Current GRLT News
New Riverside Preserve in Cushing
There were many smiling faces around the table at the purchase of the Cross Cushing Nature Preserve on December 20, 2011. Many people had waited a long time for this moment. Georges River Land Trust now owns this 27-acre preserve that will be open to the public for hiking, skiing and other low impact recreational uses. It extends from the St. George River at Maple Juice cove to nearly the Meduncook River. The property connects additional undeveloped woodland creating a 300-acre wildlife corridor down the center of the peninsula.
This story began almost two years ago when residents saw this property, one of many associated with the Meduncook Colony subdivision, go into foreclosure with Machias Savings Bank. Immediately a small group of Cushing citizens went into action initiating talks with the bank and Georges River Land Trust about saving this valuable property so that wildlife habitat could be left intact and public use could be created. Shortly thereafter the Robbins Mountain Conservation LLC was formed to raise local dollars, which would in turn be gifted to Georges River Land Trust to make the final purchase of the property. This grassroots effort engaged over 85 families tied to the community. They saw this as a critical step in retaining Cushing’s natural beauty, forested habitat and rural character. Among the leaders of the effort, Crystal Robinson noted, “This project sparked an interest and hopefully a trend among citizens to look ahead for the benefit of future generations.”
The Land Trust has not often seen such an active commitment to a land protection effort. “Georges River Land Trust is completely delighted to partner with citizens to help their conservation dreams become a reality,” said Annette Naegel, Conservation Program Manager for the Land Trust. “There are many to thank, including Machias Savings Bank which worked to make the purchase price attainable for the community, the leaders of the Robbins Mountain Conservation LLC, namely Patrick Cardon, Crystal Robinson, Lydia Langston and Rick Palm, and the many families who believe that this one protection effort will benefit everyone forever.”
New Management at Appleton Preserve
We're very excited to announce a new management project at our Appleton Preserve. There's lots going on and we hope you will come out and learn about it.
GRLT Fall Newsletter is Here!
For those of you who are helping us save on paper and printing costs, the electronic version of the fall newsletter can be accessed by clicking here. This season's issue gives an overview of how we manage preserves and easements, new interpretive signs along the river, welcome to new Directors and farewell to others, a volunteer spotlight, how you can help GRLT with a gift this fall, and more! For a printed copy, call the office at 594-5166.
GRLT Hosts "Mother Nature's Child"
Several local conservation and education organizations are collaborating to show Camilla Rockwell’s 2010 film “Mother Nature’s Child” this fall. The first screening will be Saturday, Oct. 1 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Watts Hall, Main Street/Route 1, sponsored by Georges River Land Trust and Herring Gut Learning Center. The film mirrors the premise of "Last Child In The Woods" by Richard Louv, which argues that children have an instinctive love for nature, and family members, educators and the community all have a role in supporting their vital outdoor experiences. "Mother Nature’s Child” tells stories of schools and programs that offer an antidote to what is described as “nature deficit disorder.” The hour-long film on place-based education will be followed by a panel discussion with Les Hyde, retired Extension Education Director with Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center; Lynne Hall, RSU 13 school nurse; and Don Carpenter, Executive Director of Trekkers. The discussion is intended to raise questions among the audience about this issue in Midcoast Maine and what we can do in our communities to bring nature back into the lives of children.
GRLT Hosts Fall Paddle on Stevens Pond in Liberty
Join the Georges River Land Trust (GRLT) for a guided paddle on Stevens Pond in Liberty on Saturday, September 17 from 10 am to 1 pm. Charles Hudson and Sharon Salmon, volunteers for GRLT and Liberty Lakes Association, will lead the excursion. Local bird enthusiast and GRLT volunteer, Douglas Prescott, will also be on hand to point out and discuss avian species of interest to the group. Canoes and kayaks are both welcome on this trip. Paddlers should meet at 10 am at the public landing on Route 173, 1 mile south of Liberty Village and .4 miles south of junction of Trues Pond Road and Stevens Pond Road. Please wear comfortable clothes, bring your boat, binoculars, lunch, and bug repellent. The paddle will last for 2-3 hours. Rain date will be Sunday, September 18. Stevens Pond is a 336-acre gem, one of twenty ponds and lakes in the Georges River watershed. It has many islands and quiet coves, perfect for exploring with your canoe or kayak. There is very little development along its shoreline, making it the perfect place to view wildlife and a stunning shoreline.
Georges River Land Trust to Celebrate 24 Years of Conservation
Members and friends of the Georges River Land Trust (GRLT) will gather on Sunday, August 21, for GRLT’s annual meeting and celebration in Appleton at the Appleton Preserve, a spectacular 124-acre property acquired by GRLT in 2006. This beautiful property protects high quality wildlife habitat along a one-mile stretch of the St. George River. It supports forested and open wetlands and upland coniferous forest with trails meandering through woods and beside the St. George River.
A short business meeting will start at 2:00 pm and the membership will vote on the new slate of Board members. After the business meeting, Dan Daly of Georges River Chapter of Trout Unlimited will speak about the fresh water fisheries of the St. George River, with emphasis on the cold water species such as brook and brown trout. Dan is a former fishing guide and past Chairman of the Maine Council of Trout Unlimited, as well as an accomplished artist.
A picnic potluck will follow the talk and GRLT will provide drinks. Attendees are asked to bring food to share according to the first letter of your last name, as follows: from A-I a main dish, J-S a salad, and T-Z a dessert. Bring your kids, chairs or blankets, and binoculars! (Please leave your pets at home.) Wear suitable footwear for a 10 minute walk from the parking area into the preserve. Directions: From the intersection of Routes 131 and 105 (Camden Road) in Appleton, go east on Route 105 for ½ mile to the property on your right. Look for the yellow GRLT Event signs. Someone will assist you with parking. Please call the office at 594-5166 if you have any questions. Come out and enjoy this special property, meet the staff and Board members, and help us celebrate conservation in the St. George River watershed!
Many Thanks for the Garden Tour!
On Sunday July 10th, a beautiful sunny Maine day, the Georges River Land Trust held its 20th Anniversary Gardens in the Watershed tour in the towns of Hope, Appleton and Union. The Land Trust, as well as the gardeners, is grateful to the nearly 500 patrons who came to the middle watershed to appreciate the beautiful gardens and vistas and to partake in the beautiful day.
There are so many people to thank, but most important are the gardeners who graciously opened their special places to us and without whom there would not have been a tour: Carol and Roger Hewitt, Carole and Richard Whalen, Tracy and Dave Beck, Abbie and Bart Read, Kathy and Artie Sprowl and Lorie and Patrick Costigan. Their dedication, hard work and love of the land were evident in the riot of color and peaceful serenity we were all privileged to experience last Sunday. We are indebted to them for their gracious hospitality and incalculable contribution to the Land Trust.
Bangor Savings Bank is our major sponsor of this event and we are grateful for their financial support and interest in our work. We thank them and the 90 other business sponsors and individual donors, too numerous to mention here, who dug deep in their pockets to fund this event and support the mission of the Land Trust. Their generosity is greatly appreciated. We encourage everyone to patronize these wonderful businesses, particularly in these difficult financial times. A special note of thanks to the employees of the Rockland Branch of Bangor Savings Bank for organizing and staffing a bake sale of wonderful home-made cookies to tide over hungry tour goers who had not had the foresight to order a delicious lunch, prepared byJames Hatch and his staff at the Home Kitchen Café! The sandwiches, chips, pickles and cookies they prepared received rave reviews! Our grateful thanks go to James and the Home Kitchen Café!
Douglas Smith kindly arranged for seven well known artists to be painting in the gardens last Sunday and the donation of their time and talents is most appreciated. 10 lucky raffle winners took home the completed paintings of Douglas Smith, Susan Van Campen, Stefan Pastuhov, Len Clarke, Jonathan Frost, Marcia Anderson and Nancy Glassman.
The Gardens in the Watershed tour is the single most important annual fundraising event of the Georges River Land Trust and its success is crucial to our work of helping to conserve the watershed, both land and natural resources, for the public benefit. It alsooffers participants the opportunity to experience the diversity and traditional character of the 225-square-mile Georges River watershed as they travel from garden to garden.
Very special thanks to Betsy Welch, who once again designed and produced our brochure and poster, which have become the recognizable image of the gardentour. This was the ninth and last year Betsy will be designing our brochure and her creative ideas and design talents will be hard to replace. We are grateful for all her help on our behalf. As always, our volunteers keep things running smoothly on tour day, from helping park cars and directing traffic to taking tickets, handing out lunches, selling drinks and raffle tickets and assisting the gardeners in various ways. We are grateful to all the wonderful people who gave up a good part of their weekend to help.
And with deep gratitude, we recognize the members of the Garden Tour committee, who have worked tirelessly all year to make this event successful: Heidi Lyman,Linda Arnold, Norma Jones, Elise Bell, Hathy Brewster, Betsy Welch, Chris Tilt, Jane Rasmussen and Jill Wilcox.
Most sincerely,
Pat Ashton and Mary Ann Carey, Co-Chairs, 2011 Gardens in the Watershed Tour
GRLT Summer Newsletter is Here!
For those of you who are helping us save on paper and printing costs, the electronic version of the summer newsletter can be accessed by clicking here. This season's issue gives an overview of the July 10th Gardens in the Watershed Tour, how you can help the Georges Highland Path, reflections on life in a river town, GRLT's involvement with a local school, and more! For a printed copy, call the office at 594-5166.
Local Adventurer Wins Nature Sites Book
Jim Parker of South Thomaston was the winner of a Georges River Land Trust drawing for a free copy of the “Best Nature Sites of Midcoast Maine” book. The drawing was held immediately following GRLT’s spotlight week in the lobby of Camden National Bank in Rockland.
Georges River Land Trust and the Rockland Public Library hosted a reading on April 21 by local authors Kyrill "Buzz" Schabert and Tony Oppersdorff from their new book. Schabert and Oppersdorff's book identifies 40 locations that offer visitors and residents the opportunity to explore a variety of interesting natural settings, all within a few minutes of Route 1. Featured sites include such gems as Crystal Spring Farm Preserve in Brunswick, Wiscasset's Singing Meadows Preserve, the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder, Beech Hill Preserve in Rockport and the local Georges Highland Path and Weskeag Marsh.
Copies of the book are available through GRLT for $25.73, and a portion of the proceeds benefit the conservation and stewardship programs of the Land Trust.
Thanks to Everyone Who Voted for GRLT!
Our congratulations to the Camden-Rockport Animal Rescue League for winning the $5K prize in the Bangor Savings Bank Community Matters More contest. A huge thank you to all of our supporters who voted for GRLT and helped us win $1,000! Our shameless self-promotion helped us make lots of new friends in the community. These funds will immediately help us steward our beautiful St. George River.
2010 Annual Report Now Available
(3/10/11)
We're extremely grateful for the support of all of our donors, volunteers, sponsors, land donors, trail owners, Board members, and everyone else who contributes their time and money during the year. The 2010 Annual Report is now available on the Key Documents page and contains highlights of our accomplishments during the year, a list of all our supporters, and a summary of our financial status.
Cutlers Cove Habitat Protected by Georges River Land Trust
(1/20/11)
James Skoglund owns property on Cutlers Cove in St. George that once belonged to his great great grandfather and while it took several generations to return the land to the Skoglund family, Mr. Skoglund was determined to see that it would never be divided nor further developed. He owns a piece of St. George history and has made his permanent mark by conserving 23 acres with a conservation easement. He can point across the way to the other side of Cutlers Cove, now known as Snows Point, which was also once part of his family’s land. While some changes are inevitable, this slice of coastal habitat and woodland will remain in one piece, a legacy to the Skoglund family and a benefit to all future generations.
Conservation of these 23 acres along Route 131 will keep the land in private ownership whereby Mr. Skoglund will continue to do small scale farming and gardening and use his woodlands to retrieve firewood. You might even see Darling the cow who happily grazes the open meadows along Route 131. Mr. Skoglund’s gift of conservation will prevent any future development along the shoreline and in the woodlands. From Mr. Skoglund’s perspective, his gift honors his great great grandfather and will ensure this portion of our coastline is available to the birds that use the cove.
For the Georges River Land Trust, the benefits of conservation extend beyond the valuable wading bird habitat, over 1,000 feet of coastal frontage, scenic views afforded of the changing cove, and productive woodland to include the historic links to early settlers in this region of Maine. During the course of working with Mr. Skoglund, the Land Trust discovered his ancestors once owned another conservation property in Warren where GRLT now holds an easement. Conservation of the Skoglund property protects significant habitat and an important aspect of midcoast Maine’s cultural legacy.
