Dear Editor:

Sprinkled throughout our peninsula are more than two dozen oases of sanity. There you can enjoy peaceful solitude or listen to a brook run to the ocean or the call of a migrating bird. You can walk in the quiet of the Maine woods or along a rocky shoreline and watch the tidal currents rush by. You can take your family and even your dog if you’d like. You can take a fast hike, a short stroll or just sit on a bench and look at the sky. And it is all free.

You know these oases as the preserves of the Boothbay Region Land Trust (“BRLT”). On these 26 preserves are more than 35 miles of hiking trails, which are more than enough to provide good workouts or wear out an active child or both. With the extra time we have now due to the nationwide shutdown to stop the coronavirus, we welcome you to take advantage of the exercise, enjoyment and peace of mind BRLT’s preserves can provide you and your family.

You can do much more on our preserves than simply taking a walk. You can learn how to identify Maine’s many majestic trees or learn about the great variety of birds, which traverse this area every spring in their migration north. You can clear your mind of the predictions of doom on the daily news. You can breathe fresh air and reflect on what is really important in your life or simply rediscover the wonder of Maine’s natural beauty.

The open spaces and woodland trails provided by BRLT are some of the few activities available these days, and they have the added bonus of being healthy for body and mind. Now that spring is bringing longer and warmer days we hope you will take full advantage of these free community assets during today’s uncertain times. Please keep your distance from other hikers and enjoy the refuge that BRLT’s preserves can provide.

Hal Moorefield

BRLT President