Visitors to Salt Bay Preserve in Newcastle will notice a couple changes: the removal of the aluminum bridge, and closure of the southeastern segment of the trail that passed over private property.
Fox Run Bridge replaced at Salt Bay Farm
Wooden bridges have a limited lifespan, especially when they are in reach of high tides and storm surge. The old creek crossing at the bottom of the Fox Run trail at Salt Bay Farm, much loved by summer campers and school groups as a good spot to search for critters in the creek, had served its purpose for a number of years. However, the wood was beginning to rot and had a tendency to be displaced by high water.
New trail in the works at Keyes Woods Preserve
It’s not often we get to share the news about a new trail! This summer, after extensive preparation, Trail Tamers volunteers and Coastal Rivers staff began cutting a trail at Keyes Woods Preserve in Bristol.
Coral Mushrooms
Regular rain in July and August has resulted in a bumper crop of mushrooms this year. One type of mushroom we’re seeing a lot of in the Damariscotta-Pemaquid area is coral mushrooms. The fruiting body of these fungi forms spectacular stalks that are finger-shaped or branched like corals of the sea.
Early Fall, Upside Down
’m not sure what most characterizes early fall for me – the sudden abundance of tomatoes in our garden and the cadent singing of crickets or the sweet smell of tired vegetation as it lies down to die and go back to the earth. Perhaps it’s none of those things so much as the heavy, lazy feeling I have after the frenzy of summer and the strong desire to just take a good pause before the next season is upon us. (…)
River~Link corridor expanded in Edgecomb
Conservation at a meaningful scale Earlier this spring, Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust completed the purchase of a 165-acre property on the west side of River Road in Edgecomb, a short distance south of Dodge Point. The expansive wooded parcel features a grown-over field and orchard bounded by rock walls, lush wetlands, at least one vernal pool, and a blueberry barren. It is also crisscrossed by streams draining both east into the Damariscotta River and west into the Sheepscot, making the property a point of connection between the two watersheds and buffering water quality in both. Coastal Rivers is particularly excited …
The Bath House
When we were kids, there was a dilapidated structure, a small bath house, down on our shore on Old Broad Bay that got altogether more attention than its builder had probably ever anticipated. It had a times-gone-by aura about it, a feeling we all sensed that it had seen better days and good ones too.
One look would have told anyone that (…)
New addition to La Verna Preserve
Thanks to the generosity of John Hall and Paula Crook, Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust recently acquired nearly 10 acres in Bristol. John and Paula donated one portion of the land and sold another to Coastal Rivers at a bargain sale (significantly less than market value), leaving only a small amount for Coastal Rivers to fundraise for.
The new preserve adds to the 140 acres already conserved in and around the popular La Verna Preserve.
The Boogeyman
Summer vacation and summer heat are a lethargizing combination that affects us all. It breeds a large company of lemonade sippers, swinging on porch swings, just watching the building thunderheads. Such moments, while common, were, in truth, merely creative pauses for the unleashed cannon-ballers among us back in the day.
My more youthful summers on Old Broad Bay were such a grand stretch of hell-raising days that (…)
2021 Volunteer Fair
Our volunteers are what make our work possible. We couldn’t do nearly as much as we do in land conservation, water quality monitoring, and education without the many passionate people who give their time.
In this recorded program Coastal Rivers staff run through the variety of volunteer opportunities available and how to sign up. There is a job for every interest, whether it’s monitoring water quality, stewardship, handy-work, hospitality, nature education, or photography!
