Friends of Canco Woods

04/05/2025

If you want to help spruce up the trails we all enjoy, sign up with Portland Trails to volunteer!

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Portland Trails! If you plan to volunteer with family or friends, each individual must sign up using this form. Please leave “Number of Volunteers” set to 1. Signing up for a Community Trail Volunteer Day? Details about exact volunteer locations w...

04/04/2025

There are several green bags left on the trails in Canco Woods right now. Please respect the trails and those who use them. Pick up your dog's f***l matter and take it with you.
Portland Trails

11/20/2022

For neighbors of Payson Park, and Canco Woods, you may or may not already be aware that C3, a subsidiary of the large corporate music entity Live Nation is trying to get a music festival (anticipating 15k attendees) approved for this July in Payson Park. C3 states the park will be closed down for the festival itself (possibly fully shut down for 5 days) and parts of it will be closed for up to 10-13 days including setup/breakdown. But the impact will likely be MUCH longer according to what other cities experience with C3 festivals.

On Monday, November 21st, 5PM: there’s a City Council Meeting to decide if application will be approved. Public comments will be accepted.

Agenda and Link to the zoom meeting are here: https://www.portlandmaine.gov/602/Agendas-Minutes

Here’s a letter to the editor outlining the issue. https://www.printfriendly.com/p/g/9e9vKr

And a petition if you’re interested in learning more and/or signing it

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uLN6OVZs9iE6s-RghokqHHoCQq9Hr7PC9T5igLLG1Dc/edit

Regarding Canco Woods and the neighborhood nearby- a question to be asked is does the City plan to station anyone near Canco Woods to protect it (if festival goers decided to camp out there) and like the Eastern Prom fireworks will the City barricade each of the side streets so they won’t be overrun with festival goers trying to park there?

Appears there just aren’t enough concrete details in place to warrant approving this proposal as it stands.

Here are a list of contacts should you wish to contact them earlier tomorrow.

EMAIL ADDRESSES TO COPY & PASTE FOR YOUR EMAIL (copy paste right into your "To" field):
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Complete list of City Councilors & City Contacts (for reference of who you’re emailing):
Kate Snyder, Mayor: [email protected]
Pious Ali, At-Large: [email protected]
April Fournier, At-Large: [email protected]
Roberto Rodriguez, At-Large: [email protected]
Anna Trevorrow, District 1: [email protected]
Victoria Pelletier, District 2: [email protected]
Tae Chong, District 3: [email protected]
Andrew Zarro, District 4: [email protected]
Mark Dion, District 5: [email protected]

Public Comment for City Council Meeting: [email protected]
Parks Department: [email protected]
Ethan Hipple, Parks Recreation & Facilities Management Director: [email protected]
Andy Downs, Public Assembly Facilities Director: [email protected]
Alex Marshall, Parks Director: [email protected]
Parks Commission: [email protected]
Interim City Manager, Danielle West: [email protected]

Portland Trails
Back Cove Neighborhood Association

11/11/2022

FYI for those in the vicinity of Payson Park. Important zoom meeting to discuss the proposed large summer music fest.

04/22/2022

Thank you Portland Trails for keeping Canco Woods and all the other trails in good shape for us all to enjoy, and protecting those green spaces from development!

🌍 Happy Earth Day! 🌍 Do you want to contribute to healthier communities? Add native plants to your life. Run errands or commute by bicycle. Spend 30 minutes outdoors every day. Let elected officials know that you want action on climate change and support for people and ecosystems who are most affected by it. https://trails.org/events/earth-day/
After your hard work, join us at Apres to toast 30 years of Portland Trails for their Portland Trails Seltzer release day!

04/07/2022

If anyone would like to help this group save a parcel of land - they're doing a Go Fund Me, below.

Save the Woods. Only $673 remaining funds needed to preserve a wooded area (at the top of Rockland Avenue) in Portland & save it from becoming developed into 3 luxury homes. Please consider sharing 😊 Thank you 🙏

Help make the Rosemont/Redlon Woods PUBLIC SHARED GREEN SPACE by Donating Today! We are so close to maki… Maura Price needs your support for Save the Woods

02/20/2022

Around this time 10 years ago, the neighbors noticed a "For Sale" sign that suddenly popped up at Canco Woods. That launched the incredible effort to save the Woods -- initially by the passionate and dedicated group of surrounding neighbors; and then joined by The Trust for Public Land , City of Portland, Maine and Portland Trails. We're certainly grateful for all of their efforts! 👏🏻❤️

07/27/2021

Want to help Portland Trails maintain/repair the various trails in our Portland community? You can sign up below!

Sign up for a Public Trail Volunteer Day! Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Portland Trails! Please read: Select the Public Trail Volunteer Day you'd like to participate in from the list below, then fill out the form to sign up. If you plan to volunteer with family or friends, each in...

07/27/2021

Yikes - if you see this in the Canco Woods, please report it to Portland Trails. You can also volunteer to help remove these invasive plants, the article has a link.

Repost from
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Volunteer Coordinator Kate Shambaugh appeared on this weekend to talk about Portland Parks Conservancy and ’s ongoing efforts to remove invasive swallowwort from Portland’s parks.

As Kate explains, “unfortunately swallowwort is very closely related to milkweed and also toxic for [monarch] butterflies. So as these larvae try to become chrysalis and eat beforehand, they are poisoned by the swallowwort and die off instead.”

Help us remove swallowwort and other invasive plants from Portland’s parks. Sign up to volunteer at portlandparksconservancy.org/volunteer

06/05/2021

It's National Trails Day and Portland Trails 30th birthday! Come to Canco Woods today and celebrate!

On National Trails Day, you're invited to a birthday party, presented by Allagash Brewing Company, celebrating the local trails we all love! This year is Portland Trails' 30th birthday! In 30 years, with the help of so many in our community, we have built a trail network that stretches over 70 miles...

04/28/2021

FYI - jobs available from Portland Parks and Rec!

Hello Friends and Neighbors,

It is that time of year where we start gearing up for Summer and with that brings the need for Seasonal help. Here in Parks we have a few different opportunities such as:
General Park Maintenance: Mowing, trimming, litter removal, trail work, tree mulching, invasive removal, etc.. 40hrs/week @ $15/hr
Horticulture: Flower bed pruning and maintenance, downtown flower planter maintenance and watering, mulching, meadow/wildflower work, annual flower planting, etc. 40hrs/week @ $15/hr
Forestry: Tree watering. Each year we plant 175 trees citywide and they need to be watered for at least two years after planting. Be part of the solution and help us build our tree canopy! 40hrs/week @ $15/hr
Playgrounds: Mowing, trimming, litter removal, playground wood chips, Deering Oaks Ravine maintenance, general project assistance, etc.. 40hrs/week @ $15/hr
Park Rangers: Monitoring the 67 parks and over 40 miles of trails. Litter and abandoned campsite removal, Regular biking for patrols, ordinance enforcement, beach fee collection, etc. 40hrs/week @ $16/hr

Each of these divisions are extremely important to the success of our department during the summer months and we can't do it without seasonal help. Please pass the word to each of your organizations, family and friends so folks are aware that they are available. The applicant could be a high school or college aged student looking for a summer job or even a retiree who wants to stay busy and active outside, or anybody in between.

Position postings can be found HERE on our city website and applications can be sent through the online portal or dropped off at the City Hall Human Resources office.

Thank you for all you do for our Parks and Open Spaces!

Thank you,

Alex Marshall
Parks Director
Portland Parks, Recreation and Facilities Management Department

04/22/2021

Happy Earth Day! Hard to believe it's been 8 years since we saved Canco Woods! Thanks to The Trust for Public Land Portland Trails City of Portland, Maine and of course, the neighbors who worked to get this small, but significant piece of property saved for us all to enjoy! Since it's Earth Day - let's all make sure to take good care of Canco Woods - pick up any trash you see, don't dump yard or other waste in the Woods, and please pick up and carry out any dog waste! 😀