Though it’s been less than 30 years, few of us can remember the days before the internet. How did we figure out what time it is in London, or remember the name of the actor who played Beaver Cleaver before the early search engines? The words “technology” and “information” rarely appeared together, but now many… Read more
Introduction Harpswell Township is home to almost half of Casco Bay’s more than 200 islands, listing 98 islands within its borders. Four of these are the heavily-populated Great Island (formerly Sebascodegan Island), Dingley Island, Orr’s Island, and Bailey Island. That leaves 94 “outer” islands, accessible only by water or air. The exact count can be… Read more
The town of Harpswell is 81% water, so it seems odd to say that the town has a water shortage. Odd but true. Of course the reason is that the 81% refers to salt water, aka the Atlantic Ocean, and the shortage refers to fresh drinking water, or technically, potable groundwater. A full understanding of… Read more
One thing that always seems to astound people who haven’t heard of Harpswell Heritage Land Trust (HHLT) is the scope of our programs and activities. We have 17 preserves, 25 conservation easements, and 10 trails. We organize many fun and educational programs, work with every grade level in the local elementary school, run a popular… Read more
Thanks to our all-star volunteer Lianna Bizer we have videos of many of our trails and preserves. If it’s a rainy or cold day, or you can’t get out on our trails the way you used to, you can now experience our trails from home. Thanks, Lianna! Giant’s Stairs trail Click here for more information… Read more
Harpswell Nature Watchers is a project of the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust. Its goal is to encourage people of all ages to go outside and be nature observers. We hope that by sharing our own observations with you, we may inspire curiosity to explore and more closely inspect what is going on in the natural… Read more
Here’s what parents and campers love about Nature Day Camp: 2023 Quotes from Parents: “My child loved every day of camp. She especially enjoyed her time in the water and on the natural playground. She came home each day excited to tell us about the creatures she had encountered: lobster, horseshoe crabs, a hummingbird, etc.”… Read more
An old French name for this creature is “porc d’espine,” literally the “pig with quills.” But you will not find roast porcupine gracing the table in a three-star Michelin restaurant. There are, however, many recipes online for a dish called “porcupine meatballs” which fortunately substitute long grain rice for actual quills. Unless you are lost… Read more
Nature Day Camp was a huge success this summer, engaging 166 campers and four junior counselors with nature in Harpswell. Children enjoyed exploring tide pools, catching butterflies, learning about Harpswell history, swimming, making new friends, catching crabs, and getting messy! One happy camp parent wrote: “We love this camp the most out all off the things… Read more
Several local organizations collaborate to educate Harpswell residents about the working waterfront and open up lines of communication between fishermen and their non-fishermen neighbors. Outcomes of this fruitful collaboration include panel discussions, written articles published in the Harpswell Anchor, and a new guide about living and working near the ocean. Recordings of the panel discussions… Read more