When he was about 10 years old, Robin Brooks cruised on a 56-foot sailboat from the mouth of the Connecticut River to Cutler, in far Downeast Maine. The trip made quite an impression. “After that, I always knew I wanted to live on the coast of Maine,” recalled Brooks, now 82. That desire ultimately brought… Read more
If there is one constant about the natural world around us, it is the opportunity to learn something new every day. No matter how long you have been a keen observer and participant in the outdoors, there is always a revelation just waiting to smack you in the forehead. It was my good luck to… Read more
If I had to nominate the toughest of all the animals in nature on a pound for pound basis, I probably would go with the hummingbird. These tiny birds weigh only three to four grams, but they have a migration path that may exceed 3,000 miles. The most amazing part of their migration is a… Read more
Lately I have been enjoying the appearance of water lilies in several large ponds along our local highways. It is easy to see why the French impressionist Claude Monet was inspired to create his famous series of “Water Lilies” canvases, with over 250 paintings of his water garden in the last 30 years of his… Read more
Thanks to a $3,800 grant from LL Bean and the sweat equity of dedicated Harpswell Heritage Land Trust (HHLT) volunteers, visitors to the scenic Basin Cove area of Harpswell Neck have a new picnic area to enjoy. Located across Basin Point Road from the parking area for HHLT’s Curtis Farm Preserve, the picnic area was… Read more
Several years ago I was introduced to springtime striped bass fishing by a friend with a boat in Duxbury Bay, Massachusetts. At first light on a bracing May morning, Dale motored slowly around the bay and used high-powered binoculars to scan the water on all sides. In a few minutes Dale spotted a flock of… Read more
“Nature, Community, Forever.” The motto of Harpswell Heritage Land Trust (HHLT) neatly ties up the organization’s core mission: connecting people with nature in lasting ways. “Forever” is the key concept, because, while legal agreements are binding, if successive generations lose touch with the natural world around them, all bets are off and something precious could… Read more
Most people enjoy watching wildlife, but there is a limit to this hobby. Many species do their best to avoid humans, or they are most active at night. But there is a great solution to this problem and it can open a new world of viewing for your pleasure, in the comfort of your home…. Read more
In Shakespeare’s classic play, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet resists pressure to drop her lover from the hated Montegue family by arguing that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Her suggestion that names don’t matter would fall flat when we look at many edible marine species, including sea vegetables, since it… Read more
By Togue Brawn Maine’s scallop season has experienced record prices this year. But are the scallops caught off our shore really any different than those from other areas? You bet they are, and here’s why. Roughly 95 percent of US sea scallops come from the Federal fishery, where large boats generally fish offshore for six… Read more