co-sponsored by Blue Hill Heritage Trust and Blue Hill Public Library!
All ages are invited to participate in a Winter Hiking Challenge featuring Blue Hill Heritage Trust trails across the Blue Hill Peninsula. Starting on Monday, February 1st, there will be a featured animal/plant posted at eight designated trails and a mystery letter for participants to collect. Hikers will learn about winter ecology from the perspective of many different species including porcupines, gulls, frogs, and more! Â
The challenge ends on Saturday, March 20, the first day of spring! Once you have completed all eight trails and assembled the letters to form the mystery word, send an email with a photo of the completed card to enter a drawing for a prize. All kids will receive a prize for completing the hiking challenge and there will be a a prize drawing for adults!
This program is co-sponsored by the Blue Hill Library and Blue Hill Heritage Trust. For more information, email Landere at landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org. or Claire at claire.malina@bhpl.net.
To learn more about Life In Winter checkout books from the BHPL:
Reading List prepared by Claire Malina, Youth Services Librarian
*This webinar was recorded and may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFppo3AZ2yQ Learn about the Maine Island Trail, a recreational water trail that includes over 240 sites and spans the entire coast of Maine. Maria 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. Maria Jenness is the midcoast 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. Friends from the Field webinars take place LIVE on Thursdays from 4-5pm! We will record the webinar so that if you wish to view but can’t participate at that time, the presentation will be available to you on our websites and social media. Email questions to Landere: landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the migratory Bird Treaty Act, follow Rich 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. Rich MacDonald is a lifelong birder, field biologist, guide, father, and husband living in Bar Harbor. Friends from the Field webinars take place LIVE on Thursdays from 4-5pm! We will record the webinar so that if you wish to view but can’t participate at that time, the presentation will be available to you on our websites and social media. Click the link below to REGISTER for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_oo2gAaN1TbSQSYKQ19NzzQ Email questions to Landere: landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org
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 Our thanks to Birgit for spearheading this hopefully annual effort!
Kate Tompkins and Matthew Carter from Chickadee Compost are the workshop leaders for A Steward's Almanac: A Year of Caring for the Land for the month of April! This is an IN PERSON event in Stonington and spaces are limited so email landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org to sign up! Chickadee Compost is a new community composting company based on the Blue Hill peninsula and on Deer Isle. They 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! Kate Tomkins grew up in Brooksville, spent 15 years working overseas in humanitarian relief and then on hunger relief in the US, and returned to the area with her family in 2018. She is passionate about community climate action, and is a member of Blue Hill Heritage Trust's board of directors. Matthew Carter grew up in the California desert and after a decade in restaurants, came to intern at Yellow Birch Farm in Deer Isle in 2017. He enjoys working with food throughout its lifecycle, from seedling to dinner and back into soil. He is now a Community Compost Coordinator! Check our events page for more information about this series: https://bluehillheritagetrust.org/a-stewards-almanac.../...
Everyone Counts! Citizen Science and the Power of Crowds!
Everyone Counts! Citizen Science and the Power of Crowds!
April 15, 2021 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
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. We will explore the history and some of the universe of citizen science. 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. Friends from the Field webinars take place LIVE on Thursdays from 4-5pm! We will record the webinar so that if you wish to view but can’t participate at that time, the presentation will be available to you on our websites and social media. Click the link below to REGISTER for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_ol5-8UcUQc6HO5mCJeaD7A Email questions to Landere: landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org
The Beautiful Majabigwaduce River: Greening Your Watershed Landscape
The Beautiful Majabigwaduce River: Greening Your Watershed Landscape
April 22, 2021 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Join Bagaduce estuary admirer, photographer, and neighbor Ann Flewelling for a scenic virtual trip across the miles and seasons of this special waterway. Here, in 1996 Ann, a psychologist and her husband Charles Read, a teacher, purchased the east shore property in celebration of their first wedding anniversary. They named their place FARVIEW FARM, however, how and what they would "farm", or promote as stewards, evolved over the years. This is the story of people who care for the land, who make mistakes though learn from them, and who, best of all, have accepted ecologically wise advice from friends and mentors. They, along with the birds, moths, caterpillars, and bees as well as native pollinator plants, good bugs, and creatures of the soil, thank you! Friends from the Field webinars take place LIVE on Thursdays from 4-5pm! We will record the webinar so that if you wish to view but can’t participate at that time, the presentation will be available to you on our websites and social media. Click the link below to REGISTER for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_zR7X6uJHQYyZceTouoF5GQ Email questions to Landere: landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org
Story of Place: Peters Brook & Penny's Preserve Webinar
Story of Place: Peters Brook & Penny's Preserve Webinar
April 29, 2021 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
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: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_L9FYHSEhRXm6MaTwPl6muw
Join BHHT and 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. Please stay home if you are feeling sick!