Category: Trees & Greens

The Green Team advocates for and engages in the planting, maintenance, and stewardship of trails, playgrounds, and green spaces throughout Bayside, working to bring more trees and greenery to a neighborhood that has historically been underserved in this area. The team works closely with Portland’s Parks Department and City Arborist on tree planting initiatives, coordinates care for the Bayside Trail’s sapling forest, and advocates for development projects to allocate tree-planting fees specifically for use within the neighborhood boundaries. Recent accomplishments include organizing meaningful ceremonies like the blessing of the Bayside Trail sapling forest by the Penobscot Nation’s Burnurwurbskek Singers, and conducting forest bathing experiences to help residents connect with nature. The team recognizes that green spaces and tree canopy are vital to creating a healthy, livable, and sustainable urban neighborhood.

Avery Kamilla, Team Lead — Susan McClosky, Board Liaison
Contact greenteam@baysideportland.org for more information

City Announces Public Process for Midtown Development

On By BNA AdminIn Relevant Developments, Trees & Greens

Calling all Baysiders! Now is the time to have our voices heard! In response to demands for public involvement before selling the Midtown Properties in Bayside, The City of Portland announced a comprehensive process for soliciting community input. Click here to access the City of Portland website for more information and to take the community survey

Community members are invited to share their ideas for how these sites should be used at upcoming public meetings and through an online survey. A summary of community feedback will be presented to the Council’s Housing & Economic Development Committee in May. Based on this input and subsequent Council guidance, marketing materials may be developed for further Committee review.

The Bayside Neighborhood Association has been working on this for decades, and was instrumental in producing the landmark New Vision for Bayside in January of 2000 as part of the city’s comprehensive plan. Still relevant today, it’s the centerpiece of the city’s supporting documents on Midtown. At the heart of the plan, as illustrated below, is a sequence of urban-density buildings lining the then-unrealized Bayside Trail, anchored by a central “public open space.” We respectfully request that the city honors that commitment to the public good by reserving a 125′ x 125′ piece of the property (about 1/10th of the total area) for a much needed public recreation area.

Today, we’re asking Baysiders and allies to affirm and amplify the board’s multiple entreaties to the council. Below are copies of the BNA’s official statements. Please feel free to refer to them when filling out the survey and/or writing to your city councillors. We also want to hear your ideas so please reach out to board@baysideportland.org and let us know what you think.

02_09_26 Letter to council re_ Midtown_.docxDownload
10_16_25 Letter to council re MidtownDownload

More on Midtown:

Click here to jump to the Community Survey

Open Letter to Council RE: Midtown Properties

On By BNA AdminIn Relevant Developments, Trees & Greens

TO: Portland City Council
FROM: Bayside Neighborhood Association
DATE: February 9, 2026
SUBJECT: Midtown Properties

Dear Mayor and City Councilors,

The Bayside Neighborhood Association respectfully requests that the Council pause any decisions regarding which portions of the Midtown property will be sold. Given the significance of this property to the future of our community and the potential long-term impacts of its development, it is essential that we proceed thoughtfully and with comprehensive public input.

We believe that the lots may need to be sub-divided before going to market, to engender a more diverse set of possible outcomes for this extraordinary piece of land. A delay in the decision-making process would allow for deeper engagement with residents, stakeholders, and urban planning experts to ensure that the choices made for Midtown reflect the best interests of Portland now and for generations to come.

Thank you for considering this request and for your continued dedication to our city.

Sincerely,
Thomas Blackburn, President 
Bayside Neighborhood Association

BNA Board of directors:
Thomas Blackburn, 14 Hanover Street
Robert Sylvain, 167 Falmouth Street
Colette Bouchard, 18 Hanover Street
Pete Markoe, 47 Hanover Street
Susan McCloskey, 25 Parris Street
Jim Hall, 47 Cedar Street
Betsy Boyd, Portland Downtown

Volunteers mulch trees on Bayside Trail

On By BNA AdminIn Trees & Greens
photo by Avery Yale Kamilla

Portland’s tree steward Cameron Scharff was surprised by the number of volunteers who showed up on Saturday, Nov. 9 to help tuck trees on the Bayside Trail in for the winter. 

“I am incredibly pleased with what was accomplished,” Scharff said. “In less than two hours, we mulched and composted nearly 50 younger trees on the Bayside Trail, with volunteers from Bayside, the West End, the East End, and Libbytown. The addition of this organic material will support tree growth, increase water retention, suppress weeds and improve aesthetics along the trail. This collaborative effort is precisely the kind of community-driven forestry initiative that can make a large difference in the lives of trees, the health of parks and the enjoyment of the community that uses them.”

The 15 volunteers were more than had RSVP’d, and people continued to trickle in as the event was in progress. With a fleet of wheelbarrows, shovels and rakes, and piles of loam and woodchips, the volunteers gathered behind Dunkin’ and started with the recently planted trees and expanded from there. The trees in the section of the trail behind Trader Joe’s had been topdressed and mulched in the spring. 

All the activity on this part of the trail discouraged two individuals from setting up a tent. Four used needles were discovered during the tree mulching event. 

Scharff instructed volunteers to spread the loam in a thin layer, feathering it into the topsoil, and then cover it with a layer of woodchips. Volunteers were careful to leave the root flare at the base of each tree trunk exposed to avoid creating the dreaded mulch volcanoes that can injure trees. 

Scharff’s last day on the job was Nov. 21. He served with the Portland Parks Conservancy and Portland’s Parks and Recreation Department in 2025 as a tree steward courtesy of the Maine Conservation Corps, which is funded through the national AmeriCorps program. One project Scharff worked on this season was cataloguing all of Portland’s street trees. Portland hopes to host another Maine Conservation Corps tree steward next season.

Tree Hugging Event Success!

On By Robert SylvainIn Events Team, Trees & Greens

Reposted from Portland Protectors:

“A powerful event took place in Portland today. Portland Maine Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department and the Burnurwurbskek Singers of the Penobscot Nation in conjunction with the Bayside Neighborhood Association held a blessing of the sapling forest on the Bayside Trail (part of Portland Trails) along with an immersive forest bathing walk. The Burnurwurbskek Singers, including three generations of drum leader Ron Bear’s family, performed a series of sacred songs, each a prayer. The drumming drew in visitors to the often lonely trail, while others stood behind Trader Joe’s chain link fence listening. The music also drew something surprising and unusual which none present had ever seen soaring over Bayside: A bald eagle. Ron Bear wasn’t surprised, however, saying eagles show up when the group performs. The drumming and singing were followed by a Shinrin-Yoku Forest Bathing experience led by Portland’s Supervising Park Ranger Elizabeth Collado. This event culminated with a tea ceremony using white pine tea. As Ranger Liz reminded the group, the Eastern white pine is the Maine state tree and the Tree of Peace of the Haudenosaunee nations. Those assembled breathed in the here and now and envisioned the area when the young trees are mature and casting shade across a parkway surrounded by hundreds of new apartments. Parks and trees are essential to current and future residents of Portland. Today this baby urban forest was hugged and blessed. We look forward to watching it grow.”

Annual Tree Hugging Event!

On By BNA AdminIn Events Team, Trees & Greens

Portland Parks’ Annual Tree Hugging Event is coming to Bayside for the first time in 2025
Saturday, September 13th at 11am
Bayside Trail at Somerset and Elm (behind Trader Joe’s)
Free and Open to the Public

Get ready for a reimagined Tree-Hugging Event along the Bayside Trail! While this marks the fifth such gathering in the city of Portland, this year promises a fresh approach. Inspired by the juxtaposition of the newly planted Bayside Trail trees and the resilient spirit of urban youth of the Bayside neighborhood, this event will explore the wisdom found in both natural and human landscapes, embracing the idea that everyone can connect with nature in their own way.

• Welcome ceremony performed by the Burnurwurbskek Singers of the Penobscot Nation
• Shinrin-Yoku Forest Bathing experience led by Portland’s Supervising Park Ranger Elizabeth Collado
• Refreshments including traditional white pine tea, activities, information tables, and more

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19nkUDryoW

BNA Team Reports May 6, 2025

On By Bayside Neighborhood AssociationIn Arts & Music, Business Club, Citizens' Trash Brigade, Comms Team, Events Team, Garden, Relevant Developments, Safe Streets, Social Services, Trees & Greens, Welcome Team

Team leads met April 7th to discuss communication, shared challenges, resources and goals. A decision was made to reboot the Baysider as an online publication, facilitated by the tech team.

Garden Team — Holly Picotte, lead — Susan McClosky, board liaison

We held the 2025 garden orientation on Saturday, May 3rd with a great turnout.  We met several new plot holders and gardeners were exchanging ideas about what they were going to plant in their plots!  The water access was discovered to be broken (pex coming from the shelter was snapped), but Stephen, one of our gardeners, volunteered to fix it which he did that day which is fantastic. Water was set to be turned on Monday, 5/5 by Port Property.

Development Developments Team — Amelia LaBreck, lead — Alex Landry, board liaison

The Franklin Street Redesign Project is in early planning stages at the city. Several Development Team members attended an open house to reboot the project at the Rines Auditorium on April 17th. The Live Nation Music Venue has had the question of traffic and parking feasibility is to be examined by the transportation committee. 89 Elm construction is underway, though currently is more of a void in the ground than a structure. 60 Elm has had an enlargement and redesign, being workshopped May 6th. The whole Reveler MDP is undergoing some changes to be announced. 72 Parris held a public meeting at the McGoldrick Center on April 14th which was attended by many BNA members and neighborhood voices.

BNA Citizens’ Trash Brigade — Megan Holt, lead — Rob Sylvain, board liaison 

Thanks to all who turned out for another successful spring cleanup on Saturday April 17th. Special thanks to city arborist Mark Reilland for providing compost and mulch for the BNA Tree Team to spread on our new neighborhood trees. Many thanks to the generous Bayside Businesses that donated gift certificates: Leavitt & Sons Deli – Isa Bistro – Wilson County BBQ – Bayside Bowl – Two Fat Cats Bakery – Tally’s Kitchen – Maine Oyster Company

Tuesday April 22 Preble Street hosted another cleanup and BBQ which was attended by BNA board and team members. Just three days after the BNA cleanup, it was noted that trash had already accumulated again.

Saturday May 3rd Portland Parks Conservancy hosted a city-wide cleanup with Megan Holt acting as a hub captain at the Bayside Community Garden. The tree team continued mulching and the garden team met to clean up and prepare the garden for spring. Holly noted that Public works did not pick up the garbage bags the following day, causing a mess on Hall Ct. Jennifer Rogers had noted the same problem after the April 17th cleanup.

Caroline Fernandez from Preble Street has indicated interest in collaborating on monthly cleanups Friday afternoons. Next cleanup is scheduled for Friday 

Tech Team — Joey Brunelle, lead — Jim Hall, board liaison

The Baysider newspaper is getting an online reboot. Submissions of news and photos from team leads are needed. Also looking for content from the community including editorials, reviews, events, photos, art, poetry, and prose of all sorts. Thanks to Special Collections Librarian & Archivist Abraham Schechter, the Portland Public Library’s has been digitizing their collection of The Baysider which lives in the Portland Room archive. The public can now access searchable pdf copies of many issues of The Baysider at the Portland Public Library Digital Commons website, and the BNA website.

Tree Team — Avery Kamilla, lead — Susan McClosky, board liaison

The BNA Tree Team has been active this spring working to grow our tree canopy and tend our existing trees. During the annual Spring Cleanup, neighbors mulched all the newly planted trees on Chestnut Street and many of the newly planted trees on the Bayside Trail. 

The Tree Team is also working with the Portland Park Rangers to host the annual Tree Hugging event June 7. For the first time, it will be held in the Bayside Neighborhood on the Bayside Trail. At the Tree Hugging event, Portland’s lead Park Ranger and certified forest bathing expert Liz Collado will lead a forest bathing walk and encourage participants to envision the day when the young trees on the trail become mature, heritage trees with wide canopies. 

Members of the Tree Team attended the recent Tree Talk given by Portland’s arborist Mark Reiland and hosted by the West End Neighborhood Association. Reiland discussed the new planting requirements that he has initiated for new trees that mandate much larger planting wells and a compost-rich soil. The disappointing news he delivered during the talk was that he does not expect to plant any trees in Bayside or East Bayside this year. Reiland said the reason why is because the city used all the viable planting locations during last year’s tree surge. 

Members of the Tree Team also attended the recent Reimagining Franklin Street event hosted by the Planning Department at the Portland Public Library. The event was a chance for the public to offer feedback about what they like and don’t like about the current street. Tree Team members advocated for the need for more trees and parkland. 

Tree Team member and Portland Protectors co-founder Avery Yale Kamila talked with city officials about the need to restore Lincoln Park to its original size and further expand it. Of particular concern is preserving the heritage oaks growing in the median between Congress and Middle streets. 

The Bayside neighborhood’s only playground, the Stone Street Playground, is slated for a $400,000 upgrade this budget year. However, Reiland is concerned that a major revamp of the playground will kill the park’s trees. The BNA and the Tree Team are awaiting more information about the project. Any day now the cherry trees in the Stone Street Playground will unfurl their pink blooms. 

Bayside Business Breakfast Club — Tom Blackburn, lead — Betsy Boyd, board liaison

Gathered on April 30 at Coffee Me Up, hosted by Alba Zakja. Topics included creating a Bayside business map, intra-team communication via whatsapp, mentorship program with ProsperityME, updating the business contact list, outreach to corporate entities, improvement district funding, ads for Baysider, lobbying city hall, promoting good news stories to the media, and delegating action items. Tom Blackburn has stepped up to lead the team. Next meeting will be at Jay York Photography, 58 Wilmot Street on Wednesday, May 28th, 8:30am

Welcome Team — Belinda Vemba, lead — Deb VanHoewyk, board liaison

The Welcome Committee has co-hosted its first event – the Samosa Social! On Thursday, April 3rd, the BNA and the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center held an afternoon get-together at the IWC at 24 Preble Street in Bayside. The idea was to bring together various organizations, including the BNA, who serve our newly arrived neighbors who come to the IWC to learn English, access workforce and entrepreneurial programs, and navigate their way to citizenship.

Bayside neighbors and immigrants from all over the world made short work of the over 200 samosas donated by Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, along with other halal treats from Portland’s immigrant groceries and restaurants. Music and conversation were the order of the day, along with presentations by representatives from immigrant-serving organizations. Grace Mo-Phillips from Coastal Enterprises, Micky Bondo from In Her Presence, Bright Musuamba and Amen Mibaraka from Prosperity Maine, and Belinda Vemba from the Immigrant Welcome Center, all spoke about how their organizations help the community. City Councillor and Bayside resident Sarah Michniewicz was on hand not only to meet and listen to new neighbors, but also to help serve up samosas to the crowd.

The BNA formed the Welcome Committee to better connect with the various communities who comprise the very diverse population of Bayside – home to immigrants and faith groups, homeowners and renters, social service and education organizations. The Welcome Committee works to unite neighbors in making Bayside a more “welcoming” place. We’re hoping this event is the beginning of many enduring collaborations.

BAYsideBEEs — Deirdre Paul, lead — Rob Sylvain, board liaison

Working on an event calendar for the BNA website, highlighting performing arts and First Friday openings in Bayside. 82 Parris Gallery and Maine Clay Collaborative both had open houses on First Friday in May. 

Student Liaison — Michael Marston, lead — Rob Sylvain, board liaison

Michael is working on a 3D model of Bayside, which should be complete by the end of the term. The mural project has been put on hold. John Wensman from Baxter Academy hopes to design a full-year project with a new student next fall.

Art Team — Carolyn Megan, lead — Betsy Boyd, board liaison

Still working on idea of painting of utility boxes. Looking for funding sources. Carolyn needs to be away most of May into mid-June and possibly into July.  As such, the Art Team needs any new interested members/lead.  Email Carolyn with questions and/or if you want more information.  

Safe Streets Team — Bowman Brown, lead — Deb VanHoewyk, board liaison

The next meeting is scheduled for May 20 at 6 pm in the Steve Hirshon Community Room at Unity Village 24 Stone Street.Items to be addressed at the next meeting include better lighting; the group will work out how to create a list of all non-operating street lights, as well as key places where lighting could be improved, such as Portland Street – Bowman’s building is 34 Portland Street, and there are definite dark spots there.  The Preble Street 295 underpass is another.  

In February, the group discussed a “text buddy” system so people could text to get a buddy for walking together in unsafe situations.  There were concerns about having personal numbers out there, but it seems as if WhatsApp could take care of the privacy issues.  A number of people have already volunteered to participate via WhatsApp.  

Pedestrian safety – hotspots are Portland Street, especially at the intersections with Parris and Hanover Streets.  This is related to the lack of parking enforcement, which results in people parking every which way, making pedestrian pathways unpredictable.  

Bowman distributed for discussion the New York Times article highlighting the increasing problem of Meth as opposed to fentanyl use in our neighborhood. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/health/meth-portland-maine.html?unlocked_article_code=1.E08.JJkQ.l9Q0PHq4ka-u&smid=url-share

Bayside Cleanup Sucess!

On By Robert SylvainIn Trees & Greens, Uncategorized

Thanks to all who turned out for another successful Spring Cleanup! Special Thanks to city arbosist Mark Reilland for providing compost and mulch for the BNA Tree Team to spread on our new neighborhood trees. Congratulations to our raffle winners! We’ll be reaching out to deliver prizes soon. Many thanks to the generous Bayside Businesses that donated gift certificates:

Leavitt & Sons Deli – Joseph Nseko
Isa Bistro – Cam Carson
Wilson County BBQ – Hilda Taylor
Bayside Bowl – Peter Wool
Two Fat Cats Bakery – Joshua Soucy
Tally’s Kitchen- Peter Markoe
Maine Oyster Company – Allison Cyr

Two more opportunities to clean up are coming up :Tuesday April 22 with Preble Street, and Saturday May 3rd with Portland Parks Conservancy. See below for details:

Co-op Tree Planting Program

On By Bayside Neighborhood AssociationIn Trees & Greens

CITY OF PORTLAND NEWS RELEASE

Registration Now Open for City’s Co-op Tree Planting Program

PORTLAND, Maine – Portland residents can help cultivate a resilient, equitable urban forest by participating in the City’s Co-op Tree Planting Program. This collaborative program allows eligible Portland residents to purchase a tree and the City Forestry team will handle the pick-up and planting process. Co-op trees can be planted in esplanades, tree wells, or lawns that meet the requirements. Participants from the previous two years are not eligible for co-op planting.

Interested residents can carefully review the Co-op planting process, requirements, and registration form on the City website; program requirements have changed in recent seasons. New this year: Participants do not need to purchase a tree before registering. City staff will review selected planting sites and intended tree species first before giving the go-ahead to make the purchase.

Space is limited, so residents are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Depending on demand, registration may close in advance of the April 30 deadline. Questions can be directed to trees@portlandmaine.gov.

a lone oak in the heart of Bayside. This heritage tree is slated for removal to make way for a new housing development. photo by Avery Kamilla

The Bayside Neighborhood Association Trees & Greens Team is working with city officials and other non-profits to improve Bayside’s tree equity score, which currently is 59th out of 59 block groups according to American Forests’ Tree Equity Map Reach out to greenteam@baysideportland.org for more information.