Meet John Rogers: Our New Board Chair
John brings 43 years of public service experience to his role as Board Chair of High Peaks Alliance. A retired law enforcement leader, avid hiker, and grandfather, he’s passionate about making the outdoors accessible to everyone: from snowmobilers to birders, hunters to conservationists.
Finding Purpose and Balance
How did you first get involved with High Peaks Alliance?
I knew nothing about High Peaks until I retired. I ran into Dana Bowman, who was on our board, and he said I had to get involved. I went to a couple of meetings, and they asked me to be a board member.
Since then, I’ve done all kinds of things. I built trails, worked on bridges, wrote grants, wrote the HPA policies and bylaws, and gave money. But everybody’s different. Some people don’t have the luxury of time, as I do, because I’m retired.
High Peaks is known for bringing together people with very different outdoor interests. How do you think about that balance?
In my mind, High Peaks is for everybody. It’s for the motorized users, for the hikers, for the mountain bikers, and for the conservationists who are more concerned with walking and birding. It’s a mixed bag of people. As a High Peaks director, you have to balance all those needs.
Here’s what’s also important: there’s no difference between whether you can financially support us or whether you can actually do work and help with trails, projects, or events. Some people are more apt to do physical labor, but can’t afford to donate money. Then other people have money but may be physically incapable of doing some of that rugged trail work. Both types of support are equally valuable to High Peaks Alliance.
What’s something happening behind the scenes at High Peaks that would surprise most people?
Here’s a great story about the Perham Stream Bridge. This was the very first project High Peaks did, about 10 years ago, before my time. Brent came on board, and it was his first project. HPA got a grant for $150,000 to build this bridge on ITS-89 across Perham Stream, a trail that goes from Phillips to Rangeley.
Fast forward to December 2023, when a storm wiped out most of that trail, so we had to repair it, which we did by obtaining a $100,000 TIF grant from the Franklin County Commissioners. But here’s the thing, most people don’t know: when the original grant was written, there was only a 10-year access easement allowed.
About four or five months ago, I got together with a group of 10 or 15 volunteers, and we redecked the whole bridge. Now it’s up to snuff with nice new decking, but that still left the easement problem.
Brent had the foresight to work with the landowners to negotiate a permanent easement across that bridge with Dana Bowman. Now that section of the trail has an easement held by the snowmobile and ATV clubs, which could have devastated ATV and snowmobile access to western Maine. As long as we can keep that trail open, it’s the east-west highway for people who want to go up to Rangeley from Phillips.
That kind of coordination seems like second nature to you. Does your background in law enforcement influence how you lead at High Peaks?
I’ve been in the public sector for 43 years, 16 years in Orono, five as chief in Farmington, then as deputy commissioner of public safety, and finally as the Director of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Of those 43 years, I’ve probably got 27 or so in management.
When you’re in management, collaboration is everything. As a local police chief, you work with rotary clubs, schools, and advocacy groups, and you have to be a community leader. When I worked for the state handling legislation, I had to keep in mind what the police chiefs, sheriffs and their departments, legislators, and the governor’s office all needed. This clearly was a juggling act to make all parties satisfied.
I can translate that to High Peaks by collaborating with all our groups, whether they’re snowmobile clubs, land owners, or conservation groups. It’s getting people to the table and talking a common language.
Roger Lambert, one of our co-founders, has always said you’re never going to make 100 percent of the people happy. But if you can focus on the 80% of the things you agree on and discard the other 20%, you are going to be in a much better position going forward, versus spinning your wheels. This is really what High Peaks is about.
When you’re not volunteering for High Peaks, where do you like to spend time in the region?
My wife, Sandra, and I love hiking with the grandkids. It’s a Grammie and Grampy adventure. When they were younger, we used to hike the Scott Paul Park Trail since we live right here in Strong. Now that they’re older, we go to other places more challenging. We’ve done Reeds Brook Falls, in Kingfield, a couple of times, taken the grandkids on the Perham Stream Birding Trail, and done picnics up there. I’ve taken three of my five grandkids up to the top of Mount Abraham, the youngest at the time was eight years old.
Sandra and I walk the snowmobile trails in the wintertime and do a lot of walking in the summer. I love the mountains. I’ve climbed every 4,000-footer at age 65, all 14. Last summer at 68, I only did four and a couple of 3,000-footers.
If someone is new to High Peaks and wants to get involved, how would you connect them?
I would say absolutely check out the website. When I talk to people about High Peaks, I don’t try to push them. I try to find out what their interests are first before I focus on an area.
I had a conversation the other day with a prospective member and quickly learned that he liked to be in the outdoors and liked kids. I told him about the dunk tank at the Moose Festival. We hosted it this year with the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, and we had a dunk tank with law enforcement officers and game wardens. I knew it would raise a lot of money, and at the end of the day, we raised $1,000 for the kids.
All that money went to the Rangeley Region Guide’s and Sportsmen’s Association’s Junior Maine Guides program. This is an example where High Peaks Alliance helped a whole bunch of future outdoorsmen, younger people, get out into the woods. That’s an example of the kind of impact we have.
What’s the one thing you’d want every trail user to know about protecting this place?
It gets down to one thing: respect the landowners. If landowners do not want motorized traffic on the land, please don’t drive ATVs or snowmobiles there. If they want only ATVs and not snowmobiles or the other way around, or they just want hikers, or if they want their land closed off during mud season, if it’s posted, respect that. If people respected landowners’ wishes, I think that is the key to making the whole outdoor experience successful.
As you begin your term as Board Chair, what’s your vision for High Peaks’ future?
I want to see HPA in a better place in terms of management and fiscal management, especially. I want to make sure we have met the needs of the community, the landowners, our users, whether they’re recreators, our grantors, or our supporters. I would really like to see High Peaks grow to where we are so fiscally sound that we’re building endowments from large donations or grants. I also want to explore avenues where people give legacy gifts to High Peaks. We’ve had a couple of gifts so far, with a couple more in the works.
You’ve said High Peaks is “the voice” for everyone. What does that mean in practice?
We are the voice of everybody, from conservationists to recreators who are hikers, hunters, birders, motorized users, mountain bikers, and anglers. We can open doors that they can’t because we try to get all parties together and speak for everyone.
The perfect example is the regional snowmobile and ATV clubs. We brought them together after the floods of December 2023, introduced them to High Peaks, and helped them access grants and funding. When you do those things for motorized clubs, it really is a big feather in the cap for High Peaks. We’ve done the same with conservation groups and hikers.
What would you say to someone passionate about the outdoors but unsure if they can make a difference?
Look at me as an example. I knew nothing about this organization until I was 62 years old and retired. Now I’m Board Chair, and I’ve helped with trail work, bridge building, grant writing, policy development, all of it. But here’s the thing: not everyone has time, and that’s okay.
My advice? Check out the website, find what interests you, and reach out to board members or staff. Come to a meeting, go on a hike.
One person can absolutely make a difference. We need you, whatever you can offer.
John officially began his term as Board Chair on January 1, 2025. His leadership brings a unique blend of public service experience, collaborative spirit, and deep love for the High Peaks. Read more about the transition below.
📸 John Rogers on the Fly Rod Crosby Trail and at Daggett Rock in Phillips, highlighting the accessible, family-friendly landscapes he loves to share through his volunteer work with High Peaks Alliance.
