I live in the coastal community of Cumberland, Maine. Several years ago I chaired a committee whose task it was to develop a recreation site plan for a 250-acre parcel of land that the Town had recently acquired. The Town was interested in developing the land to provide athletic fields for use by the Recreation Department as well as the local school district. At the same time, the Town wanted to preserve some valuable open space near the center of a desirable community that has been, and continues to be, under intense residential development pressure.

As a committee, our vision was to create a recreation complex that provided high quality athletic fields carefully placed in a pastoral landscape of fields and woods. Additionally, we wanted to create a multi-use trail system that would provide public access to all comers of the property while also serving as a competition site for cross-country running and Nordic skiing. As soon as we identified trails as a key feature of the site, we knew we wanted John Morton to be the resource to design those trails.
With his customary warmth, easy going manner, and professionalism, John worked seamlessly with a group that included civil engineers, landscape architects and the Town's public works director to design a trail system that would make optimal use of the available landscape. Today, this site is known as the Twin Brook Recreation Area. The centerpiece is a beautifully laid out 1 O-kilometer trail system that weaves through the fields and woods and crosses streams.

John's trails receive daily use by dog walkers, high school cross-country runners and recreational Nordic skiers. Twin Brook has been the site of countless running and skiing events. Next year the trail system will play host to the NCAA Division 3 Northeast Regional Cross-Country Championships and the year after the NCAA Division 3 National Cross-Country Championships.

The Town of Cumberland is justifiably proud of Twin Brook, which has become a model that other greater Portland communities are seeking to follow. The Town is also indebted to John Morton for bringing to life a trail system which receives a variety of uses from a broad cross section of the community. I would heartily recommend John as a resource with vision, a keen appreciation of the natural landscape, and the ability to get things done.

John Eldredge, Chairman, Cumberland Town Lands and Conservation Commission