Orono Land Trust Newsletter

Summer 2001, Volume 54

Scholarship Award Winner

The first recipient of the Orono Land Trust Scholarship for environmental projects, environmental studies, and wilderness adventure, is Danielle Oakes, a science teacher at Orono High School. Danielle is enrolled in a Master of Science program in Ecological Teaching and Learning at Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. The award of $500 will help to offset the cost of enrollment.

The program consists of two summer semesters and a fall and spring semester in the 2001-2002 academic year. The summer semesters will take place in Massachusetts and Maine, respectively. The program is a hands-on approach covering topics about ecology in rural and urban environments. The fall and spring semester work is done in her classroom with her students.

Danielle's passion is the study of the environment, and she says "It is an area that I believe is important to teach to my students. They need to know the issues in today's world and what they can do to help protect and preserve our natural resources." The cost of attending such a program goes beyond what the school contributes and what her teaching salary allows. Danielle will share her experience with us in future newsletters. ~ Deta Pearce

Board of Director Meetings are typically held on the third Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the Tredwell Building on Bennoch Road.

Click here for SUMMER TRAIL WALK SCHEDULE!

More than 50 people braved the worst storm of the season to attend the OLT Annual Meeting at the Keith Anderson House on March 30 to hear Judy Markowsky talk about her journey to Tierra Del Fuego in southern Chile. She highlighted her discussion with gorgeous slides of the mountainous terrain and the wildlife, including a fascinating account of the birth of a baby guanaco, a llama-like animal that inhabits the roughly vegetated terrain found in the lowlands. Harrowing descriptions of steep mountain roads and shaky bridge crossings added drama to her tales of adventure. Her slides of the abundant and unusual birdlife found in this region reminded us of the incredible diversity of life to be found on Earth. Judy's talk followed a social hour with desserts.
Special thanks to Judy for her warm and colorful presentation!

Sharon Tisher, outgoing President of the Board of Directors, eloquently summarized the successes of the Orono Land Trust of the past year. Highlights included:

establishment of the OLT Scholarship and successful fundraising for the 2001 award

last summer’s trail work party of 30 youths and 10 adults, aided by the Hugh O’Brian Leadership Foundation and coordinated by Gail White

sponsorship of educational programs including a vernal pool presentation and a bog talk at Orono Town Library

enjoyable summer and winter outings

new schedule of trail walks to explore OLT and Town trails

formation of a new partnership, led by Ron Davis, to build a boardwalk at Orono Bog, part of the Caribou Bog wetland complex (see p. 2)

award of grant funds to the town for sidewalk development in Tech Park (see p.4).

agreement with the Maine Department of Transportation concerning stewardship and trail development at Gould’s Landing

Before turning over the reins to new President, Jay Johnson, Sharon presented a special award to longtime board member Bob Miller. Bob was awarded a beautiful platter, imprinted with the OLT logo, made by Orono potter Sandy Houtman, in recognition of his many years of service on behalf of Orono’s natural environment and community, and his dedication to the mission of the Orono Land Trust.

Other newly elected officers include Vice President Terri Hutchinson (trail steward of Ayers Island), Treasurer Nancy Rampe (returning), and Secretary Ginny Whitaker (website editor). Cheryl Daigle and Ginny Whitaker were both elected to three year terms on the Board, and thanks were given to Ken Nichols and David Chase for their years of service to OLT.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the four parties sponsoring the Orono Bog Boardwalk Project, Ronald B. Davis, the University of Maine (UM), the Orono Land Trust, and the City of Bangor, has been approved by the first three parties, and is presently under consideration by the City of Bangor. The application to the National Park Service for funding for the interpretive facilities of the boardwalk is still pending.

UM student Justine Stadler has nearly completed her involvement with the project. She has done a great deal of useful research and footwork, and wrote a good draft of the permit application to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and U.S. Army Corps Engineers. Big thanks go to Justine for her excellent work! Claude Junkins of Engineering Services of the University prepared several drafts of engineering plans for the boardwalk, which are needed for permit applications, grant applications and for construction. Much thanks to Claude for his good work!

Members of the Steering Committee decided the preferred route for the boardwalk is a southern one starting in the Bangor City Forest. The Bangor Forest already has a parking area and a network of recreational trails, one of which provides good access to the edge of the wetland where the boardwalk will begin. The first ~750 feet of the boardwalk will be in the Bangor portion of the wetland. The remainder will be on UM land in Orono.

Ron and Justine laid out the boardwalk route on snowshoes in April, returning after snowmelt to be sure it covered all of the wetland plant communities to allow for a complete educational experience on Maine's boggy wetlands. They returned again with Al Kimball (of UM) to do a GPS survey of the route. Based on this survey and earlier air photo vegetation mapping done by Lissa Widoff with George Jacobson and Ron, Al prepared a map of the boardwalk route superimposed on vegetation types and property ownerships. Thanks to Al Kimball!

Ron and Justine also collected data for wetland delineation, as required for projects in wetlands. A site visit took place in early June by representatives of agencies involved in permitting projects in wetlands and the parties to the Memorandum of Understanding. The agencies represented were Maine DEP, Maine Fish and Wildlife, US Army Corps of Engineers, and US Fish and Wildlife Service. Our mitigation plan for trail construction has received preliminary approval. We aim to complete the permit application by early summer. Additional approvals (Orono and Bangor municipal governments) will need to be obtained afterwards. ~ Ronald B. Davis, University of Maine

Maine Lands Conservation Conference

The Maine Land Trust Conservation Conference 2001, held at Camden Hills Regional High School May 5, 2001, was reported as the largest in the history of the Conferences. Orono Land Trust founding President and Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT ) Board Member Sally Jacobs did a fine job of presiding over the opening plenary session when MCHT President Jay Espy lost his voice.

Orono had a very high representation, most but not all from OLT. Land Trust members attending included Alan & Terri Hutchinson, Anne & Jay Johnson, Cheryl Daigle, Jay Fortier and Susan (who was on a panel), Nancy Bauer, Sally Jacobs; Sandra Johnson was there representing the Newburgh Land Trust; and Sherm Hasbrouck had signed up but had a mercy flight to make. Bill Munsey was there representing the Frenchman Bay Conservancy. Alan Hutchinson was the featured speaker at the Friday night dinner.

A beautiful slide show and eloquent words in the keynote address by Peter Forbes set the tone for a day of learning and sharing on Saturday. The facility was new and attractive and the catering was the best that I remember at this or similar events. The name of the caterer is Swan's Way from Camden (they will come as far as Orono).

A sampling of sessions … "Partnering with For-Profits in Conservation Projects" focused on attracting investors into an entity to provide interim funding while the land trust raises the purchase price. About four of the land trust representatives attending "GIS Mapping: A users group meeting" use the mapping tools; most were interested in learning more. Maureen and Paul Hoffman of the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association GIS Support Center seemed a really good resource. Semester programs are offered at COA, SMTC, UMaine and USM (the first two also offer two day ESRI certified courses). SMTC is interested in field experiences for its students. "Backup Protection for Preserves" identified the reasons for needing backup and options for accomplishing it, as well as initiatives the State is taking to help. ~ Jay Johnson

www.bairnet.org/organizations/olt

Newsletter Publisher       Margaret Campbell
Newsletter Editor             Cheryl Daigle
Website Editor                 Ginny Whitaker

NEWS FROM THE TRAILS

AYERS ISLAND

Chris Dorion toured the trails with Jay Johnson on the first morning in June. He found them well- situated for skiing and biking and suggested that the curves would be gentle enough with clearing on the inside. Chris' knowledge of soils and vegetation allowed him to recommend several places on the north shore where the trail should be moved inland to avoid flooding at occasional high water - to just about where Gail White sited it on the winter trek!

On the southeast point, Chris proposed a third route in addition to the two we've used. It would stay on top of the ridge all the way around the point, thus making the view more accessible, reducing traffic on the shore with little soil and high erosion. He found a way from the trestle along the southwest arc which seems more gentle than those we'd explored before and we tagged a trail through the area coming back to the parking lot close to but intentionally avoiding the settling basin. ~ Jay Johnson

TRAIL NOTE! Those spikes left from clearing in the snow turn out to be more than tripping hazards, they're hazards to tractor tires! The preferred cutting pattern is to cut flat and as low as possible, preferably beneath the leaves.

Our spring workday was postponed due to lingering snow and frozen ground. Thanks to Peter Millard for clearing the trails on Marsh Island and Jay Fortier for clearing the trails behind the high school. The River Trail is in good shape; we planted 3 red maples at the top of Brownie's Park to prevent cars from driving down the trail. They were heavily watered during the dry spring by Chris Dorion and are doing well now.

Thanks to the substantial efforts of the Town, particularly David Struck, and Sally Jacobs, Orono will receive $71,250 of Federal Enhancement funds for sidewalks in Tech park, and plans are proceeding to link these sidewalks with a trail system that will connect to the Penobscot River trail. We are also delighted that the importance of preservation of trails in the Town was recognized in March by the Orono Town Council, which voted to appoint a Trail Committee.

Peter Millard and Chris Dorion guided the boy scouts through a trail-building project that resulted in an exceptionally fine trail on the Marsh Island Preserve. This trail now connects across Route 2 to the University of Maine trails and travels out to Crosby Street to allow access in that neighborhood. In addition to trail building, Peter purchased a snowmobile and tracker so he can keep the trails groomed for skiing all winter! An example of super volunteerism! We are hoping that out of the joint efforts of the new Town committee and the Trust we can ultimately develop an entirely GPS mapped system of trails. ~ Sharon Tisher

TRAIL WALK SCHEDULE

July 14 Colburn Area: Gail White (866-0041) August 4 Ayers Island: Terri Hutchinson (866-5542) August 25 Leed Trail: Woody Carville (866-4005) Sept. 15 Brent Halsey Learning Center: Jay Johnson (866-2511) October 6 Forest Avenue South: Jay Fortier (866-0493)	Pileated Woodpecker on Stillwater Trail walk.

All walks are scheduled for

Saturday mornings at 9 a.m.

NATURE CLIPS by Jerry Longcore

Where are the ducks? Anywhere they want to be! Habitats used by ducks are as variable as the landscape at a Kiwanis auction! From the time ducks leave the wintering areas of the mid-Atlantic coast--or for black ducks, the Maine coast-- they use a myriad of wetland habitats from fresh to salty, large to small. During migration and on breeding areas in late March, small, shallow basins that warm quickly provide insect protein necessary for forming eggs.

In Aroostook County, black ducks are often on sheet water in the middle of fallow potato fields gleaning starch from the thawing, overlooked potatoes. Once breeding begins, most any wetland, large or small, may serve as a waiting station for a male that defends his mate as she comes off the nest in the early morning hours after laying an egg. Larger wetlands of several acres are needed to raise broods, but I have seen a brood spend 2-3 weeks in a small (<0.25 acre), wooded pool filled with snails.

After breeding, when it is time to renew the flight feathers, adults seek large wetlands with dense vegetation and ample food where they become flightless and regrow primary feathers to be ready for the migration in the fall. Thus, wetlands, either scattered or grouped, form a complex of habitats that fill the many seasonal needs of ducks. We really can't afford to ignore the value of these wetlands and allow them to be destroyed because as we affect the wildlife we enjoy we affect our own quality of life.

The Suburban Arguments

The deer leaves sign where she stands

eating the last tulips beneath the window.

Raccoons wash their food

in the next door watergarden and argue.

Garbage is sealed away; still a skunk patrols.

Now the heavy-bodied hawk moths browse;

a nightbird repeats itself.

Only the lawn has been fed;

all else is hungry.

Even the humans, sleeping in their hollows,

are starving,

but they drowse on. Canis Major leans down

from the cold spring sky as if to yap

at the end of its long stellar leash, but the world

spins away. Toward dawn, a train in the Basin

comes through the crossing but doesn’t sound;

its funnel of light devours the track.

The owl on his small kill

calls. His mate in the last tall pine answers,

Where are you? What have you found there?

~ Jennifer Pixley

---

Previously published in the Beloit Poetry Journal

Join us on a fall canoe and kayak trip on Pushaw Lake, along a mile of undeveloped shoreline at the western edge of Caribou Bog. We will paddle to the emergent marshes at the outlet of Pushaw Stream, a resting and feeding place for migrating black ducks and wood ducks. We will explore the different plant and animal community types we pass along the way from our canoes. Bring binoculars! Call Deta Pearce for details (866-2296). Check our website in August for updates!

Jay Johnson reports: We had a thoroughly fine walk on April 28 to inaugurate the 2001 Trail Walk Series. The weather was pleasant, and the water high enough to provide interesting activities. Nancy Bauer, Kathy Carter and Dave Baxter, Jerry Longcore and Terri and Alan Hutchinson joined Jay Johnson at Brownie's Park at 9 AM. There were signs of lots of beaver activity, particularly in the flooded marsh in front of the Johnson's house. The low ground below Lewis' was widely flooded, making it clear that there was no way we could have built the all-weather bridge we considered last year, whether above or below the sewer line crossing. We crossed on it and went to the end of the Water Company installation, enjoying the view up the river before retracing and diverting to the road.

On the less traveled and perhaps more interesting part of the trail, opposite Orono Commons, the path is not as straight or worn, but very adequate. We were amazed at the abundance of birds. Our birders, led by Jerry and Alan, recorded 16 kinds of birds: tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, yellow-shafted flicker (2), Hairy woodpecker, Downey woodpecker (2 pair!), brown creeper, mallard (12 pair & 1 male), black-capped chickadee (3), yellow-rumped warbler (2), robin, pine warbler (2), song sparrow, wood duck, common grackle, solitary vireo - and the showman of them all, pileated woodpecker. We watched for about 15 minutes as he threw off large chips and poked for presumably juicy creatures - not five yards from us! (see photo on p. 3)

Stewardship Help Needed !!!

The OLT Stewardship Team always needs help taking care of the properties for which we are responsible. To serve the community and conserve its resources, stewardship is crucial. Stewardship includes running boundaries, inventorying critical and important resources, creating management plans, monitoring use and watching for problems and issues. Please contact one of the stewards listed below if you have interest in a specific property or contact Wendall if you are willing to help out anywhere, want to consider becoming steward to an open area, or have any questions.

Stewardship Leader:            Wendall Tremblay 866-4531 wendalltre@aol.com

Trails Leader:         Gail White 866- 0041 jwhite@saturn.caps.maine.edu

Trail Building         Chris Dorion 866-7806
& GPS Guru:         Cdorion@agate.net; cdorion@infi.net

STEWARDS

Colburn Natural Area & Cota Trail   Gail White 866-0041 Jwhite@mail.caps.maine.edu    

Forest Avenue South   Jay Fortier 866-0493 SLYJAY@BANGORNEWS.COM   

 MBNA/Reed/Walsh Trail    Woody Carville linwood.carville@maine.edu

Lower River    Sharon Tisher 866-0023 Sharon_Tisher@apollo.umenfa.maine.edu 

Marsh Island Forest    Peter Millard 866-3503 pmillard@adelphia.net

Penobscot Shores    Bob Miller 866-3342 remiller@juno.com; rmi17@aol.com     

Ayer's Island    Terri Hutchinson 866-5542  

Halsey Forestry Education Area    Jay Johnson 866-2511    johnson@maine.edu

On occasion, we will include poetry, short prose, photography, and/or artwork created by our members in the newsletter. If you would like to submit your work, please email Cheryl Daigle at cdaigle1@acadia.net.

The Land Trust’s Goals