By David Harry
Staff Writer

Ben Acker likes to walk in the woods around Broadturn Farm.
What was once his shortcut home from the school bus stop is now a trail open to the community, thanks to Acker’s project that will earn him an Eagle Scout badge.
Acker, 16, is a member of Boy Scout Troop 39, a junior at Scarborough High School and interested in a career as a helicopter pilot.
But his feet were firmly on the ground as he organized 29 volunteers to construct a loop measuring just less than a mile through woods behind the farm, located off Broadturn and Hanson roads.
Work included clearing brush, cutting down trees and building a plank bridge over Silver Brook.
“I think it has paid off, I think it looks excellent,” he said as he walked through the woods last week.
From a narrow trail leading to and from the bridge to wider spaces along the logging roads, hikers, snowshoers and cross country skiers can explore a loop where deer, coyotes, and a wide variety of birds can be found, Acker said.
The trail is free and open to the public, but all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles are not allowed.
Having lived nearby for all his life, Acker said he is well acquainted with the contoured terrain of trees and ridges.
“I come out here all the time to think,” said Acker.
When he came out for a walk in the woods with farm managers John Bliss and his wife Stacy Brenner in October 2008, Acker said they gave him the idea to build the trail to fulfill the community service requirement for his Eagle Badge.
For the last several years, Acker said he has been a volunteer at Broadturn Farm, which has been managed by Bliss and Brenner since 2006 after the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust bought the land in 2004, according to the land trust Web site.
It took about a year to plan the project, Acker said, and he drew from his troop, friends and family members for the three crews who worked on the trail Nov. 8.
An entrance to the trail is found behind cabins that house farm volunteers during the growing season. Narrow at its start, the trail dips down to Silver Brook, where the bridge is held fast with cables against storm currents and snowmelt.
The bridge design was a collaborative effort built with materials donated by Lowe’s and Hillside Lumber, Acker said.
He credited his grandfather, a Bowdoinham resident who helps build bridges for his snowmobile club, for the idea to include cables. It was also his grandfather who referred him to the Central Mine Power office in Brunswick, where Acker received a donation of 80 feet of cable.
Acker said the beams supporting the bridge were cut and predrilled to make assembly easier, based on a design provided by Scarborough contractor Marc Risbara.
Risbara also provided the stump grinder to churn tree stumps into a soft, porous path on sections of the trail where water accumulates, Acker said.
Risbara’s son Marco is also a Scout in Troop 39 and helped with the project. Acker said.
A Scout since he was 5, Acker said he has been involved in just about every facet of Scouting, including as a member of the Scout’s national honor society.
As he walked the trail last week, Aker pointed to other sections that could also be cleared – he envisions a network of trails and has encouraged other troop members to think about expanding the trails when they consider projects to earn their Eagle badges.
Acker said the trail needs to be marked properly before it is considered complete, but he is already feeling the satisfaction.
“I have never felt so happy or proud. Everybody came together and I was so honored to be a part of it,” he said.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219