After careful consideration by both staff and the Board of Trustees, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust has made the difficult decision to pause its Nature Day Camp program in 2025. We apologize to campers and their families, and we share in your disappointment. Nature Day Camp has been an important part of our identity at HHLT… Read more
On a crisp, steel-gray night I sat with good friends and cold feet in a small plywood shack on a thick slab of ice. No, it was not a winter camping trip, rather I was smelting. The dictionary defines smelting as “a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to… Read more
This January Katie Neal is leaving HHLT after five and a half years to take over as Recreation Director & Community Services Coordinator for the Town of Harpswell. We are so thrilled to see Katie step into this role and look forward to working with her in her new capacity. When asked to look back… Read more
The land trust and other organizations in Harpswell are the fortunate beneficiaries of generous townspeople with a special awareness of the importance of history. Here is an example. In 1786, a man named Waitsill Merryman built a small wooden house located across the road from the Union Church, just south of what we now know… Read more
Many folks believe that a strict reading of the Bible informs us that while animals may live with us here on Earth, they will not join us in the afterlife. Devoted pet owners who fervently hope to rejoin with Fifi or Cuddles through eternity rebut that view, arguing that God showed great concern for animals,… Read more
We are so grateful for everyone who has been a part of our 2024 here at HHLT whether you made a donation, volunteered, attended a program, partnered with us, or just passed by us on a trail. Rather than try to summarize such a busy twelve months, we wanted to share a collection of photos… Read more
“Oh, man,” I muttered to myself a couple weeks ago, “there’s another one!” My thought was triggered by seeing another log pulled apart by a black bear, the third one in just a couple days. The bruins have been increasing in number in the area around our New York cabin for a decade, and I… Read more
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust (HHLT) is pleased to announce its latest acquisition – The Salt Hay Preserve. Consisting of two tracts running along the west side of Harpswell Islands Road (Route 24) on Great Island near the Safe Harbor marina complex, Salt Hay includes slightly more than… Read more
Very few things in life are achieved alone. As we reflect on the past decade, we are pleased to share the remarkable journey of our youth programming, including some of the wonderful activities and thoughtful contributors who made and continue to make this magic happen. Building a successful program takes longer than you think. The… Read more
This article concerns the intersection of the natural world around us with the world of science, in this case, biological science and genetic engineering. Science has not always been kind to our environment and the creatures who share the Earth with mankind, but increasingly we find examples where breakthroughs can significantly alter the prospects for… Read more