How the Program Came to Be!

Main Street Skowhegan (MSS), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on the ongoing revitalization of the town of Skowhegan, the seat of Somerset County in central Maine. Our mission is to celebrate Skowhegan’s rich heritage while achieving our brightest future as a thriving economic, cultural, and recreational community where residents enjoy a high quality of life.

In 2019, MSS founded the Skowhegan Outdoors AmeriCorps Program to ensure equitable access to the outdoors via opportunities to participate in free, guided outdoor recreation activities and gear to experience the natural world on their own. Through this initiative, we are catalyzing a shift toward a healthier and more active lifestyle accessible to all Somerset County area residents.

At the direction of MSS Executive Director, Kristina Cannon, Skowhegan Outdoors is managed by a team of five AmeriCorps members including a permanent, full-time employee; Program Coordinator, Ben Koehler, a registered Maine guide who brings river instruction experience and knowledge of the Maine woods. AmeriCorps members, along with community volunteers, plan, promote, and facilitate year-round outdoor recreation programs for area residents three times per week. Activities include outdoor yoga, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, paddling clinics, and more.

We strive to make our programs inclusive by featuring a variety of activities for all ages, physical abilities, and interests and accessible by hosting programs within walking distance of downtown Skowhegan or providing transportation (when possible) to and from regional locations. In 2022, Skowhegan Outdoors hosted 169 free outdoor programs and served 1,801 area residents, including some of our region's most disadvantaged families and children.

In addition to programming, we continue to grow our more-than-180-item community gear library, which features outdoor equipment such as cross-country skis, snowshoes, bikes, canoes, SUPs, winter clothing, and camping gear—all free of charge for Somerset County residents to use during programs or borrow for a self-guided outdoor experience.