decay the green slime Add carbon dioxide So I have actually papers back here What our program gets you thinking about your bay and the boat and your backyard all year long How much lawn do you actually need? Maybe if you have a house party you need a lot in the spring time You get to work you pull your weeds instead of polluting them with pesticides Sharpen your mower blades and aerate your lawn and that helps your gross and your soil become healthy And that's the basis of base caping and in the summertime Mode of three to three and a half inches leave your clippings. They're natural fertilizers Only water twice a week to a depth of one to one and a half inches again You don't want to drown your soil, but you want to help it And in the fall you start planning again And if you were to do only one thing for the bay do a soil test and I have kits here And I can tell you where to get more Because that'll tell you you probably don't need to add anything to your lawn especially if it's 10 years or older and then the thing you can do to get ready for winter is to put compost down Overseed and add clover and then leave your At least part of your lawn and malt of your Leaves mulch it into the soil. So if you take care of your soil your lawn will take care of itself I did it I've never been more inspired to go home and pull the weeds out of my lawn Thank you Our next presenter is Michelle Prott Growing up in a big family in the Adirondacks Michelle gained a particular affinity for those places of refuge in the woods where she could find beauty Quiet and a hideout from a never-ending list of chores maybe including some weeding Having lived in San Francisco and Silicon Valley Michelle developed a passion for entrepreneurship and was glad to discover that when she moved to Maine the seventh oldest Population in the nation that she was embraced as a late bloomer starting a successful company from the ground up in 2016 Michelle founded virtual walkabouts whose vision is bringing the wellness benefits of nature To those who cannot physically access it The company was selected to participate in the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs 2019 top gun program competing for seed funding with 40 other new and Native Maine enterprises. Let's welcome Michelle late bloomer and social entrepreneur to the stage I'm gonna ring the bell because I've been waiting for that So if you're in this audience, I'm guessing you're a fan of nature any nature fans out there How can you not be nature is awesome So I want to take you on a quick little nature trip without leaving your seats Now think about the last best place you were in nature Was it on the top of Katahdin? Maybe Popham Beach or my favorite just messing around on the oat nuts trail and then a dip in the presumed Scott River So I have no doubt that when I made you stop and think about yourself in nature Without leaving this room you had a really perceptible positive reaction. Maybe something like this You may be smiling to remember that good place and how it made you feel Portland trails gets it Nature has enormous benefits physical mental and psychosocial Study after study backs that up The nature fix is increasingly being promoted as the antidote to our stressful lives But what if you can't access those healing benefits? By the year 2030 one in every six one in every five persons in the US will be over 65 Many of those people will be living in long-term care facilities I probably will be and many of you may be It'll be hard for them to take something as simple as a walk on the beach or stroll in the woods That's why I created my company virtual walkabouts and what we do is we're using immersive nature-based 360-degree video To provide nature access to people who can't access any longer We're working with some of Maine's long-term care facilities right now to provide virtual nature therapy programs in consultation with Occupational physical and speech therapist for their treatment programs Our mission is to bring the power of nature to people who can't easily access it using VR technology and immersive video From some of the most restorative places in Maine and beyond Our goal is to provide the path of least assistance to a nature experience for people So if you believe like I do that recreation and environmental stewardship are only part of the vision needed to protect our open spaces Then connecting people in nature can also be seen as health care Nature is medicine access to it a human right to wellness Okay, so what do we do with that? Accessible trails are a really good way to start But beyond that there are new ways to bring nature to people who can't access it Like this. This is a prison in Oregon with a solitary confinement Population and this is a blue room where certain inmates are allowed to access 30 different nature settings To enjoy Another place is this is a nature bathing Room in New York City Where people can sign up and come and experience a little bit of nature away from the concrete and noise Which you can imagine is really needed Lucky for us in Maine. We have nature right in our backyards But in order to encourage a common understanding of how important the wellness aspect of nature is We need to get creative and Although my business depends on technology There are a lot of ways to do it without that More intentional ways of placing something like a bench in a very immersive place Can result in the same kind of experience for someone as a five mile hike So a virtual walkabouts, I'm trying to use technology to bring the healing benefits of nature to people who can't access it But that's just one way to attempt it The importance of creating a lifetime of access for people Starts with the belief that we're all entitled to natural experiences for our entire lifetime Because nature's within us as well as with that around us Thanks Thank You Michelle that is going to be a tough act to follow Craig. Can you handle it? Next up is Craig freshly who made a living on his bike in Portland 30 years ago Today he makes a living running high stakes meetings via his company aptly named good group decisions We all need those don't we? Craig is also an author a quaker lives in a co-housing community and is a below average ukulele player When Craig moved to Portland in 1985 he noticed trucks Delivering packages around the city and he thought I can do that on my bike faster cheaper with no pollution Here's his story Craig come on up In 1985 these little white trucks were all over Portland This is how people sent Documents and photographs you might say this is how the internet was powered by truck Until I showed up because I had this vision of powering the internet by bicycle Before I started in town courier. I went out on my bike and practiced. I timed myself making deliveries to see How fast I could go how much I would have to charge? I invested in a simple brochure and a rate card We had an express guarantee from the moment you called we would pick up and deliver your package within 30 minutes Well, if we made it in 30 minutes, we would charge you $4.00. Otherwise the delivery was free When I sold the company after three years We had four full-time riders and we were doing a hundred and fifty deliveries a day in all kinds of weather When I started out The call would go to a group of ladies upstairs from the state theater. It was called an answering service They would page my pager, right the beep would go off I'd have to go to a pay phone call in get the information and do the delivery Over time we were able to set up an office answer our own phone and we used CB radios Here's the antenna of a radio sticking out of the front power chair That's how we talked to each other in addition to carrying these portable radios each rider also carried a bike repair kit each rider wore a helmet we had these boxes to protect the packages and We had a stash of forms that we would fill out for every delivery in triplicate with a pen Back at the office we would file those forms in this rack one slot for every different client Notice these straps hanging from the ceiling for bike repairs for fun Sometimes we would try to ride this bike while hanging and Swinging we also had a dartboard for fun. Here's where the riders kept their gears Everything labeled with duct tape over here on the wall is our version of Google Maps. Here it is Yeah, we had that too We also had our file storage here in the corner This is our database slash Rolodex over here is our chat room slash bulletin board. This is a phone by the way We got a lot of good press it in town courier this particular article went out over the AP wire and we heard from Relatives all over the country that they read about in town courier in their local paper We had a really nice partnership with psychomania here I am riding in front of their old shop up on Longfellow Square. They're still going strong psychomania We we had another we had another good partnership with somebody still going strong I think his picture is going to come up here in a minute Mark's hot dogs, right still at Tommy's Park This was a tough job. We needed those hot dogs. It was it was physically demanding But it was also mentally demanding handling the radio alert to traffic always having to recalibrate Your route based on new deliveries, but we also had a lot of fun both on the bike and off the bike This particular party invitation. I think it doesn't even give a reason for the party We just we just had them Here's the party by the way if you want to see That was back then today lawyer doctor Land steward librarian, we were different then and and so was the internet powered by bike I have not heard the words pager and payphone used in the same sentence in a long time. So Thank You Craig. Whoo All right, like need a palette cleanser there Carol Ann will let is one lucky soul She remembers a few wise words that inspired and guided her through all of the changes in her career path those words Never confuse having a career with having a life But in Carol's case she got the best of both worlds as she loves what she does Running a non-profit requires a very specific set of skills It takes the mind of a savvy CEO the heart of a charitable volunteer and the grit Practicality and optimism of a true manor as a long-time resident of the main woods region She knows a bit of the land as a whitewater guide She knows some waterways and as the former director of the main office of tourism She is always ready for the next adventure. Let's welcome Carol Ann So before I ring this bell, I'm just gonna caution you mine is not half as exciting as the ones that you've seen But hopefully you'll get some good intel out of it. So here we go. Oh Because it's a bell. Sorry So very exciting time for outdoor recreation in Maine and across the US And I have to say when I first heard about an office of outdoor recreation I would not expect to have been standing here four years later As the director first director of the new Maine office of outdoor recreation recreation is a huge pastime in Maine More than 70 percent of manors participate regularly, which is so far above the national average of 47 percent So kudos to all of us getting out there It's a big economic engine It's this is all about those that are making the gear making the goods and making the experiences that includes all of you And it's an ecosystem of organizations that are far beyond the buyers and sellers It's land managers access facilitators and educators and we're so dependent upon our natural resources and Also the access and I know that's been brought up already Unique to Maine is that our access is often dependent upon private landowners So we're very lucky to have that relationship to a Focus on outdoor recreation is going to benefit Maine as it looks to attract new workforce and grow its economy in Utah company site quality of life Natural beauty and outdoor rec as key factors and decisions to relocate And then there's a lot of other benefits to outdoor recreation to including the social health and Educational benefits for all ages and that's so important for all of us as well. Oh Wow, look at that so So this is a message that's proven and it's a call to all of us to help Share this message around and I again Portland trails Epitomizes what this means and how we move forward and the outdoor recreation economy movement has been a buzz for a while But it was early adopters that have really led the changes, especially Colorado outdoor industry association and REI This is about the outdoor industry as a change agent The outdoor recreation economy Bill this economic impact recreation act really spurred the activity at the state level in fact, New Mexico's governor signed Legislation, I believe this past week. So there are actually 13 if not more states Utah was the first in 2013 Eight original states agreed on shared common principles all very familiar to all of us And each state prioritizes these in different ways, but we're really focused on economic development and the education and Workforce development, but the public health is huge. So this speaks for itself But it illustrates the challenge in communicating the message, but it also confirms the significance So where is main in this whole movement the concept of the office has been in discussion for a number of years I first heard about it like I say about four years ago Final push came from a group of main outdoor product companies who came together in 2017 to establish main outdoor brands And they're right here for a headquartered with blaze partners Outdoor recreation of Maine is big business Very quickly spending on recreational water sports in Maine is nearly double the state's local land and value of commercial seafood What else have we got? Oh, so this is me. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. This is the new office We're We are primarily rural economic development public health small business support Collaboration elevating mains outdoor heritage brand and That's it could never resist the call of the trail. This is just one more trail. I'm traveling So thank you for all your all your support. I'm so glad we have Carol Ann advocating for us. Thank you so much amazing Bruce Rainer was born in Canada and lived in Mexico and England before he even turned seven in 1979 he started his professional career as an economist But got wanderlust and took off on a bicycle named Ethel for a couple of years. I love that name Traveling across Australia. Oh, see we're gonna connect right there North America and Europe including Eastern Europe He ended up in Israel and lived on a kibbutz for a year got a master's degree in journalism and found his calling He also found the love of his life Got married and raised three kids who are all good human beings. You really lucked out Bruce He's run the Boston Marathon and competed in many triathlons including the late for Lake Placid iron man's on a summer day in 2007 he was standing in the finish area after completing an iron man and trying to find a place to recycle his Plastic water bottle, but all he saw was piles of trash. There were no recycling bins So in 2008 he launched a company called athletes for a fit planet that helps races become more environmentally sustainable One of the early clients was the TD beach to beacon 10k Which was the first major u.s. Road race to earn evergreen certification from the council for responsible sport Whoo Working with beach to beacon was part of the reason his family moved from Cape Elizabeth to Massachusetts But it's much more than that It's the network of trails the bike friendly roads the local surf break and the stunning natural beauty everywhere around you It took five minutes before it felt like home. No, not just home Home and he's good with that and so are we welcome Bruce to the stage Okay, so I'm going to talk a little bit about do something We've created a big problem for the planet Okay, I'll wait a second Ring the bell again So anyway, we've created a big problem for the planet It's getting harder plastics are choking the oceans super storms are more frequent and soon We might be drilling off the coast of the east coast of the United States, which is just total insanity to me Then there's you and me Challenges seem overwhelming this self-inflicted Existential threat makes me want to scream maybe you do too, but screaming is a waste of energy now more than ever We all need to channel that energy to do something something. It doesn't matter what but it does matter I'm inspired by others who have done simple but extraordinary things in 1930 Gandhi did a simple thing by walking 200 240 miles to the Arabian Sea to protest the British tax on souls Along the way 60,000 of his country men and women joined him 17 years later the British left India, which was the whole point You must be the change you wish to see in the world. I love this photo Look at Gandhi's bandage big toe. Gandhi was larger than life He was the change, but he stubbed his toe along the way. I think we need to Be the change has become a cliche, but it needs to be reclaimed and people like Greta Thunberg here Is doing doing the right thing? Millions of students in over a hundred countries have added their vote their voices to the thing that Greta has started This is one sign wait for it Wait for it. Anyway, there's a sign in there that says there is no plan B Which is a very scary message for anybody under 16. There we go So now it gets personal As as the introduction said I am a runner-in-triathlete and about a decade ago I did I was at a race with a plastic bottle in my hand looking for a place to throw it away in a recycling bin There were none so I'm not a I'm not a wasn't an entrepreneur. I was an economist. I was looking at ways to I was looking at opportunities to make a change and so I launched athletes for fifth planet We've worked with lots of different races to help them with their sustainability initiatives over the last 10 years but my favorite race is beach to beacon and Part of the reason it's beach to beacon is because it's hometown, but also because they have We help them to achieve Evergreen status in terms of the certification standard, which is the highest possible standard ever so moving right along January 1 2019 It was a beautiful morning, and I decided to start the year off by going plogging I picked up 32 pounds of trash along the road and And I got thinking well, maybe this is an idea that we can we can promote in in Cape Elizabeth So I proposed it to the town town council, and they approved it nine to nothing two weeks a year Plogging is an official Cape Elizabeth thing. So Very proud of that The important thing about be the change Wait for it is not be the change. It's you must Everybody here whatever your idea is if you have some idea to Implement now's the time to do it. So So if you have an idea get going with it, thank you Thanks, Bruce. You just made my list a whole lot longer of all the things I'm going to go out and accomplish once I leave here. Everyone's been very very inspiring So we're up for our last presenter for this section of the event and then we're going to take a break, but Jillian share is up next. She's the founder and leader of the ladies adventure club I'm going to add that to my to-do list too, and she spends a lot of her time dreaming up new adventures for her club members She also loves adventuring out of doors as much as possible She's a lover of most winter activities and while she enjoys spring summer and fall Her favorite adventure season is winter here in Maine good thing because it's lasting forever. Am I right? Although two out of the three of heroes are fictional Nancy Drew Frieney, I had to look that up Frieney Fisher and Beryl Markham Jillian also loves being a mom of two amazing teenagers both of whom. She embarrasses most of the time Let's hear it for Jillian Adventure and risk-taking make me feel more alive and both are really vital parts of my life Starting the LAC was a big leap and has been wonderful Exciting and fulfilling and you can see that I think of the adventure is worthwhile in itself This is a photo of my mom at me and me at Tuckerman's ravine My mom has always woven adventuring into her life and She planted the seed of the joys of adventuring in me when I was a girl and a young woman Starting the LAC from nothing four years ago was a huge risk, but the rewards have been immense We have over 200 members ages 30 to 75. This is a group of us in Western Maine at Grand Falls Hut And this is the same group of us celebrating Sue Davis the Maine Hudson trails volunteer coordinator Who asked us to stack all of that wood you see behind us? Every LAC adventure garners this type of enthusiasm even wood stacking This winter we decided to offer ice fishing. Why ice fishing? Well, it's a predominantly male sport and one that our members had not tried before The LAC is all about offering new and different experiences to the women in our group All of the women who went ice fishing loved it They love trekking out over the frozen river to the ice fish house They love the fishing even the cleaning the cooking and the eating of the smelt in In fact some of the women told me that this was their most favorite wintertime adventure and just this past sunday another Member told me that she doesn't like fishing. She doesn't like eating smelt, but she hopes we do this adventure again because she really wants to try it This was one of my most favorite adventures I didn't think that I was strong enough or capable enough to try ice climbing But it turns out that with a supportive group of women great guides and hella good gear ice climbing is totally doable And this was a less scary adventure a Group of us met on the vernal equinox in Wolf's next-date park for a walk through the woods ending with yoga on the beach welcoming spring My mom is one of my most enthusiastic adventurers Here are the two of us at West Branch pond camps north of Greenville We spent the weekend there with 14 other women and our big adventure was an eight mile ski across three mountain peaks Winter is by far my most favorite season for adventuring. It's not hot There are zero bugs and it's a really gorgeous time to be outside We do adventure in all seasons of the year though Here I am on a snowshoe hike with Simon Rucker of the main Appalachian Trail Land Trust I had just taken over breaking trail from him and I fell in a really deep snow hole like up to my waist It was actually very tough getting out, but it turns out that tough stuff can be really effing fun Sometimes the last thing you want to do on a crappy weather day is get out of bed to go for a hike But when you're meeting your community at the trailhead you rally and then when you make it to the summit your sight You get out of the house This adventure took place on a Portland trails trail to Jewel Falls and Nancy Grant your advancement officer is in that photo She joined us for her first LAC adventure and we're thrilled to have the Portland trails in our backyard We use them frequently. I leave you is with these questions. What will your next adventure be? Are you up for a little risk-taking? This photo of me captures the first time I jumped off a cliff into the ocean and I guarantee you it won't be my last All right, are we ready for the next five presenters? Come on. Let me hear it. All right. I Believe you I believe you So the first presenter is no stranger to us Kara Woldrick You're gonna learn a little bit about her right now if you didn't already know She grew up in a much warmer place where outside time was an all-day every day kind of thing At seven years of age her favorite hobbies were climbing trees and having picnics with her dog in the backyard and today Not much has changed Riding bikes kayaking trail running skateboarding cross-country skiing They are all vehicles to experience the natural world firsthand Kara's Instagram account. I hope you're following her Maine urban forage chronicles her adventures in food preservation and foraging among Portland's trails and green spaces I can personally attest that her beach plum jam is out of this world Kara is convinced that places shape people as much as people shape places She also believes that playfulness and laughter are key ingredients in all successful movements Kara also moonlights as the executive director of Portland trails. Let's give a huge warm welcome to Kara After spending the last year learning with and from trail folks from 35 other countries I've come to appreciate even more fully how incredible the Portland community is People often ask how we do it. What is in our special sauce? The beauty of the landscape in which we live is undeniable Forests, rivers, meadows, islands, marshes, Casco Bay. We are blessed with an abundance of riches The people are something special too 2000 volunteers help make the trails and public spaces better every year by getting their hands dirty Or by helping figure out how to turn a line on a map into a path on the ground There is a trail within a half mile of every home and school in Portland so everyone can use them to get around We are a private nonprofit managing a public transportation and recreation network and that is unique Portland lives outdoors a morning run a shortcut to get to a meeting a walk home from school a post-dinner family mountain bike ride Whether it's spending time with friends family or by yourself the trails are there for you anytime every time Trails are located in convenient locations so people can get to where they want to go directly and In a culture and time when we often take shortcuts these routes sometimes make you want to take the long way home Portland's trails provide diverse curated experiences looking for a waterfall. We've got two of them stunning ocean views check Gritty urban feel. Yep. You betcha want to try forest bathing. We've got you covered Some people tell us they were raised on the trails Others that trail time is better than therapy We smile when someone says the trails were my best friend when I was growing up because we know BFFs are always there for each other We work right at that intersection of human ecosystem and community health often with unlikely partners But by focusing on a shared vision for this place we call home together we can leverage the best change for the whole community Not only are we creating significant infrastructure improvements a new parklet a route to a school a human scale street But also a healthier community of empowered and proud people Maine operates like a village And often that's a good thing In portland every voice and perspective is not only welcome, but it is essential for our collective success in most cities Sorry wrong one portland trails grassroots approach is not only necessary on a practical level, but our core philosophy We want local residents and businesses to create the experience and destinations in their neighborhoods so that they are invested in the future In most cities local or regional government is responsible for trails Here we have strong partnerships with the state and four towns This brings many benefits a few challenges, but overall we all win For many people around the world trails are special vacation activity and for some it's a once and a lifetime experience But in greater portland we have the honor to be part of everyday life for residents and visitors alike The story of portland trails is a collective story Every person here is part of our special sauce You have made it happen. Thank you for your energy your time passion your financial support your humor and your humanity Just look what you've done Next up we have the dynamic duo of azaneda Pedro also known as lucy in narut nigwani as an aid Azaneda is an environmental change maker who enjoys reading books Watching movies and eating chocolate chip ice cream with a brownie. We're gonna be good friends I can already tell If she could meet anyone it would be buddha Who is full of wisdom Azaneda's friends describe her as a person who they can always count on is fun to be around and is kind Nehru is also an environmental change maker and is passionate about working at the intersection of the environment and social justice When nehru is not working on those things she can be found helping to lead trips with outdoor afro cooking spending time with her friends and dancing She grew up in portland and currently resides on peaks island Please welcome azaneda and narut Sorry, I don't like speaking in public Okay Imagine a main where everyone has a has affordable access to healthy locally grown food Where everyone has a place to play outside Access to clean water and air Imagine a sustainable main where With bikes and walking routes connecting us would increase this access to public transportation Where everyone where all of our energy comes from renewable resources Just imagine a main where youth are part of the decision-making processes and I have to down And use their knowledge and ideas to solve it solve environmental problems where Where we work across generations and differences To solve Where we work across generations and differences to create innovative solutions Where passion turns to policy and where we see representation in environmental spaces that reflect all main people Does it really matter that we're so behind? Now now looking at our reality we face a deep isolation We are the most rural state in the country which makes it hard for passionate youth Um to build environmental connections with each other to find mentors and our cultural differences can also be isolated Youth and marginalized manners are often left out in in the in environmental decisions When thinking about solutions, we know there are many kinds We have created a people-powered solution innovated need-based and responsive The main environmental change makers network connects and builds hope across our isolation We are youth-led and intergenerational we share knowledge skills and values Bridging the gap between generational differences our stories connect us across our differences Our hunger to be heard makes us fearless our love for the land and community unite us We break down barriers for people to connect to the outdoors We create opportunities for young people to see themselves represented environmental leadership We create opportunities for shared learning. We share our skills and knowledge with each other We identify areas where we need to grow and support each other to grow We break down barriers to accessing learning opportunities We collaborate with established environmental organizations to share meeting spaces financial support training opportunities and mentorships for youth and our network It's easy to feel hopeless if you feel powerless if you feel like your voice is not being heard Together we create a voice we build environmental solutions and we take action We're not waiting for the future We're bringing the future we imagine to the present. We are changing the narratives I do this work. Well, I do this work for a multitude of reasons But mainly I do it because I have a niece who I love And when she grows up and she's ever interested in coming into the environmental sector I don't want her to have the same barriers that I did I do this work because I want women like me to be able to get into this field of work We are mainly Our future is no doubt in good hands. Thank you ladies Doug Welch is executive director of the main island trail association A 30 year old 6500 member organization that created and manages the nation's premier recreational water trail Doug and a staff of eight encouraged the public to steward and enjoy mains islands through inspiring adventures Hands-on service projects publications social media a mobile app and a commercially successful beer. It's delicious. I can attest Before might a dug develop programs for the boston harbour islands national park He has a masters in public policy from the harvard kennedy school and a ba from wesley and university He lives with his wife and daughter in portland. Let's welcome Doug um I'm glad I can see the slides because I basically don't have any notes here. So, uh, I'm just going to get myself settled all right, so I should really have called this our plastic life because we're all in this together, but I I wanted to uh Give a little personal reflection on the role of plastics in my life and in the world And across the bottom here, you're going to see a timeline that's going to track us from the 1930s When plastic was invented in new york city, it was meant for they were developing a kind of shellac And they found that they could mold it into things like billiard balls and telephones and even jewelry It was such a classy thing back then Then in the 1940s world war two gave plastic lots of new roles In the 60s It was a joke in the at the movie the graduate that plastics were the future and sadly that was true because in the 70s single-use plastic took off and Has really changed The face of the earth Now in 1975 I was nine years old and I love the coast of Maine. This is a painting that I painted See the little people down there on the on the bottom right. So that's pemiquid point And then in 1986 college I went to the Bahamas and I saw my first ever plastic water bottle never seen something like that before and I met This completely wacky survivalist Sculptor and he had a very dark vision of the world He thought we were in for a race suicide And I was like chill man because this is not such a bad place to be living But this is what he was seeing and he was talking about that plastics are going to be a part of our future Problems and it turns out he was right. So by 2007 I was working lucky enough to be working in Maine And by then we all knew that plastics actually kill wildlife It threw a number of different Manners and obviously it it clutters the beaches and makes those pretty pictures less pretty 2008 it was recognized that we had a sea of trash We had a great pacific garbage patch and people pictured it as being something you could almost walk across So they had this idea that we could clean this up really easily if we just Spent 40 million dollars in crowdsourced money and created a skimming machine that was just going to Scoop it all up like a snow shovel, which would be awesome but but But the ocean is actually a very violent place when you really think about it And this is what happens to plastic when it is out there. It's broken down by photovoltaic Photosynthesis and also, you know what I'm talking about and it gets ground up So then we also are creating micro plastics that we use in cosmetics and things. That's just been outlawed And we also in microfibers. So this awesome shirt that I'm wearing is actually totally polyester I will admit and this is something that's now starting to accumulate in shellfish and also in human drinking water So let's watch the trajectory of growth every year of plastic production since 1930 All the way up there and that is a shocking reality 50 percent of that growth happened in the last 13 years All of the plastic 50 50 percent of all the plastic that's ever existed And the packaging is the is the driving force in this So styrofoam is still around and I mentioned that painting that I had painted So this is a piece of 43 year old styrofoam and I brought it along so that you can see That it actually still exists. It doesn't break down and and the notion of permanence is really kind of scary in that kind of context So we are all in this together It is a very hard thing to read your life of plastics because it's so embedded into everything we buy and do But there are things you can do So get started i'm going to leave some yellow flyers On the table if you want to start thinking about how you can be part of this change Thanks everybody I think we're so blessed to live in a community that values environmental heroes And but there's still more messaging that can get out there. So thank you for that Next up is simon rucker who is the executive director of the main appellation trail land trust Whose mission is to preserve and protect the land surrounding the appellation trail in main for public benefit In his free time He can be found recreating in the appellation trail landscape with his wife and two children Are hitting one of the many spots here in the portland area Some of his favorite at spots include the four ponds area near height of land The berry pickers trail up saddleback mountain and bald mountain pond near bingham Closer to home. He likes lotum farm biking around back cove during sundays on the boulevard And taking different paths to the same places through his home neighborhood of munjoy hill Fun fact, and I don't even know what to say about this He's never hiked the appellation appellation trail and has no desire to do so Welcome the ironic simon to the stage during the bell Thanks everybody. Um before I start I just want to say thanks to Portland trails and thanks to all of you for coming out and listening to all this And here we go So i'm from the main appellation trail land trust. Here's the at in main and we do these kind of conservation projects big landscapes Protecting the integrity of the trail, but as I mentioned how I don't hike didn't hike the whole thing This is not just a landscape for hikers. This is a landscape for all of us. So If you look at the whole at the whole thing is 29 2190 miles georgia domain 14 states 3 million visitors per year If that was ranked as like a traditional national park that would be like number 12 Visited national park in the whole country and it's probably a higher number Now when we talk about the appellation trail, we talk about it as this path But I want you to think about it as much more than just the path. There's the people Um, and that includes towns. There's mountains stuff trees birds rocks climate air dark sky air quality And the reason is the original the guy who came up with the idea for the appellation trail benton mackay in 1921 and here he is looking out at the whole landscape not down at a trail His idea was a realm not just a trail. It's a whole area for human renewal For health and wellness. Um for getting outside Now this is a map put out by national geographic. I think last year showing the kind of highest rank eco Regions in the whole country There's main and red the red areas are also yellowstone the black hills everglades the main landscape around the appellation trails on par with those Climate change mitigation. This is a map showing where species are going to migrate for climate change adaptation You can see it goes right up the appellation trail right up through main and you can go to this website It's called migrations in motion and see this all over the world Here's the at this really green ribbon this corridor that can be used for climate change mitigation And if you look at the top you see number 13 where main is the deepest darkest green is up there And you get a closer look And here it is highest level of ecological integrity of any state on the appellation trail is in main It means the most special part Big blocks of forest of above 5 000 acres all along the appellation trail We don't really have that much the coast and there's not really much in canada Big Nells thrush. This is one of the the rarest birds in main. You can see it's right on the appellation trail It's right in these high elevation areas. Um, it's a refugia for species for climate change and um for adaptation for the future and there's white mountains also pretty good So here's what here's the map Here's the traditional kind of at map, you know It's like a red line a trail and there's dots on the top of mountains And you have some towns in there and there's state parks and you can see it ends at katahdin right at the top But the way we want you to think of the appellation trail is this A big region with lots of stuff going on There's 282 miles in main of the at over 31 000 miles of the nps land Millions of acres in the entire landscape for at communities outdoor recreation like carolyn said scenic viewpoints Historic sites all over this landscape. It's a cultural landscape too Without protection. This is what that looks like. This is the at landscape in main. There's no national forest There's no national park land There's baxter at the top and a lot of this is protected not all of it's under threat, but a lot of it is And I want you to think of this when you see that landscape And this is a photo by john orchid who's in the crowd tonight This was in the the capital rotunda for a big national exhibit on the appellation trail A few months ago. This is a national level landscape That people all over the country are thinking of this is the backside of sugarloaf mountain So when you look down at sugarloaf, it looks a lot different But this is the kind of landscape we have in main and which you know brings people into main It is important for all these ecological factors, but also for the outdoor recreation economy in the future Wild east that's a new campaign in the park service. You can see it has all of these factors in it history Hiker it has baxter at the top. It has a town The middle section these are the most popular areas for through hikers the three of the top five are main That's all the region that main main is the best area of the appellation trail 73 miles one hour and 47 minutes to get to the appellation trail region It's not a region that's up there far away. It's a part of main and who we are all of us So get out there and enjoy it. That's it My takeaway Main is the best We already knew that though. All right. Thank you. So last but certainly not least is ainsley Whoa, we got a fan club Ainsley judge moved to portland main five years ago to help start the portland gear hub We're so glad you did. Thank you A program of camp ketchup She spent the last 10 years in bike shops and bicycle advocacy groups outdoor wilderness groups and on farms She loves the ability to work with her hands recycle and repair old gear And to help enable people to get outside and be active Here we go ainsley. The floor is yours Hello All right It's a bike bell So i'm going to cut right to the chase a bike is at its best when it's working And when you're riding it and maybe it's 70 degrees out and sunny and you're on a beautiful portland trail That's that's the joy that we're going to talk about Down the road at the gear hub. We receive a lot of free bike donations We've come to realize that we're often a bikes last stop its last chance at life At least a pit stop our goal is to keep as many bikes as possible out of the waste stream So this means recycle repair and reuse We recycle the metal the rubber and save everything we can the wheels and the tires Down to the granular nuts and bolts and try to organize it There's almost always something on a bike that you can save And then what we can't rebuild into a bike we try to reuse creatively like making bike jewelry with neighborhood kids Or constructing a giant sort of misshapen wheel dome with friends and families at Payson park last year And one of the best parts is we're not really doing this alone Volunteers are helping us all the time stripping rusted salted bikes down to the rare raw metal They remove seas seat posts They organize straddle cables and separate them out from link wires and m4 bolts from anyway Recently to get ready for the season coming up Volunteers have been clocking about a hundred hours every month I think they're in it for some of that like destructiveness and the dirty work But also definitely that joy. They're mostly building program bikes for kids and for bikes for all manors They're also salvaging things that otherwise would have just been junked So repairing reusing these are some of our favorite tools of the trade dental picks toothbrushes Chromax which is a biodegradable rest remover Sometimes we use nail polish to do touch-up paint work on bikes So then there's the sorting and storage on the peninsula I hear a lot of people talk about car storage or parking is you know, that's the hot topic And I would love to see covered bike storage Last year we took in 937 bikes and donation and to process sort store and repair this volume of bikes We are moving them into piles and then new piles and then containers on hooks and on shelves Down at the camp ketchup arts lodge then back up again And by the time it makes it into a repair stand and in front of a student There's a whole new phase and chapter is beginning The student starts to learn mechanics by working on a bike that they're about to own and it will become theirs We work with kids and kids learn about bearing systems Adults mostly learn how to fix flats The kids get really deep and we try to have fun with it And we try to dream about where that bike is going to take us Maybe places that we haven't been before and we'll pull out a map and we'll find the route that will take us there And we work even faster on making that bike work And then when we're done with the class and the workshop or even just the retail transaction It's about to be new bike day and new bike day is one of the most glorious days down at the portland gear hub And whether it's a four year old who's getting his very first bike or a 40 year old woman who Literally just learned how to ride a bike that summer It's pretty special a lot of them have done the repair themselves Or maybe they worked with the mechanic who built the bike Maybe they even met the donor who donated the bike And then there's that final ride for bikes for all manors on the eastern prom And it's really just a chance to celebrate and we get to ride together before rolling off into our separate directions And all of this is is the bike journey from the view of the portland gear hub But the broader hope here is that we can repair and reuse all the outdoor gear that we already have And that we can share resources so that more folks can get on trails In the outdoors with reliable gear and the knowledge to keep it going So thanks So Cara talked about supporting your local small businesses, which we're doing tonight And this is just a PSA to remind you to support your local non-profit too We heard about so many here tonight that need our dollars that need our volunteer support So when you're planning your annual giving or you have an extra 50 bucks laying around consider one of these amazing non-profits Let's have a round of applause again for all these amazing presenters So thanks again all of our fearless and passionate presenters I learned so much this evening and i'm leaving here utterly in awe and inspired Thanks again. It's been a true honor Wishing you all a safe and wonderful evening and thanks again to portland trails