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Junior Ranger Activity Book

Become a Harpswell Junior Ranger! This 68-page, full-color book introduces young people to 10 trails, parks and preserves in Harpswell, while exploring elements of nature that make these places special and fascinating.  Learn, explore and have fun while becoming a Harpswell Junior Ranger!  The Junior Ranger Activity Book was created by Emma Levy, who was… Read more

McIntosh Lot Preserve: Ancient history on display

One of a series of articles exploring the natural and human history of Harpswell Heritage Land Trust’s protected land. What comes to mind when you think of the Giant’s Stairs? A “stern and rockbound coast”? That’s a catchphrase used by P.G. Wodehouse about Bertie Wooster: “[He] once got engaged to… Honoria, a ghastly dynamic exhibit… Read more

Nature Notes: Winter Moth

November finds us enjoying the last of the foliage season, but it can be a busy time getting our homes and lawns cleaned up for winter. It is also a time for action if you have valued deciduous trees. Once the weather turns colder, we will begin to see large numbers of the invasive winter… Read more

Controlling Browntail moths as they lay eggs

Controlling Browntail moths as they lay eggs

Harpswell Heritage Land Trust
August 2, 2016

The following very helpful information is from Tulle Frazer. She reported seeing Browntail moths laying eggs in late July. “I was out on one of my several daily rounds to kill Japanese beetles today, but was sidetracked by a more bothersome insect. I killed about 30 adult Browntail moths that I found laying eggs. I believe… Read more

Native Plants Take Center Stage

Native Plants Take Center Stage

Harpswell Heritage Land Trust
July 5, 2016

By Kara Douglas Published in the Harpswell Anchor, July 2016 Wild blueberry, gray birch, New England aster – you’ve seen them all, even if they don’t catch your eye upon first glance. In fact, they seem to blend in, are seemingly indistinguishable from the woods and meadows in which they grow. They, along with nearly… Read more

Ticks, Browntail Moths and Poison Ivy

This week I went for a lovely walk by a stream in Harpswell, on a property soon to be acquired by Harpswell Heritage Land Trust.  Pink lady slippers were blooming, and we watched a Great Blue Heron clumsily take flight.  It was quiet and sunny and made me love my job. But I also found… Read more

The Connections Between Land and Water

By Monique Coombs, Seafood Program Director for the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association Have you considered that your actions on land have a direct impact on the health of the ocean around us? Everything that we do ashore, from driving our cars, to building our homes, to caring for our lawns, has an impact upon clean… Read more

Nature Notes: Vernal Pools

Under the snows of winter, Mother Nature is preparing a seasonal treat for us as we eagerly anticipate mud season. Ok, I was stretching things a bit since mud season is generally viewed as the worst time of year in Maine. But the snow pack and rains that will follow are vital parts of the… Read more

Nature Notes: Animal Tracking

Red squirrel tracks in the snow. If you want to play detective, there is a much you can learn from reading footprints left by some of the wild inhabitants of Harpswell. As a boy, I had the run of thousands of acres of land near my home. The woods and fields were filled with a… Read more