group of dogs on a grassy lawn

In trying times like these, when folks are feeling burdened with worry and seemingly unrelenting tales of woe, a bit of good news out of the blue can happily become very welcome and refreshing GOOD NEWS, no matter how tiny a tidbit it is. Well, the most recent edition of the Bow Wave News contained a short piece on an important decision made by none other than the Coastal Canine Club.

While there has been a clear consensus of opinion that the matter in question was long overdue for serious consideration, it has finally been given, and there appears to be cause for modest celebration.

young boy drawing in a notebook

Learn to observe closely Keeping a nature journal has so many benefits! Journals are one of many ways to explore nature. Writing about and drawing what you see encourages you to sit quietly and observe closely. For this reason, many people find it to be a relaxing and grounding activity. If you keep a nature journal for many seasons, you can use it to track changes in the environment over time. And flipping back through your notes and sketches can also bring back memories of your experiences, not to mention some satisfaction and pride! At the beginning of each entry, …

Keeping a Nature Journal Read More »

Looking across Hopes' field with a glimpse of Johns Bay beyond

Michael Hope’s family bought a plot of land on the East Branch of Johns Bay in Bristol back in 1947. Not long afterward, local shellfish harvesters stopped by to ask permission to drive to the shore of the Hope’s farm to make it easier to haul heavy loads of clams up from the shore. Bristol clammers have been using the field for access to the clam flats ever since.

Their access to the productive clam flats on the East Branch is now permanently protected, thanks to the donation of a 5-acre conservation easement by Margo and Michael Hope to Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust in July. (…)

a cluster of acorns on a red oak

It’s been a good year for acorns, phenomenal, judging from the amount of mast on ground. All day and all night I hear acorns dropping on the barn’s tin roof, on the woodshed, on the hood of my truck, on the porch deck, bouncing off tree limbs, tearing through leaves, landing in puddles and pebbling the ground – whack, clank, bonk, bop, boink. Not only have I never seen so many acorns, I’ve never heard so many either. They’ve been dropping for weeks now, and it’s not over yet. (…)

Helen Weld and Robert Strachan

At a bend in the Damariscotta River just below Glidden Ledge, a cove reaches inland along the Edgecomb shore. On the north side of this cove, the terrain rises steeply up a forested hillside, making it a prominent landmark on the river. This ridge is the site of a new 39-acre conservation easement, donated to Coastal Rivers by Helen Weld and Robert Strachan of Edgecomb in early August. The land includes 1,100 feet of shoreline in and around Salt Marsh Cove – a shallow, sheltered cove rich with wildlife, including clams, tidal waterfowl, and wading birds. The conservation easement will …

Edgecomb couple donates conservation easement on Salt Marsh Cove Read More »

Young students play a game in the woods

Two free summer programs expand horizons for local schoolkids Imagine a free, outdoor summer adventure program for kids that includes transportation, snacks and lunches. This summer, for the first time, local kids from the AOS 93 school district were invited to participate in just such a program, the result of a partnership between the school district and Coastal Rivers. Free of charge thanks to grant funding, the programs took place three days a week from mid-July through mid-August. Participating schools included Great Salt Bay Community School, Jefferson Village School, Nobleboro Central School, and South Bristol Elementary School, which also hosted …

Outdoor adventures for every child Read More »

musk turtle

Earlier this week I visited Biscay Pond in preparation for a class with some Lincoln Academy students on identifying aquatic plants (they will be helping me to do some patrolling for invasive plants this fall). As I waded into the water at the beach I spotted a small turtle, floating lazily among some plants. I was able to catch it in a bucket and positively identified it as a musk turtle, which is a rare find here in Maine.

Musk turtles are sometimes called a “stinkpot” turtle because of their propensity for (…)

black and white photo of a woman sitting in a sparsely furnished room

I’m a country boy, plain and simple. Except for occasional forays into the city, I’ve spent virtually all of my life surrounded by green grass and woods and water, and, for the most part, I’ve stayed within two stories of Mother Earth.

But I did live in the city once – Portland, Maine; my wife, Susan, and I did, for seven months. It was rather rustic for city living though. We had trouble finding a place to rent and so ended up on the top floor of an old townhouse, which could only be reached by a winding ascent up a rickety old stairway with wiggly banisters. (…)

Morgen trimming trails at Crooked Farm

Since working as Stewardship Intern for Coastal Rivers, I’ve acquired numerous practical skills, including how to use various everyday equipment. Understanding how this equipment operates is essential for this internship and beneficial for everyday life. Additionally, I’ve picked up construction techniques that streamline work processes. (…)

Forest taking water samples

As Coastal Rivers’ Water Resources Intern this summer, my main role is monitoring water quality in local lakes, including Pemaquid Pond, Biscay Pond, Muddy/Paradise Pond, Muscongus/Webber Pond, McCurdy Pond, and Clark Cove Pond. I have also been staffing the Beachcombers’ Discovery Center at Pemaquid Beach Park.

Monitoring water quality in our lakes and ponds involves collecting four sets of data: water temperature, dissolved oxygen, water clarity, and phosphorus. (…)