Winter Fun, #69

Andy Shepard:

It's not the old Black Mountain. This is a completely new mountain again, 1380ft of vertical. That is a significant amount of vertical. It's a fun mountain and there's something there for everyone.

Julie Mulkern:

Not only do we need to help kids get out at the ski areas in the winter, we need to help them really just be outside and get active. Regardless of background, regardless of income, regardless of where you live in Maine, it's just important to get outside and active.

Larry Warren:

Never give up. If you have the conviction of your thoughts and your ideas and you're convinced that they're appropriate for your time and place, do it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This is Dr. Lisa Belisle and you are listening to the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and Podcast Show Number 69 Winter Fun, airing for the first time on January 6, 2013 on WLOB and WPEI Radio, Portland, Maine. Today's Winter Fun guests include Andy Shepard, founder of Maine Winter Sports, Julie Mulkern, Executive Director of Winterkids, and Larry Warren and Nicole Friedman from the Western Mountain foundation and Maine Hudson Trails. As someone who's lived In Maine since 1977, I understand the importance of finding fun in winter. I was a skier for the high school ski team for Yarmouth High School for several years and enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, ice skating, skiing whenever I get a chance. I think it's important for people to get outside and enjoy the natural environment. Maine is beautiful every season of the year. Well, except maybe mud season, but but it's beautiful most seasons of the year. We hope that you'll get some information from Andy Shepard, Julie Mulkern, Larry Warren and Nicole Friedman that will help you to create your own winter Fun this year, 2013. In my work at the Body Architect here in Portland, Maine, I like to incorporate traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture to help my patients have better lives. One of the foundational aspects of traditional Chinese medicine is the idea of Yin and Yang, the opposing energies. This time of year, we're encountering yin energy. Yin is a very peaceful energy. If you think about the dark side of the moon and the light side of the moon, then yin would be the dark side of the moon. This time of year is a time to enjoy life, looking inside yourself and reflecting on where you've been and perhaps where you'd like to go in the months to come. That doesn't mean you shouldn't engage in some Yang energy, of course, as well. So we hope you take a listen to these guests today and find some Yang things to do out in the outdoors, actively snowshoeing, skiing, hiking, and really getting out there and putting both types of yin and Yang energy into your health. For more information on traditional Chinese medicine and how I incorporate it into my practice, give me a call at The Body Architect, 207-774-2196. Joining me today for our Winter Fun show is Andy Shepard, the president and CEO of the Maine Winter Sports center and also a fellow resident of Yarmouth. Actually, you've lived there longer than I have, I hear.

Andy Shepard:

1961.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yes, I joined my family, joined yours in 1977. So you beat me by a little bit. But I'm really glad to have you here in the studio. Thanks for spending time with me.

Andy Shepard:

Thanks for having me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Andy, I know that before you started this Maine Winter Sports center, you had a very different life. Talk to me about that and also tell me why this, why did you start this whole project from the ground up?

Andy Shepard:

Well, you know, all sorts of things, I guess started swirling around in the late 80s, early 90s for me. But I was working at L.L. bean. I was there for 16 years and absolutely loved my time there. You know, it was a kind of inspiring place where you came to work every morning knowing what you were doing, believing in what you were doing. And yes, we were selling products, but, you know, the Bean culture was a lot more than just selling products. And Leon Gorman was the president at the time and really created a sense of family in the company. And they used to joke about people bleeding green, and I think people took that seriously. One of the things that Leon focused a lot on, and I think this is still the culture at Beans, is giving back to the community. He wanted the employees of L.L. bean to be agents of good and change in their communities. And I think the Maine Winter Sports center to a large degree came out of that. When I first came up with the idea in 1997, I think it was I sat down with Leon and John Oliver at the time, he was the head of public relations, I think, and just kind of walked him through what I was thinking about and get his advice. And he was really excited about the idea, which gave me a lot of excitement about what I was trying to do. And you know, the essence of the Maine Winter Sports center really was I was reading a book about Joshua Chamberlain at the time. I'm kind of a student of history and Angus King was our governor. And I remember the first impression was how similar the two of these guys were visually. You know, you look at a picture of them and they could, if not brothers, certainly first cousins. And they both lived in Brunswick, both professors at Bowdoin as governors, they both lived in Brunswick and commuted to Augusta. And all these similarities. It started to strike me that the similarities between the state of Maine in 1870 and in 1998 were very similar as well. That at the time, in 1870, if you looked at Joshua Chamberlain's platform as governor and Angus King's platform as governor, they were very similar. We had a divided Maine where the strength of the economy was largely centered in the south and along the coast. Our economy was derived largely from the sale of raw materials. We were losing our youth to job opportunities elsewhere. In 1870, it was the second iteration of the Industrial Revolution and you had power being derived from hydro resources and so mills were popping up everywhere and we were losing a lot of our youth population there or out to farms in Ohio where growing season was longer and there were a lot less rocks, easier to make a living. Nowadays it's the same thing. We were losing our youth population because there were more job opportunities elsewhere. The notion was if our problems haven't really changed in 140 years, maybe the solution's needed to. And Maine Winter Sports center was intended to be a modest approach to that. Just try and identify the issues that rural communities in Maine faced and to try and bring as comprehensive a solution to their problems as possible.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So give me a snapshot of what the Maine Winter Sports center is. For people who are listening, who may not be familiar. It's actually a pretty. It's pretty big. You said it's modest, but that must have started modestly and has now evolved. You've got a lot of fingers in a lot of different places.

Andy Shepard:

We do. And I think because of that it's hard for people to get their arms around what we do. You know, we are so many different things to so many different people. We are an economic development company and our mission is to create a sustainable model for rural communities. So, you know, there's an economic development component to that. There's a community development component to that. There's a wellness component. There's an energy solution component. If Maine has a disproportionate amount of our homes being heated by oil, which is the most volatile and most expensive source of energy that we have, if the cost of oil gets to $4 a gallon, there are a lot of rural communities. In a lot of our rural communities, people are going to go cold. You know, if it gets to $5 a gallon, it becomes a lot more dire than that. And so, you know, in order to create a sustainable model for rural communities, I think one of our biggest challenges is finding a way to allow people to heat their homes in the most sustainable way. For me, that's renewable energy. You know, finding sources of energy where you can predict 20 years into the future essentially what that kilowatt hour of. Of electricity or whatever energy source is going to be. So we have a focus on supporting and promoting renewable energy. For instance, a lot of people are surprised by that. We have the Healthy Home Towns program, which L.L. bean just gave a million dollars to, is a program that goes into communities. We're in 130 communities across the state right now, and we're creating a healthy, active outdoor lifestyle for thousands of Maine kids and their families every year. Cross country skiing, but also now canoeing, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, those sorts of things. And then we have our venues that a lot of people are aware of. You know, we've got the 10th Mountain center in Fort Kent, the Nordic Heritage center in Presque Isle, two of the top five Nordic venues in the world. We hosted World Cups there a couple years ago for biathlon. Had 140 million TV viewers, $10 million in economic impact in each of those communities over the week that those events were there. We also own two alpine ski areas, Black Mountain and Rumford, Big Rock and Mars Hill. Those are economic engines in the community, but also kind of epicenters of cultural activity and a healthy, active lifestyle. So we have programs. We have coaching for kids to get them onto the Olympics. We have wellness programs. We're economic development. We're anything that makes rural communities more sustainable.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And you've had some good success. I know you've told me. Well, first of all, you mentioned that there are how many viewers? 10 million?

Andy Shepard:

140 million.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

140 million. Okay, so that's substantially larger than 10, 140 million people watching this biathlon. But you've also had some anecdotal success. You've really had an impact on the youth of Maine growing up and beginning to understand that you can actually live sustainably here over the long term.

Andy Shepard:

I like to think so. You know, I think the key to any success that the Maine Winter Sports Center's had is our ability to attract just incredibly talented, passionate, smart people. Our staff have gone to places like Dartmouth and Bowdoin and Colby and Bates and some of the top schools in the country. These are kids that could be successful doing anything that they wanted to do, and they've chosen to invest their lives in rural Maine. And I think they are making a difference. I think back to our very first year, 1999, and we started this Healthy Hometowns program. And we tried to identify all the problems that communities would face in getting started in a healthy, active, outdoor lifestyle. So, you know, we built trails right at the local schools. We provided skis for the kids so that the parents wouldn't have to pay for the skis themselves. We designed track setting equipment so that the community could build their own track setters. And then we had a curriculum to get kids involved in a meaningful way, allow parents to be volunteers and to help make it happen. We wanted to start small. And the first year, I think we were in three communities, one of which is Stockholm, Maine, a town that in the late 1800s, early 1900s, had about 5,000 people in it. Now it has about 150, I think, but beautiful village in. In Aroostook County. And we built a trail system right there. And one of the kids in the class, his name was Russell Currier, he was in seventh grade, I think, and Bill Green went up to do a story on the Healthy Hometowns program. And we captured Russell kind of plowing around on a pair of skis that he had gotten. And he was an awkward kid, like a lot of seventh graders are overweight. He was uncomfortable socially, was not doing particularly well in school. And really he was just one of those kids that just hadn't found himself yet. But as soon as he put a set of skis on, he found himself immediately. And our coaches reached out to Russell. They spent a lot of time with him. He started skiing to and from school every day. And the next year we had North American championships for biathlon in Fort Kent. And Russell was in that competition. He was a youth at the time, skiing against kids from Canada and the United States. And his very first race at that level, he won the race. And I remember he had the entire village of Stockholm, Maine, at the championship school, had let out for the day and they were all sitting on the banks of the stadium watching Russell and, you know, walking over to the podium, I don't think his boots left an imprint in the snow. He was just riding high that whole morning. So, you know, he's gone on to last year. He's on the US national team now and he was racing, he's racing in the World Cups in Europe and he had two six place finishes and wound up the year as one of the top biathletes in the world. So this is a kid that 12 years ago, 13 years ago, was learning how to ski for the very first time and now he's one of the top biathletes in the world. In a sport that for the rest of the world is the wintertime, we focus on alpine skiing or hockey or those kinds of things. But biathlon in Europe has 700 million TV viewers in a season. It's like the NFL or NASCAR. This is an incredibly big business. And for Russell to be that good and to have that kind of profile in Europe, you know, he's a rock star over there.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Here on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and podcast, we've long recognized the link between health and wealth. Here to speak more on the topic is Tom Shepard of Shepherd Financial. It is said that Maine has more world class archers than any other state in the country. If going 35 miles per hour is your cup of tea and you're not into skiing or snowmobiling, I know a place where they will take your money and show you a good time. Indoor water parks and skating rinks round out a host of activities that make winter fun more than just an outdoor activity. If you're still trying to find a way to legally enjoy your life here in Maine, let me suggest that you stop asking yourself if you can afford to and admit that you can't afford not to. At Shepherd Financial, we've been helping clients figure out how to enjoy their money since the first day of winter 2011. For more information, send an email to infoordfinancialmaine.com and put in the subject Winter fun.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Shifting back to one of your original, well, things that you wanted to make sure we talked about was these two mountains that you've bought the Maine Winter Sports center now owns. One of them is Black Mountain, and the other one is Big Rock and Mars Hill. Big Rock and Mars Hill. And as a former high school cross country skier, you and I were talking about this recently that I had been to Black Mountain, and I think I've been to Big Rock as well. And I remembered them being charming but rustic. Let's just say that it sounds like you've made a lot of changes and you've really brought, again, the community together to support the creation of something that people really want to be a part of.

Andy Shepard:

Yes, well, and I should mention that this has all been made possible by the Libra foundation, which gave us our first grant in 1998 and have been remarkable partners throughout the entire process. I think They've invested over $30 million in the Maine Winter Sports center in buying these ski areas, building new ski areas and our programming. But both Black Mountain and Rumford and Big Rock and Mars Hill had essentially gone under. And they're both historic ski areas. Black Mountain and Rumford, for instance. You know, Rumford has produced six Olympians, Winter Olympians over the years, more Olympians than any other community in Maine. And their skiing heritage goes back to 1907. They're one of the oldest skiing communities in the country, and they've gone through a number of ski areas throughout the years. They hosted a World Championship in 1950 when Lake Placid didn't have enough snow, just the Chisholm Ski Club. If you go up to races, you see these old guys and ladies standing around these red jackets. We call it Chummy Broomhall's Army. And they've been doing this forever. They're proud of what they do, and they do it really well. And I thought that it was important to keep that heritage going and made a proposal to Libra Foundation. They bought into that proposal and essentially what we did was took a charming, as you called it, rustic community ski area. 470ft of vertical had a T bar to service the ski area. It had a lodge that was built in 1961, all by volunteers, bathrooms, typically backed up at the worst possible time, which was all the time, and a sloped parking lot that was often mud. And it just, you know, it was great. In 1961. But if you wanted young kids to learn how to ski or you wanted old people to be able to continue to ski, a T bar is not the best way to go. So, you know, predictably, they were having a hard time competing with the other ski areas out there. So when we bought them, we wanted to invest in making it a facility that honored the heritage of skiing in Rumford and the river valley, and that would provide a sustainable model for their operations to continue well into the future. So we built a 14,000 square foot post and beam day lodge with two fireplaces, museums, you know, one tells the story of Nordic skiing history in Rumford and one that tells the story of alpine skiing. It has a cafe and a pub, four paved parking lots. You know, that slow, muddy parking lot. I was, I was sure we were going to be pulling cars out of there that gotten stuck at some point in the future or in the past. But we have four paved parking lots. So now you can show up with a family and don't have to worry about as you drag your gear to and from the the lodge. You're not dragging it through mud and getting everything all dirty. And we put in a summit lift and built a brand new intermediate beginner area off to the right hand side with the lift there as well, and increase the vertical. This year we've added some new trails above the summit lift to actually the summit of the mountain. So now we're 1380ft of vertical where it used to be. 470. We're the fourth largest, fourth tallest vertical in Maine. And it is a beautiful family ski area that can compete with any community ski area in the country. We wanted to make sure that after making that kind of investment, that we fulfilled our mission, which is to make skiing accessible to everyone in the state of Maine and feel like we've made a lot of progress on that on the Nordic side, but have not done as much as we could have on the alpine side. So this year we're offering $150 seasons passes, unlimited skiing at all Maine Winter Sports center ski areas. So that's Black Mountain, Big Rock, even Pineland Farms Nordic center in New Gloucester. And $150. No blackout dates, no shenanigans, just $150 for all the skiing you can have. And then day passes for $15. And the price of rentals and lessons and all those kinds of things follow a similar path.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And for anybody who's ever skied Alpine, $15 for a day pass is pretty much unheard of.

Andy Shepard:

It is unheard of, especially with the

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

vertical that you're talking about.

Andy Shepard:

Yes. And you know that's a concern we have is when people skip see $15 day passes and they remember the Black Mountain of years gone by. They would think to themselves, oh yeah, I get it. You know, it's probably not worth more than 15, but it's not the old Black Mountain. This is a completely new mountain. Again, 1380ft of vertical. That is a significant amount of vertical. And there's something there for everyone. We've got terrain parks, we've got cruiser runs, we've got old old New England hike up and trails that bring you down into glades and bowls. It's a fun mountain and there's something there for everyone.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Andy, how can people find out about the Maine Winter Sports center and the work that you're doing in each of these venues?

Andy Shepard:

They can go to mainwsc.org it's our website. They can also follow Black Mountain and Big Rock on Facebook or Maine Winter Sports show on Facebook. But we'd love to have as many people become a part of our programs as possible, either as volunteers in our Healthy Hometowns program or coming out to ski at our Alpine centers.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Before we end, Andy, I wanted to point out to people who are listening that I'm pretty lucky to be sitting here with you today. Not only were you awarded the outstanding non profit business executive for 2019 by Maine Biz, but you also received the Russell Wilder award from the US Ski and Snowboard association in 2009 and you also now have an honorary doctorate from the University of Maine. So the work that you're doing is being recognized by people in the community. And I think it really does show that it's possible to create a rich and vibrant and sustainable winter community for people that are living here in Maine. So thank you for spending time with me and for spending time doing this for the people of Maine.

Andy Shepard:

Thank you. Well, I think all that is a testament to the fact that I've hired

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

very well and that's always a good thing to know. It's always good to be surrounding yourself with the best people possible.

Andy Shepard:

That's right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Here in Maine, you can't think about winter fun without thinking about winter kids. At least I can't because I've had two children who have gone through the Winter Kids program, and I'm very happy to have Julie Mulkern, who is the executive director of Winter Kids, here speaking with me about her program today. Thanks for spending time with us.

Julie Mulkern:

Thank you for having me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Julie, you have an interesting background. You're a Mainer yourself, right?

Julie Mulkern:

I am, yes. Born and raised. And as people in Maine like to say, I've lived here all my life, but not yet.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I've never heard that before, but I think that makes a lot of sense.

Julie Mulkern:

It does, yes.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And you went to Bates and you have a background in philanthropy.

Julie Mulkern:

I do. I sort of I grew up in Lincoln, which is sort of mid upper Penobscot county, and I sort of worked my way down the state. I went to Bates in the late 90s, which seems I thought it was yesterday, but it's a little bit further now. And I came to Portland after graduation, which was in 99, and have spent my entire career working for nonprofits. I started in mental health, which was very interesting, and stayed there for almost 10 years, but always had something to do with philanthropy the entire time I've been working. So. So it's really important to me that nonprofits survive in Maine, and development is a huge piece of that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And you and I think overlapped a little bit when you were working for Spring harbor and I was working for Maine Health. So I share your interest and passion in health, and I'm glad that we're able to reconnect in this setting here.

Julie Mulkern:

Agreed. Thank you. I've been starting to do over the past well, I've really been doing it for 12 years, but didn't really realize in the beginning that the path I would take would be very public health related, whether it be mental health, children's health, you know, physical fitness. And I just recently joined the board of the Maine Public Health association, which is not only great for me, but wonderful for winter kids.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So tell Me. What is the relationship between public health and Winter Kids? What is it that Winter Kids has to offer?

Julie Mulkern:

Winter kids began in 1997 through the ski Maine association as a singular learn to ski program for fifth graders in Maine. The ski industry saw that as something very necessary for their industry, particularly in Maine. Lots to offer. There's 50 plus areas for winter sports. And a volunteer at the time by the name of Karla Marcus, who founded winterkids, felt that there was something bigger at play and realized that that not only do we need to help kids get out at the ski areas in the winter, we need to help them really just be outside and get active. And so she founded Winter Kids in 2000 as a nonprofit. It turned into an array of programs for families, for schools, for the community. And it's really today more about regardless of background, regardless of income, regardless of where you live in Maine, it's just important to get outside and active. Winter is our longest season. It's the most sedentary. As I say to everyone, winter sometimes lasts for six months. At Winter Kids, we think that's a great thing. Other people might say otherwise, but kids, particularly now, as you know, with your background, are really into screen time, video games, being inside. And in the winter, that happens more than ever. And so the more we can get kids outside and active, the better off they'll be.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

My children got involved with Winter Kids through the Passport program. The Winter Kids Passport program, which is fifth, sixth and seventh grade. So two of my children have already done this and I now have a sixth grader who's going to do it this year. Yes. So I know it works very well. Tell the people who are listening what the Passport program does for kids.

Julie Mulkern:

The Passport program, as you mentioned, it is for fifth, sixth and seventh graders in Maine. There are over 50 winter sports areas involved and they offer free and discounted tickets to try a winter sport. Historically, the most popular, of course, has been downhill skiing and snowboarding. Particularly the older kids get, the cooler that is. But it really runs the gamut. We have ice skating, snow tubing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, even dog sledding, which is pretty cool. And it helps them to get outside throughout the winter in a very affordable way. We know that there are competing priorities and interests for families financially, particularly in the world we live in in the last five years or so. And so the Passport really helps all Maine families get outside. And this year we have an interesting pilot project with Maine Health, actually, where three of the pediatric offices will be prescribing the Passport for Health, which is really interesting concept. I think it has the potential to get much bigger. We're going to try it out this year and see how it works. But they have done this in the past with state park passes and that's sort of where the idea came from. And we're, we're trying to become the winter component of that. And we hear a lot of feedback from pediatricians that they wish they had more referral sources like this. So I'm really hopeful that it'll be successful.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Last week we had on the show a newcomer to Maine, somebody who had immigrated from another country and he had children. I know that this is one of the outreach areas for Winter kids and that you have an event coming up on January 19th.

Julie Mulkern:

We do. The welcome to Winter Festival is held every year in Payson park here in Portland. And this will be the 9th annual welcome to Winter. And that's actually unbelievable to think about, but each year we offer a festival and it is specific to the immigrant refugee community of Greater Portland, but it is open to everyone and each year about 400 or more people come and it's a day to go sledding for the first time down Payson Hill. Try snowshoeing with L.L. bean's Outdoor Discovery School. Participate in a story walk, which is a self guided snowshoe walk while reading a book. And it has physical activity elements and it's really a community effort. Truly. Hannaford comes with healthy snacks and I mentioned L.L. bean. This year we have an international chorus coming to sing in Payson Park, I'm assuming maybe for a short span of time because it's very cold, but so many people in the community participate, including local businesses, retailers and other like minded health organizations to really welcome this population to winter. And it's not only about the fun of winter and the importance of getting outside and being active, but also the safety aspects of it and how to dress appropriately, even drive appropriately in the winter. And they really appreciate it. And more and more people come every year. It's really wonderful.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

What are some of the things that Winter Kids is learned about the immigrant Community and some of the needs that they have that are different from what people who have grown up in Maine might.

Julie Mulkern:

So many of them have come from desert or warm climates and it's really shocking to them. The winter, it's scary and it's really heartwarming, no pun intended, to see how quickly they can be converted. It's just as long as they're invited and they understand that this is something that will be good for them, you know, ultimately. And they've, they've really grown to understand that they can be outside and be active in the winter as long as they're dressed appropriately. That is the biggest key. You know, we've had people show up to welcome to winter in their traditional clothing and not wearing socks. And it's the middle of January and so to see within literally an hour's time dressing that person with socks, making sure they have on the right gear to fly down Payson Hill, and the look of terror on their face the first time turns into sheer happiness and elation, you know, five times over the rest of the day. And that to us is success for winter kids.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Now this event's taking place in Payson park, but I know that there is a big focus for winter kids on in other parts of the state that maybe aren't as heavily populated. And one of the organizations you're working with is the Maine Winter Sports center and the Healthy Hometown program. Tell me about some of the outreach you're doing in parts of the state.

Julie Mulkern:

When we developed our most recent strategic plan, we, and we'd known this for some time, but we really looked at Maine by health district and what the needs really were in all parts of the state. And we realized that our school programs in particular were the best way to reach kids, particularly in high need, low resource areas. So this year our program director will be traveling with train the trainer programs for Washington county, parts of Upper Penobscot County, Upper Franklin and parts of Oxford county, which is really great for us. Historically, we've tried to go to the major metro areas of Maine. I know that sounds funny. Bangor, Lewiston, Auburn, Augusta, Waterville and Portland. And we've really switched the way we do business, so to speak, so that those kids who really have no opportunities where they're, where they're living and probably won't be traveling to a passport partner or Even an event 50 miles away, we can reach them in schools. And we really hope that over time it'll change the environment in the school. So it's a winter kids school. It's not just a classroom doing it for three years. The whole school is participating. And Healthy Hometowns has really blown up in a wonderful way, thanks to andy Shepard and L.L. bean. And I think that as much as we possibly can, we're always working with other organizations that are trying to do the same thing we are, but maybe a little bit differently. And we have huge opportunity to link up with the Healthy Hometowns program in the communities that we're working in. And they're working to expand in some of the same areas we are. And we'd be sure to work together. An example would be a Winter Kids Challenge. School would have the tools and resources we've given them to get outside. And maybe the Healthy Hometowns program is providing the snowshoes or cross country skis or sledding equipment for that classroom to use for their program. So there are definitely really creative ways we can work together. And I think there'll probably be more of that as time goes on.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I saw on your website that Seth Westcott has done some work with you. That must be fairly inspiring for kids to be able to see him as part of the Winter Kids program.

Julie Mulkern:

It's amazing. And he. I can attest to the fact that I'm biased as also being a Mainer, as are you, but he is just one of the most down to earth wonderful people you could ever meet. And he really, really cares about kids and cares about kids getting outside. And unfortunate for him he was injured last winter, but it actually ended up being a huge success story for us because we were able to travel with him to schools that were participating in the Winter Kids Challenge. And he spoke to the entire school. Let every kid at the East End Elementary School try on his Olympic gold medals. And that is a day that a kid will never forget in their life. He's very patient and one of the most giving people and probably the best spokesperson we could ask for.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Truly, Julie, I know that people who are listening will want to learn more about the Passport program, the FunPass program, the welcome to Winter Festival, and the work that you're doing with schools. So what's the best way for people to find out about Winter Kids?

Julie Mulkern:

They should visit our website, which is www.winterkids.org. we actually have a brand new website that is very interactive and easy to use. We had our families in mind when we created it. All of our upcoming events are listed on the website. You can see Seth and a wonderful psa and any teachers or parents can learn more about our family and school programs. And we encourage everyone to participate. It's statewide. And we really stress that although we're based in Portland, we are serving all corners of Maine to the best of our ability.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And Facebook.

Julie Mulkern:

Facebook also. Thank you for mentioning that. With the huge growth of social media, Winter Kids has kept up, and we have a very active Facebook page. I encourage everyone to go and like it today. And we have lots of fresh information there, whether it be photos of recent events that we've held or photos of kids in schools, and definitely all of our upcoming events, whether they be programming or community benefits on behalf of Winter Kids.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, we've been speaking with Julie Mulkern, the executive director of winterkids, and I'm so appreciative that you've taken the time to talk with me today about the programs that you've been doing for the last, I guess, 15 years plus now. Congratulations on all the good work and all the things that you've been able to bring to the children of Maine.

Julie Mulkern:

Thank you very much. I really appreciate you having us here today. Winter Kids. Our mission is a very simple message, but a very important one. And we want kids to be outside and active and ultimately healthy. So thank you very much.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

When we think about health and wellness in Maine, it's hard not to think about going outside. And two people who have spent some time promoting wellness and health on the outside are Larry Warren and Nicole Friedman. Larry Warren is here from the Western Mountains foundation and is a longtime Sugarloaf. Well, you're sort of a founding father, I would say.

Larry Warren:

I've been there a while.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You've been there a while? Yes. And Nicole Friedman is now the executive director of Maine Huts and Trails, and we welcome you here to our studio. Nicole, thank you.

Nicole Freedman:

Thank you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's really nice to have an ongoing conversation with people that we kind of started a while back. So we actually had main Hudson Trails on last fall, and we talked a little bit with Dave Herring at the time about the type of availability that you had and all these wonderful programs. So it's funny that that was sort of one of our initial programs, and now a year later, it's still out there, and you're growing and you're doing new things. So talk to me first about Maine Hudson Trails. Nicole.

Nicole Freedman:

So Maine Huts and Trails launched its first hut in 2008, and since then, we have developed 80 miles of trail. We have four huts now. Our last hut, the Strattonbruck Hut, just opened on December 21st, and we've actually hosted 15,000 guests to date from 27 countries. And when the Founders, folks like Larry sitting next to me really envisioned what Maine huts would be. It was really intended to be a destination of national significance. And I think it's absolutely done that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Larry, in Maine magazine, you were profiled in the December issue, which is the Sugarloaf issue. One of the quotes that they say is, I have heard from various people that Larry Warren is a visionary. Do you consider yourself a visionary?

Larry Warren:

Well, I've had a number of dreams.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So at least you have visions.

Larry Warren:

To a large degree. Most of them have come to fruition, and I'm appreciative of the fact that we've had a lot of help in making all these things come to be.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, back me up a few years. For people who haven't read the Maine Magazine issue, I'm sure they're all going to run out and get the Sugarloaf issue and read this. How did you come to be in Maine and how long ago did this all start?

Larry Warren:

I came to Maine in 1970, so it was 42 years ago. I was 25 years old and was working for a CPA firm in Boston and landed at Sugarloaf skiing on weekends and kept coming back because there was such a comfort to the place, a genuine quality to it, an unpretentious character that still prevails in that region. And I met people from Kittery to Fort Kent at Sugarloaf during the winter season and was offered a number of jobs to move up from Boston. And I tentatively accepted one, working for a firm in Portland. That firm was doing work, financial audit work and financing work for Sugarloaf. And the partner in charge of that project would go up to ski on weekends and he'd get pulled off the ski slopes to come in and do financial projections. So I told Alden McDonald that I'd love to go to work for him, but I wanted to stay the ski season at Sugarloaf. And then I'd come down around the 1st of April, middle of April, and he said, great. He said, you ski during the day and do the financial projections at night. Send them down to us and we'll work with the banks on getting a refinancing done. While I was doing that work, one of the conditions of the refinancing was they wanted a new president, a full time president at Sugarloaf. They hired a fellow from Squaw Mountain named Charlie Skinner who came down to Sugarloaf and was kicking the tires and walking through the halls one evening, and he asked me who I was and what I was doing, and I told him That I was working for Donald Page on a per diem basis. And he said, well, why don't you stay, work for us? We're going to need a controller. So I called Alden, told him that I had this offer. He said, larry, that's a great opportunity. He said, I'd take it. And if it doesn't work out, the door is always open here in Portland. So with that, I stepped forward and

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

stayed at Sugarloaf for 40 years. For 40 years plus now plus, you talk about this. Well, you didn't specifically say this, but a sense of community. You said it was maybe low key. Were the words that you were using.

Larry Warren:

Yes, very unpretentious.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Unpretentious, right. And yet I think that when you and I were talking, you were saying that a lot of people would come from their workaday lives, from the Maine legislature, or from the law firms in Portland, or from, you know, some of Maine's leaders and visionaries, and they would come up to Sugarloaf. Why do you think it's important for people who are the visionaries or people who are in leadership roles to have an unpretentious place to land?

Larry Warren:

Well, I think the general character of Maine people, particularly in the 70s, had an unpretentious quality to it. And there was a genuine camaraderie among Maine's leaders, whether they were Republican, Democrat, professional or laypeople. And one of the centers of focal interest in the winter in Maine has always been Sugarloaf, since the early 50s. So these people all gravitated to Sugarloaf. And whether you were at the Sugarloaf Inn or at the Base Lodge or the Red Stallion Inn, you'd meet people from Kittery to Fort Kent and form friendships that basically opened doors in Kennebunk and Camden and Bangor and Augusta. And so it was a small community that had tentacles that reached out to all corners of the state.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Which is similar to what's happening with Main Hudson Trails is you're sort of developing little spots that could be kind of a locus of energy and people and a place for people to land. But they're all connected. They're connected to other places. How similar is this or not to the work that you did in Boston? You were the leader of the bicycle coalition.

Nicole Freedman:

I worked for the city of Boston running the bike programs for the mayor in Boston. It's similar in one sense. They're both broad scale economic development. One of the founding goals of Maine Hudson Trails was really to help develop the local economy in the western Maine region. And to date we've calculated about $15 million in economic impact in the area, whether it's from constructing the huts using locally sourced ingredients, when we provide food, hiring staff. You know, it's so many ways. 15,000 visitors coming through Kingfield, spending money.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Larry, it's interesting to me that you were coming up from Boston and you have a degree in accounting from Bentley, I think. Yes, I understand. So you're existing in a fairly cerebral world down in Boston, doing the kind of work you're doing, and yet something up here called to you, something about the outdoors called to you and said, larry, come ski with us. Larry, stay up here and ski. What do you think that was? And why do you think that there is a call to people from the outdoors, whether it to be to ski or to go to Maine Hudson Trails?

Larry Warren:

Well, I believe that anyone that went to that region 40 years ago or comes to it today recognizes the intrinsic beauty of the place. There's a quality in the natural environment there that is really alluring. Sugarloaf has always been a great mountain. I mean, for skiing, it's one of the top in the country. The challenge for Sugarloaf, the challenge for that region was to preserve its environmental character and its integrity, yet for it to grow in a balanced way that provided the critical mass that was going to be necessary for the alpine skiing to sustain itself. I was involved with this very small population in the 70s. I think the population was 26 people. And it was. We had this canvas. You know, the background was done. It was beautiful. And the challenge was, how do we make a living here? How do we provide opportunities for people who want to be in this place, to have jobs, for the businesses, to be sustainable, for the region to have a vibrancy and an economy that could last for future generations? And so there had to be major structural changes, and most of those had a financial dependency. There had to be some creativity involved in how we structured the investment, the huge investment that was going to be necessary in order to take this forward. And so that was part of the challenge. And when you're 25 and 26 years old and you have dreams of what the place can be, and there's nobody saying no, it's compelling. It's an exciting atmosphere for young people to be involved with and to do whatever you collectively think is the right

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

thing to do, do you think that sort of freedom still exists in the world today?

Larry Warren:

In fewer places? But I think that if you have a. A good idea, I think that if you have the ability to communicate how that idea can be meaningful to community, how it can embellish existing values and resources and provide growth opportunities that are positive, I think that those opportunities still exist for young people.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And Nicole, what is it about the outdoors? Just getting back to the same question I asked Larry. What is it about the outdoors that you think calls to people or calls to you? Why is the outdoors important to us as human beings? And why do we want people out there in the wintertime and all the seasons of the year enjoying the outdoors here in Maine?

Nicole Freedman:

I think it's, you know, it's deeply ingrained in all of us. It's evolutionary to want to be in the outdoors. And having lived in a city and spent a lot of time in cities, you see people that really need to be outdoors. And there's some fantastic studies about patients in hospitals. And if their window is facing a brick wall versus a tree, the ones with the tree, they heal faster in public housing. They've seen the same thing with grades and violence. And nature is just core to all of us. But the western mountain area is so special. I hadn't spent time here before. It's the most beautiful place I've ever lived. And in many ways, it's undiscovered by many Americans. I call it, personally, I call it the last frontier of the mainland. We've got Alaska and the wilderness there, and I feel like Maine is that special. And it's so close to urban population centers. And if we can just bring people out there, we're just opening their minds to a whole new world.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

For people who are interested in going out and experiencing the Maine Hudson Trails, how can they find out more about your organization?

Nicole Freedman:

Well, they can definitely look on the website, which is mainhuts.org we love to talk to everyone. So we humans at the office, take all reservations by phone, and the number is 207-265-2400. And our goal is always to match people with the best possible trip for them. And, you know, we listen and we hear what people's ability levels are, what their interest levels are, and we're able to say, you know, if you go to the Strattonbrook Hut and the Poplar hut, you will have the absolute best time where someone else might be going to our more remote hut, the Grand Falls hut. But the more we can really match people with the best possible trip, we're more confident they will have an even more fantastic time.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Larry, what words would you leave with people who are attempting to live their dreams at this point or be visionaries themselves, Whether it be related to Maine and the outdoors or really anything in your experience. What words of wisdom could you offer?

Larry Warren:

Never give up persistence. If you have the conviction of your thoughts and your ideas and you're convinced that they're appropriate for your time and place, do it well.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Larry, I think that that I'm feeling inspired as I'm sitting across from you. I hope people will take the time to read the article in the December issue of Maine Magazine. It's called Larry Warren's Big Ideas. Clearly you had some big ideas and they came true and one of them was Main Hudson Trail. So thank you Nicole for spending time with me today. And thank you Larry for joining us in the studio.

Larry Warren:

Well, thank you, thank you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You have been listening to the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and Podcast, podcast show number 69, Winter Fun, featuring Andy Shepard, Founder of Maine Winter Sports, Julie Mulkern, Executive Director of winterkids, Larry Warren and Nicole Friedman of Western Mountain foundation and Main Huts and Trails. For more information on our guests, visit Dr. Lisa.org the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and Podcast is downloadable for free on itunes. For a preview of each week's shows, sign up for our E newsletter and like our Dr. Lisa Facebook page. You can also follow me on Twitter and Pinterest Dr. Lisa and read my take on health and well being and living on The Bountiful Blog bountifulpath.com We love to hear from you, so please let us know what you think of our show and if you have suggestions for future shows. I love to hear from you at my Body Architect practice, so give me a call at 774-2196. Also, our sponsors like to hear from you. Let them know that you heard about them here on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour. We're heading into 2013. Happily, because we're supported by our sponsors, we couldn't do this without them. This is Dr. Lisa Bellio hoping that our show will inspire a sense of winter fun in your life. Thank you for letting us be a part of your day. May you have a bountiful life.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Sam.