Son-in-law Pete chuckled with delight as he pulled up his fishing line which had a life of its own with several squirming mackerel attached to it. His line was rigged with a collection of 7 small flies in what is known as a Sabiki rig. If you position yourself on a local dock with a… Read more
It’s been a great school year for outdoor learning at Harpswell Community School! Harpswell Heritage Land Trust’s Julia McLeod has brought HCS students out to the woods more than 80 times during this school year for science learning and nature-based play. Her work reached every student at our local public elementary school. Some highlights of… Read more
Looking weary and bedraggled, the tiny bird gathered its remaining strength while staring down its adversary. When it appeared that its aggressive stance and sharp calls were inadequate to drive away the intruder, the sparrow launched another attack. The intruder mirrored the attack and the sparrow dropped back upon the pickup’s tonneau cover to rest and… Read more
When HHLT takes on a new preserve or conservation easement, we commit to protecting that land…forever. That word shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s a big commitment for a small, one-town land trust. At HHLT, we believe in forever. We want to ensure that someone will always be around to protect the wildlife and natural areas… Read more
Originally published in the Harpswell Anchor What is access? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, access is “permission, liberty, or ability to enter, approach, or pass to and from a place or to approach or communicate with a person or thing.” Two words jump out of this definition — people and place. Both of these themes featured… Read more
If you haven’t been to Little Ponds Preserve recently, you might not know that some big changes have been underway. Little Ponds Preserve is a small, 22-acre preserve on Great Island that Harpswell Heritage Land Trust (HHLT) acquired in 2017. Eagle Scout candidate Harrison Whittaker of Topsham has worked tirelessly over the last few months… Read more
In February, Reed Coles, our executive director for the last 16-plus years, became our part-time Director of Lands and Stewardship, and Julia McLeod stepped up to become our Acting Executive Director. Much excitement all around! Reed, who turned 77 this year, is delighted by the changes – he gets time to focus on laying out… Read more
As some of you might know, in 2019, Harpswell students helped biologist Danielle D’Auria capture a great blue heron on a local pond. “Harper” was equipped with a GPS transmitter and promptly flew to new adventures. She relocated to New Brunswick, Canada, then migrated to Guajaca Uno, Cuba for the winter. Harper has since been… Read more
I write this in mid-April, a time when the bays and harbors are coming alive once more. For those of you new to the area, Harpswell reaches into Casco Bay with its 216 miles of shoreline, creating harbors and coves from Harpswell Neck to Cundy’s Harbor. We have commercial wharves scattered along our shorefront. In… Read more
When Lands & Stewardship Director Reed Coles talks with people interested in exploring conservation of their land, what comes through most strongly is their deep connection with a piece of property. They seek out conservation “because they love the land,” Reed says. This love of the land leads them to strive to ensure that it… Read more