The winter storm that pummeled Maine over the weekend left damage at some of Maine's state parks.
Andy Cutko, director of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, said he visited Popham Beach State Park on Wednesday, and had thought the damage would be worse.
"I was expecting it to be quite severe," he says. "We definitely sustained minor-to-moderate dune erosion, but the parking lot's intact, the bathhouse is intact, and I was actually impressed at how resilient a system it is."
Cutko says the storm underscores the importance of preserving dunes, which protect coastal areas during storms. He says state crews are also assessing damage to a bridge at Reid State Park, and erosion at Ferry Beach and Crescent Beach state parks.
Inland parks were also affected by the storm. At Lily Bay State Park on Moosehead Lake, Cutko says more than 80 trees are down across trails and roads. Trails at Sebago Lake State Park are also blocked by downed trees, as are many snowmobile trails.
He says chainsaw crews will be working over the next few weeks to clear trails and roads in the parks.
