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Boothbay Region Land Trust Page 1 GET TICKETS NOW FOR THE GREAT HIKE! I t’s not a good hike, it’s The Great Hike! Back by popular demand, Boothbay Region Land Trust will again host The Great Hike as part of the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend! Join us Saturday, September 26 at Ovens Mouth East Preserve for hik- ing, food, music and games. This event is perfect for all ages, and whether you come solo or with a large group, you are sure to have great fun while making new friends! The day will begin with a noncom- petitive hike of Ovens Mouth Pre- serve, which will include a variety of routes and distances to accommodate any fitness level, as well as a scaven- ger hunt. Hikers will then make their way back to the abutting private farm Newsletter Issue 102 Summer 2015 c huck and Betty Koch of South- port have always understood the importance of philanthropy, mak- ing meaningful investments in this region since their first visit in 1978. “We have always been very optimis- tic about the future of both the Boothbay Region and the Land Trust. That is why BRLT is an organ- ization we have chosen to support long after we are gone.” BRLT is pleased to announce the launch of the Osprey Legacy Gift Society, which recognizes donors whose support will continue beyond their lifetime. We are honored that Chuck and Betty will chair the Socie- ty, made up of individuals and fami- lies who have named BRLT in their Will or who have established another (Continued on page 4) Please patronize our 2015 Conservation Partners: FALL FUN FOR EVERYONE! owned by preserve neighbors, Kerrin and Lincoln Erhard, who have gener- ously opened their property for the after-hike festivities. Festivities will include the harmonious tunes of the Spaceheaters, delicious food, fun games, prizes and refreshing beer from Geary’s Brewing Company. This event is the perfect way to enjoy the beautiful fall landscape Maine has to offer. Get your tickets now through the land trust office or brownpapertickets.com for only $15/ individual, $25/couple or $30/family. All money raised directly supports BRLT's mission to conserve for pub- (Continued on page 6) SHAPING YOUR LEGACY The Great Hike event will feature delicious food, beer, music and lawn games on this beautiful private farm. Boothbay Region Land Trust Page 6 Nonprofit Org. US Postage Paid Permit #3 Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538 The Boothbay Region Land Trust seeks to conserve for the public benefit the natural habitat, scenic beauty and working land of the Boothbay Region. I n May 2014, the residents of Boothbay voted to turn over own- ership of the 19-acre Cross River Property to Boothbay Region Land Trust. Since then, BRLT has been hard at work getting the preserve ready for visitors. The property has been improved with updated signage, a new kiosk and a newly-developed J OIN US FOR THE OFFICIAL BRANCH C UTTING! Passport to the Preserves Looking for a fun challenge this summer that gets you outside? Stop by BRLT’s office and pick up your “Passport to the Preserves” booklet to start your adventure. Each page of the booklet highlights a different land trust preserve and contains a place for a passport punch. Punches can be found at the kiosk in the parking lot of each preserve. When you have filled your passport, bring it back to the BRLT office and receive a com- memorative token. You can start the “Passport to the Preserves” at any time and there is no deadline to finish the challenge. So what are you waiting for? Get punching! lic benefit the natural habitat, sce- nic beauty and working land of the Boothbay Region. For more information, or to purchase tick- ets, contact BRLT at (207) 633- 4818 or [email protected]. The Great Hike (Continued from page 1) loop trail. Further improve- ments a r e planned for com- pletion t h i s summer. Join us on August 12, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. for a branch cutting event at the Cross River Preserve. This official “Grand Opening” of BRLT’s newest preserve will consist of a short pro- gram followed by a guided hike of the Cross River Trail. Everyone is welcome! Land Steward Michael Warren works on splitting a log to be used as bridging. Volunteers Alan Lewis and Bill Haney are two of many volunteers who have been hard at work prepping Cross River for public access. Pick up a Passport at the BRLT office or preserve kiosks. Page 5 Boothbay Region Land Trust both scien- tists and stu- dents at the Laboratory studying the Gulf of Maine.” In addition to this new partnership, BRLT recently received a generous one-year grant from the John Sage Foundation to assist in the program’s startup. As exciting as this program is, it is not sustainable without volunteers. We need you to join the effort in monitoring coastal water quality dur- ing this uncertain time concerning ocean vitality. Working closely with the staff at Bigelow, ten sampling sites have been identified throughout the region. As a water monitoring volun- teer, you would be assigned one of these sites to visit every other week. On site, you would record weather conditions, water temperature, pH (acidity), turbidity (relative clarity), as well as any other pertinent observa- tions. Some small samples are collect- ed and brought back to Bigelow La- boratory in order to test for dissolved oxygen and salinity. All this data is being kept as an historic record to be available for research. Time commitment to this project is minimal and allows you to work with a great group of folks while learning and having fun! If you are interested in helping out, please contact the office so we may put you in touch with vol- unteer Ed Green, our water sampling volunteer coordinator. He looks for- ward to hearing from you! types of weather. She attended col- lege in California and Chicago, study- ing religion, politics and social move- ments. Since graduation she has worked in a variety of education po- sitions while maintaining her connec- tion to the outdoors by completing her wilderness emergency medical training. Jacob grew up in Cambridge, New York. He attended Deep Springs College in California, where he worked on the school’s cattle ranch and alfalfa farm. He was then hired to monitor cattle in the White Mountains while living off the grid. Two years later, he began studying philosophy of education in Chicago, where he spent his spare time coa- ching soccer, exploring the plains of the Midwest, and working with lea- ther. After graduation, Jacob chose to stay in the classroom as a special education teacher in a public elemen- tary school. After four years of urban living, Jacob and Kate are looking forward to getting back to the land on Dama- riscove Island. Drop by and say hello! Damariscove (Continued from page 3) COASTAL WATER SAMPLING PROGRAM ON THE RISE S hortly after announcing our coastal water sampling program in the spring newsletter, BRLT’s newest research program began to blossom. The land trust acquired a new project partner, a startup grant and some highly dependable volun- teers. Now, it just needs you! Joining the effort to monitor the quality of the Boothbay Region’s coastal waters is Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. Benjamin Twin- ing, Senior Research Scientist and Director of Research and Education at Bigelow says, “Bigelow Laborato- ry is excited to partner with Boothbay Region Land Trust in this effort to better understand the wa- ters surrounding our peninsula. We hope these data will be useful to Water sampling can be done alone or with a partner! It’s fun, easy and requires only a small time commitment every other week. Ask Hal Moorefield (pictured) – he knows! Water sampling sites THE BRLT OSPREY STORE Nick Ullo, BRLT Executive Director, and Diane Gilman, Administrative Assistant, show off some of the items for sale, including tees, windbreakers, hoodies, fleece jackets and vests among many, many more. We can order your size and color. Stop by and have a look!
