My introduction to partnering writing with land trusts in a formal way was ushered in by an unexpected Barred Owl at the Oven’s Mouth Preserve in Edgecomb. As a lifelong writer, an announcement in the Maine Writer’s and Publisher’s Alliance newsletter seeking partnership between poets and land trusts in Maine caught my eye. I made… Read more
“What’s the big deal, Ed?” asked Thad, “It’s just an old swamp.” To be fair, Thad is not as thick-headed as he sounded, and I knew he was baiting me. Rather than snap at him I said quietly, “That ‘swamp’ is a salt marsh and some of the best wildlife habitat in our state.” We… Read more
For the past two years, scores of people have spent hundreds of hours discussing what might sound like a simple question: “What is your vision for Harpswell 10 years from now?” These fellow residents have been thinking about lands, jobs, housing and water resources. They talk about the changing climate and economic trends. It turns… Read more
Lately I have been chasing vagrants. My quest has been specific to birds, including some species that are exceedingly rare for this region. In recent months Maine’s birding community has been flush with opportunities to view creatures that would normally involve long distance travel in building a life list. We should start with a definition… Read more
(When Land Becomes Part of a Land Trust — Part II) This is a story about a journey. A land’s journey. One with many heroes pursuing a common goal despite tough decisions and challenges. And as with every story, there is a beginning, middle and end. This one begins when an opportunity to conserve… Read more
Someone asked me once if I feared running out of topics for these monthly columns. Hah! There is no chance of that! There is such diversity in the natural world, and so many potential story ideas piled up on the desk that my ashes will be pushing up lupines before the backlog is cleared. The… Read more
One definition for the word dormant is being “temporarily in abeyance yet capable of being activated.” That describes how I feel after a hard day of cutting, splitting and stacking firewood followed by a long snooze. It takes the old noggin a few minutes to get up to speed for polite conversation with my long-suffering spouse…. Read more
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to a fantastic 2023! This year we protected the new Anna M. Tondreau Preserve, finished a new trail at the Helen and Walter Norton Preserve on Birch Island, hosted 10 sessions of Nature Day Camp, received more than 400 submissions to the Photo Project, and so much… Read more
Harpswell Heritage Land Trust is celebrating 40 years of supporting conservation and education in Harpswell. Together we have protected special places, opened up land for public access, and educated people of all ages. It has been truly a community effort, driven by a shared mission to leave Harpswell a better place for future generations. To… Read more
How things have changed! When I was young, mankind was still of the mindset that the natural world existed mostly for our pleasure and exploitation, and we were hell bent upon control of everything around us. Our chemical industries were hard at work inventing new products to kill every possible irritating insect and we were… Read more