Blue Hill Heritage Trust events are free and open to the public thanks to the generous support from community members. Thank You!
For more information on becoming a supporter: CLICK HERE!
Visit our extensive Educational Resources page here!
Registration for online and in-person events may be required and will be noted in event descriptions. For more information please contact our office. (207)374-5118Â info@bluehillheritagetrust.org
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2021 Event Details: BHHT is continuing to predominantly offer online events in 2021 due to covid 19. For a full listing and details of this year’s events see below!
2021 Programs:
Jan 7th 4pm – Citizen Science: A Means to Promote Equity and Inclusion in Environmental STEM: Amara Ifeji is a 19-year-old freshman at Northeastern University and the Grassroots Development Coordinator with the Maine Environmental Education Association. She will speak to her lived experiences as a BIPOC individual, the marginalization she faced iner to not only foster this connection herself, but to also serve as a conduit for other BIPOC and female-identi fostering a connection to place with the environment, and how her self-sought passion for water justice led her to not only foster this connection herself, but to also serve as a conduit for other BIPOC and female-identifying students like herself.  Recording  of Webinar
Jan 14th 4pm – Bangor Land Trust Edible Landscape Project: Kathy Pollard, of Know Your Land Consulting, is a habitat & permaculture specialist with a background in wildlife ecology and traditional indigenous ecological knowledge, and project leader for Bangor Land Trust’s Edible Landscape Project. She will share about this endeavor to both improve wildlife habitat and encourage multi-generational public engagement with BLT’s preserves through collaborative participation in planting, caring for, and even sustainably harvesting some of the edible permaculture added to BLT preserves. She will also touch on Edible Landscape Project’s Wabanaki cross-cultural initiative which emphasizes relationship building with the Penobscot Nation and other Wabanaki, as part of a growing movement among land conservation organizations to acknowledge and collaborate with the first peoples whose homelands comprise what came to be called Maine, the progress BLT is making toward cultural use agreements, and better understanding Wabanaki culture and sustainability practices.  Recording not available
Jan 21st 4pm – Story of Place: Blue Hill Mountain: Behind every special property or trail, there is a story and cast of characters. Join BHHT’s former board presidents Ellen Werner and Ellen Best, and BHHT’s first Executive Director Jim Dow, to hear their story of the Trust’s efforts to conserve one of the most special places on the peninsula and keep it open for public use forever. Also joining the conversation will be Merrie Eley, BHHT’s trail steward for Blue Hill Mountain, to share her stories of the mountain and what it means to our community today. This will be a live conversation with questions from the audience.   Recording  of Webinar
Jan 28th 4pm – A Virtual Whale Watching Adventure!: Curious about what lives in the waters offshore of the Gulf of Maine? Join Julie Taylor, lead naturalist with the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company, for an adventure out into the open ocean in search of whales, sharks, seabirds and other marine life. We will learn about the life history of all that we see. Julie Taylor has worked as a naturalist and guide with the Bar Harbor Whale Watch for 12 years. She studied marine science and education at the College of the Atlantic and has worked for organizations such as Allied Whale, Blue Ocean Society and EcoHealth Alliance conducting research and educating the public about whales and other marine life in the Gulf of Maine and beyond.   Recording  of Webinar
Feb 4th 4pm – Story of Place: Carter Nature Preserve & the Furth/Talalay Sanctuaries: Behind every special property or trail, there is a story and cast of characters. Join The Friends of Morgan Bay and hear the inspiring story of their neighborhood effort to protect a vital part of the Morgan Bay watershed, as well as a property beloved by the community. Also joining the conversation will be BHHT’s George Fields to discuss the more recent trail building efforts that have made this one of BHHT’s more popular hiking destinations. This will be a live conversation with questions from the audience.    Recording of Event
Feb 11th 4pm – Mosses and Liverworts: Meet your Neighbors!: Mosses and liverworts have been greening our plant for much longer than we humans have been around. Isn’t it time you got acquainted with a few of them? We will show you easy ways to recognize a few of our common ones. Retired ecologist Dr. Ken Crowell and his wife, Marnie, natural history writer, will share their enthusiasm for our mosses and liverworts.   Recording of Webinar
Feb 18th 4pm – Winter Ecology: Steve Ressel has been interested in how temperature impacts the lives of animals that lack the capacity to maintain a constant high body temperature (as seen in mammals and birds) since graduate school, which eventually led him into the realm of winter ecology. This webinar will highlight some of the more amazing adaptations that year-round resident animals of Maine possess in response to potentially lethal winter conditions. From frozen frogs to birds that enlarge their brains in winter, Steve’s webinar will draw on numerous field experiences that he has shared with his students while teaching Winter Ecology at COA for the past 26 years.   Recording of Webinar
Feb 25th 4pm – Soft-Shell Clams in a Changing Climate: How Seawater Temperatures and Predators Regulate Populations Along the Maine Coast: Commercial landings of soft-shell clams have declined by nearly 75% in the past 40 years while, at the same time, seawater temperatures have increased steadily. Fishery-independent data from > 30 yrs of experimental field research and large-scale sampling of flats along the coast have helped to interpret the losses in this iconic fishery. Because many important predators (both native and invasive) of clams are invertebrates, increasing temperatures have resulted in increased predation rates that have contributed to the widespread loss of clams. Dr. Brian Beal will focus on numerous field trials and how results of these may be applied on large scales to effect positive changes in the fisheries.    Recording of Webinar
March 4th, 4pm – Pond Life: Under the Ice from Winter into Spring:Do you ever wonder what hides under the ice of a frozen Maine pond? Have you ever witnessed close up the springtime explosion of amphibian life that follows winter? Join Maine Master Naturalist and photographer Edwin Barkdoll for an evening of exploring life under the ice culminating in the annual amphibian emergence and migration. We will examine many creatures, from nearly microscopic crustaceans to the shy salamanders and boisterous frogs who emerge after ice breakup. Expect to leave and never look at a frozen pond with quite the same eyes.    Recording of Webinar
March 11th – Story of Place: Long Island: Behind every special property or trail, there is a story and cast of characters. Join former Blue Hill Fire Chief, local historian, and poet Denny Robertson for a prerecorded presentation of the history of Long Island, also known as “Seaville” from 1894-1919. Denny will share wonderful photos of the settlement out on Long Island, and both the Granite and Fishing industries that took place there. This prerecorded presentation will go live via BHHT’s YouTube Page on 3/11 and we will add that link to this description here, as well as to our facebook event. Recording of Event.
March 18th, 4pm – The Arctic, Maine and the First Abrupt Climate Change Event in the Modern Era: In recent decades human activity has become the major driver of climate change. The Arctic has thus far experienced the greatest change and the impact has spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere resulting in a fast transition to a new climate state and significant climate instability. The impacts of climate change are one of the greatest security threats of this century. Maine is and will continue to experience climate change, but with good planning Maine could be well placed to both deal with and positively build upon change. Paul Andrew Mayewski, Director and Professor of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, is an internationally acclaimed glaciologist, climate scientist and polar explorer. He has led more than 60 expeditions to the remotest regions of the planet and made significant contributions to climate science that are documented in 500 scientific publications.  Recording of Webinar
March 25th, 4pm- Microplastic Pollution in Aquatic Environments: Microplastic pollution is considered an emerging issue of international concern. An estimated 8-10 million tons of plastic make their way into the oceans each year. They have been found in all the world’s oceans, in freshwater environments, tap water, bottled water, beer, honey, salt, and even in our air. Marine research scientist Abby Barrows will discuss the complex problem of plastic pollution and some of the solutions required to address it. Abby is a Stonington resident who has studied microplastic pollution in our oceans and freshwater since 2012.   Recording of Webinar
 March 27th, 10am – March Almanac Workshop: “Caring for the Wild Blueberries Around Us”: Ruth Fiske and Nicolas Lindholm have been growing organic wild blueberries since 1996 and now manage Blue Hill Berry Co., which leases and owns about 50 acres of certified organic wild blueberry land across seven fields in four towns in the Blue Hill area. In 2020, Nicolas was appointed to serve as the first-ever organic grower on Maine’s Wild Blueberry Commission. Together they will share their knowledge about maintaining blueberry fields for cultivation whether this is a small patch in your backyard or a large field, the importance of the ecosystem within a healthy wild blueberry field (including plant species identification, creating native pollinator habitat, and the philosophical perspective of organic wild blueberry growing), and organic management techniques. Recording not available
April 1st, 4pm- Introduction to the Maine Island Trail: Learn about the Maine Island Trail, a recreational water trail that includes over 240 sites and spans the entire coast of Maine. Maria Jenness, Regional Stewardship Manager for the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA), and works with volunteers and partners to steward islands from Pemaquid Point to Naskeag Point, will provide an overview of the origins of the Trail and the organization’s model of visitor based stewardship, as well as share ways to get involved and resources for new boaters. Â Recording of Webinar
April 8th 4pm – Little Big Year—A Year of Birding in Hancock: In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the migratory Bird Treaty Act, follow Rich MacDonald on a year-long journey to see and hear all the birds of Hancock County. This is a journey that really began more than 40 years ago, culminated in the writing of his book, Little Big Year: Chasing Acadia’s Birds, and continues to this day. MacDonald is a lifelong birder, field biologist, guide, father, and husband living in Bar Harbor. Register for this Webinar
April 10th 10am- Composting for Community:Kate Tompkins and Matthew Carter from Chickadee Compost are currently operating a solar-powered aerated static pile compost system at the Stonington Transfer Station, and will be sharing their experience building this system, and their plans for expansion at this interactive in-person event. Issues around food waste and the potential for compost to improve local soils, reduce local methane and carbon emissions, and the potential to divert up to 30% of “waste” from the local solid waste stream will be discussed. Please wear boots! This is an IN PERSON event in Stonington and spaces are limited, email landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org to sign up!
April 10th 10am- Blue Hill Mountain Work Day: Please join BHHT Volunteer & Blue Hill Mountain lover Birgit Frind for a work day on Blue Hill Mountain. The day will include digging waterbars, reinforcing them with stone, plus spreading seeds and straw to repair erosion on the “road”up the big field. Rain date- April 17th. Many hands make light(er) work! For more info, please contact Birgit at 415-640-0410
April 15th 4pm- Everyone Counts! Citizen Science and the Power of Crowds!: Citizen science is a way for non-traditional partners to conduct research and monitoring together. There’s a rich history of this kind of work, and the universe of this kind of work is constantly expanding. Hannah Webber from Schoodic Institute, incorporates citizen science in much of her marine ecology work, and teaches workshops to help people develop sustainable citizen science projects. Together we will explore the history and some of the universe of citizen science. Register for this Webinar
April 22nd 4pm- The Beautiful Majabigwaduce River: Greening Your Watershed Landscape: Join Bagaduce estuary admirer, photographer, and neighbor Ann Flewelling for a scenic virtual trip across the miles and seasons of this special waterway. A story of Ann and her husband, Charles, how they cared for their east shore land, learned from mistakes, and who, best of all, have accepted ecologically wise advice from friends and mentors. Register for this Webinar
April 29th 4pm – Story of Place: Peters Brook & Penny’s Preserve: Behind every special property or trail, there is a story and cast of characters. Join many friends to BHHT, who helped protect this magical place for the public to use and enjoy forever. Bill Byers, who’s family donated the initial easement and gave public access to the Peters Brook Trail out to the waterfall; Doug & Posie Cowan, who later added to Bill’s gift by donating a significant parcel of land across the stream where our 3Bridges Trail now lives; Aletha Langham & Rich Storck, who donated their beloved Penny’s Preserve to the Trust, adding over 100acres and an incredible 3mi trail system to the Trust’s lands there. Also joining us will be Jo Barrett, the primary trail steward for the Penny’s network of trails, and BHHT’s George Fields who led the work on the magical 3Bridges Trail. This will be a live conversation with questions from the audience. Registration
April 29th 7:45pm- Woodcock Evening at Blue Hill Mountain: Join BHHT & Leslie Clapp from Downeast Audubon at Blue Hill Mountain in Blue Hill to learn how to identify woodcocks at dusk. Meet at the field parking lot at 7:45 pm. This is an IN-PERSON event and space is limited to 10 people. Please email landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org to sign up. Masks and social distancing are required.