Nonprofit Says Labor Shortage Forcing Closure Of 2 Of Its 4 Backwoods Lodges

A nonprofit says it's shutting two of its four backwoods lodges in Maine's western mountains. The Portland Press Herald reports that Maine Huts and Trails will close two of the overnight lodges this summer and fall. The nonprofit's executive director says it's struggling to find enough seasonal workers in a state with an aging workforce and low unemployment rate. Executive Director Wolfe Tone says the rough winter also damaged trails and roads.
 
The group's lodges are along an 80-mile trail network that runs from the Carrabassett Valley in Franklin County to West Forks in Somerset Valley.