KINGFIELD – After releasing a statement to the press earlier this week, Executive Director of Maine Huts & Trails Wolfe Tone said the organization is looking for support at both local and statewide levels to help meet the declared financial shortfall of half a million dollars.
“The strategy is to be honest about our vulnerability and to invite people to be part of the solution,” Tone said.
As headlines started appearing saying that MHT would be closing its doors, Tone said local community members started questioning why they weren’t asked for input. Connecting with the towns that the four huts are situated in and that the 80-mile trail system runs through has not been a strength of the non-profit, Tone admitted. But as the new ED, hired just a year ago, Tone plans to include more local networking in a series of changes he foresees for MHT.
“This is about standing for something bigger, and bringing our community along for the journey,” he said.
Tone said MHT spends roughly $400,000 at local businesses for food, services and supplies. It creates 50 full and part-time jobs and reports an estimated $50 million economic impact. The off-grid cabins more than 76,000 guests, who pay anywhere from $86 to $135 to enjoy isolation in rustic comfort. But the numbers haven’t been adding up for quite some time according to Tone, and now MHT needs $500,000 in order to keep operations at the bar they have set. The money would cover repair work for the 80 miles of trails, including the grooming of 50 miles of winter trails, and would pay staff wages.
“We create these amazing experiences for people, but we’ve been leading with hospitality. We need to reform our approach,” Tone said.
Tone said it is vital that the lodges open this winter, in one way or another. In part to keep fundraising efforts alive and well, but also to help keep the mission going, which Tone said is about much more than hospitality. MHT works with schools across the state to get kids into the outdoors- subtly teaching them to appreciate and care for their natural surroundings. Creating that experience of being in the middle of nowhere with a sky full of stars is what MHT stands for, he said.
“Northern Maine is the darkest spot east of the Mississippi, and we put people right in the middle of it,” he said. “The core experience we offer is still in tact. We can still get the rest back.”
When MHT was founded 11 years ago, the idea was that the hospitality side of the business model would support operations. But that hasn’t been happening for a while now. Tone said one thing the organization is looking at is how to work differently with local partners such as mountain biking groups, municipalities and Sugarloaf. Snowmobile clubs, for example, are comprised of almost all volunteers who groom and care for trail systems. Tone said he would be interested in seeing groups like this working together to care for the trail systems that bring so much tourism into the area.
“We’re still a young organization. We’re prepared for change but need to be in a different place financially. We’re right at the edge of some fundamental changes,” Tone said.
Well who couldn’t have seen this coming? Hikers aren’t exactly the type to leave a bunch of money in local communities. Why don’t the Penobscots push for a casino in Carrabasset and bring in the real money? Tribes seem to be pulling it off everywhere else.
If you want to keep the places open then open the trails and huts to snowmobiles.
The vision and goal is wonderful but the business model doesn’t work. Open the huts up to a more varied group of people. It will be evident soon enough as to who will spend enough money to make the operation pay for itself.
I saw this coming when I was about 16 years old (15 years ago) when I spoke during a planning meeting at UMF. I asked the question about what would happen to the miles of trails and the “L.L.Bean lodges” located in the deer yards if/when this project folded. This was after one of the founders showed up at my fathers house in his Mercedes to tell him our family camp (of 50 years) was worthless and he wanted to burn it down and build a lodge.
My advice for this current situation is to give it up and let nature continue to take back the land. I would also like those considering to donate to think about why the majority of locals are against the CMP corridor, this project has many similarities.
We do have dark skies here. So, are there telescopes a t any one of these? Programs led by experts.Just telling people to look up is not as good. Do that/ earn more money
Well I hate to say it, but I have to agree with Linwood. It doesn’t take a genius to realize this is not a business model that will work. How many executive directors have come and gone over the years? Each had their own personal visions of what it will take to make it work. A year or two later – see ya! Off they go back to the real world leaving the 3 or 4 longtime MHT staffers to pick up the pieces and wait for the next ED or visionary to come along.
Mountain bikers and hikers have deep pockets but short arms. Aside from a quick 6 pack from Ayotte’s, the majority of them are camping out. Sure a few might spend a night in hotel to clean up but they aren’t spending a fortune around town. Thank god they do come through, don’t get me wrong!
Sugarloaf sees this as an opportunity maybe? There is a real affordable housing shortage for seasonal employees. Maybe tuck them out in the huts, arrange some sort of transportation for them? Not to mention the shortage of employees for the mountain that are willing to work for the wages that Sugarloaf pays. Looks like there will be 50 more available this winter?
I doubt Sugarloaf wants step in and run the Huts, Sugarloaf scrapes by in the summer running the golf course as it is. Any profit the mountain does make is funneled into the the mountains that make larger profits like Big Sky or Loon. I don’t know, really cool cabins out in the middle of nowhere. Best of luck.
How about a hiker tax. Or a hiker license.
Geez, I was going to say almost all the above, but didn’t want to be labeled a “hut hater” !!They put one somewhere up around Flagstaff also,( where we have a camp, ) but I have never seen it. When I heard they were putting one there, we thought, ‘seriously?’ way to heck out here? You cannot build elaborate places, and expect hikers to fork out money to stay there and pay for the investment. Bad idea!! Tax payers should not have to pick up the slack for them, and what would private investors get out of it? Free weekend use??!! Hey, there is an idea! sell them as condos!!