Discussions are under way regarding how to handle the Calais branch of the state's rail corridor, eight and a half miles of which runs alongside the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. A leading option involves removing the rail and opening it as a multi use trail that could include ATV usage. Public comments are now being requested to inform the recommendation, with two upcoming meetings scheduled for public input.
      "It's definitely a challenging topic to consider," says Refuge Manager John Magera, whose office is 100 yards away from the proposed trail alignment. "Our primary responsibility is taking care of animals and habitat, but we also need to consider the needs of our users, our neighbors and our local community."
      Magera is one of several members of the Calais Branch Rail Use Advisory Council (RUAC), a group that formed in March of this year and which has met several times to go over potential options for the corridor under the direction of the Maine Department of Transportation (DOT).
      While Magera acknowledges that the DOT has "done a great job" of informing the RUAC, he is concerned that members of the public may not be aware of the discussion and the potential changes that could result. "If it were to pass, I think a lot of people who live here and use the refuge would be very surprised and standing in line outside my office," he says. "It's something we need to be thoughtful about." ATV use is not currently allowed in any part of the refuge, although there is some access for snowmobiles.
      The RUAC is an early step in the process of converting the corridor, and should the recommendation go through to do so, years of assessing the environmental and social impact will likely be required at the federal level, Magera says. Even still, they're critical considerations -- and just two of many that the RUAC is contending with.
Economic impact eyed
      For some members of the RUAC, converting the rail represents a golden opportunity. "We're looking at it for economic development for the City of Calais," says Mark Carr, chairman of the RUAC and former Calais city councillor. Explaining that it would drive ATV traffic to Calais to utilize restaurants, motels and small businesses, he adds, "I think it would be a huge shot in the arm economically to have that."
      If the Calais branch corridor were converted to a trail, it would enable easy connection with the Down East Sunrise Trail and the East Coast Greenway. At present, ATV riders must ride approximately an hour and 20 minutes to connect between Calais and the Sunrise Trail, Carr says, while the converted trail would enable connection in just 30 minutes. The Sunrise Trail connects with Ellsworth, which could draw traffic to Calais in the same way it does for Machias. "If you drive to Machias, you can see a dozen ATVs on any given day," Carr says.
      Along with ATV riders, the new trail could host cyclists, snowmobilers, equestrians and pedestrians. The usage could be as much as 23,500 people a year, or 3,100 people during peak months, according to an estimate in the draft of the RUAC's proposed recommendation. Of that figure, it's estimated that 30% would be from out of state, potentially resulting in approximately $1.5 million from out of state dollars annually.
      "The potential development of a protected, off road trail stretching from Ayers Junction to Route 1 in Calais on the Calais branch rail corridor will be transformative for the East Coast Greenway through Downeast Maine," says Emily Paskewicz, northern New England manager of the East Coast Greenway Alliance. "As the northernmost point of the East Coast Greenway, Calais is either the starting or ending point for many long distance East Coast Greenway travelers, so there will be significant economic and tourism benefits to extending this trail as well."
      Depending on the option the RUAC chooses -- either restoring rail usage, converting it to a trail or implementing a rail and trail combo -- there will be value added to the area from trail construction and ensuing wages. Converting it to a trail would cost $13.9 million for a gravel or stone dust trail or $18.1 million for a paved trail, with associated value added of at least $12.4 million, according to estimates in the draft of the report.
Other considerations
      While the conversion of the Calais branch corridor to a trail could lead to an economic boom for the Calais area, it represents a potential economic loss for Eastport in the sense that it would entail the removal of a vital rail connection for the port. The Calais rail segment, if it were restored, could help connect Eastport and Woodland Pulp, should the remainder of the Eastport branch corridor be restored.
      However, given the cost to restore the Calais branch to rail service -- with estimates at $51.5 million -- and the additional requirement of building a trans load facility in Perry, there are numerous cost prohibitions that stand in the way of a rail line to Eastport. In addition, according to Nate Moulton, director of the DOT's Office of Freight and Passenger Services, Eastport would need a significant industry in local wood fiber to ship through the port in order to compete with new rail line extensions in Saint John.
      Another factor in play is how the conversion to a multi use trail would benefit members of the community who have limited means of transportation, as voiced by RUAC member Alvion Kimball of the Sunrise Trail Coalition during one of the meetings. ATV trails improve access to everything from grocery stores to medical appointments for those who lack driver's licenses
      The Calais branch corridor is 12.2 miles long, running through Calais, Baring Plantation, Charlotte and Pembroke. The combined population along the route, according to the draft of the report, is about 4,400, with only 50 of that number living with one-half mile of the corridor. Should the rail be converted, single-family homes along the route could see their sales price increase by as much as $6,250, according to an estimate in the report.
      The full draft of the report, along with videos from each of the monthly meetings of the RUAC and their associated minutes, can be found at https://arcg.is/4qbey.
      There will be a Zoom meeting on the proposal on Tuesday, September 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and an in person meeting at the YCC building at the Moosehorn on Wednesday, September 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; the public is welcome to attend either meeting to make comments. To submit comments online, visit the aforementioned website or email Nathan Howard at the DOT at Nathan.Howard@maine.gov. For an invite to the September 17 Zoom meeting, contact Howard.