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!
That Old Familiar Tug
There’s a song that sings, “June is busting out all over,” and it’s true. In May, when things first green up, the land all around has the appearance of tidiness under the gentle spell of new growth. There is still an openness to the woods that allows birds’ songs to carry far, and weeding the just-planted garden is only a simple chore. The lilac outside the kitchen window hesitates to unfold its curling leaves; its greatest effort spent in building lavender buds. (…)
Saving Seabirds
New lessons from puffins and terns Hear from Dr. Stephen Kress and Dr. Don Lyons about seabird restoration in Maine. The story of how a colony of Atlantic puffins was restored off the coast of Maine offers hope and inspiration at a time when many seabird species worldwide are threatened because of invasive predatory mammals, marine pollution, and the effects of climate change. Dr. Kress provides examples of how methods he developed for bringing puffins back to Maine are helping to create new colonies of endangered seabirds around the world. Dr. Lyons shares how restored colonies of puffins and terns are …
