Aylward honored for work with Portland Trails

Portland Trails, a nonprofit urban land trust and trail building organization, announced that Steve Aylward is this year’s winner of the Kay Wagenknecht-Harte Award for Volunteer Service.

Aylward was recognized for his contribution to the Riverton Rail Trail.

“He’s the volunteer we dream about … someone who emerges from their neighborhood with an idea for a trail — and works diligently to make it happen,” said Nan Cumming, executive director of Portland Trails. Although the trail is not yet complete, Portland Trails was enthusiastic to give the award to Aylward for his hard work and dedication.

The Kay Wagenknecht-Harte Award is given to a volunteer who has made significant and lasting contributions to Portland Trails, the organization reported. The award was created in 2002 to honor the memory of Kay Wagenknecht-Harte, a Portland Trails volunteer, landscape architect and open-space advocate. An endowment, created by her family, permits Portland Trails to honor each award recipient by placing a bench on a trail of the awardees’ choice.

Aylward is a professor of political science at St. Joseph’s College of Maine in Standish, where he brings his community building values into the classroom. In addition to coordinating and leading the volunteer work effort for the Riverton Rail Trail, he is a City Council appointed member of the Land Bank Commission which coordinated easements and land acquisition to help tie the trail into the Portland Trails network.

"Portland Trails is a tremendous organization that's crucial to preserving Portland's heritage for generations to come," he said. "I'm very privileged to work with a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers in Riverton who are doing just that, so this award is really theirs, too."