Early autumn, and the living is easy, as easy as it gets in the natural world at our northern latitude. The heat and drought conditions of summer are gone, and the deprivation of winter has not arrived. This is a time of plenty for most wildlife and they are making the most of it. Across… Read more
Don Westfall Don Westfall was introduced to Harpswell Heritage Land Trust through his volunteer work with the Harpswell Invasive Plant Partnership (HIPP). That and through walking his dog on the land trust’s trails. “Mine and my dog’s favorite is the Hackett and Minot Trails.” Don said. “It’s just beautiful.” Don and his wife, Tuckie, moved… Read more
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