Community-Based Land Conservation since 1985

BLUE HILL / BROOKLIN / BROOKSVILLE / PENOBSCOT / SEDGWICK / SURRY SUMMER 2010

BLUE HILLHERITAGE TRUST

Blue Hill Heritage TrustP. O. Box 222Blue Hill ME 04614

New Land Projects:3 Easement Gifts Protect Scenic BeautyViews over the water to the mountains! Views from the water toundeveloped forests and fields! See Page 2 and 4 for the stories.

In 1985 a group of local residents created a new commu-nity organization called Blue Hill Heritage Trust. Their idea was that this or-ganization would be a way for people to work together to help protect thenatural and cultural heritage of the Blue Hill Peninsula.

The idea worked! Twenty-five years later we are a thriving organizationembedded into the fabric of life on the Blue Hill Peninsula. Together wehave protected over 5500 acres of conservation land with outstanding sce-nic, ecological, recreational, cultural and agricultural values – lands thatpeople love and enjoy as a community commons.

Farmland

Special 25th Anniversary Events See page 4

Festive Anniversary Party July 17, 2010

Cultural Icons

Wildlife Habitat

Recreational Access

Scenic Beauty

25YearsOf Conservation

Celebrating

The Return of Alewives See page 3

Cultural Icons

Wildlife Habitat

FarmlandRecreational Access

Scenic Beauty

BLUE HILLHERITAGE TRUST

Community-Based Land Conservation since 1985

BLUE HILL / BROOKLIN / BROOKSVILLE / PENOBSCOT / SEDGWICK / SURRY SUMMER 2010

PAGE 2 . SUMMER 2010 BLUE HILL HERITAGE TRUST . 207-374-5118 . P. O. BOX 222, Blue Hill, ME 04614 . www.bhhtmaine.org

The southerly stretch of the NewburyNeck Road in Surry yields a re-

markable visual experience to all whotravel it. Paralleling Union River Bay,the road offers up beautiful views acrossfields and water to the mountains ofAcadia National Park. Some peopledrive the road “just for the view,” and anincreasing number enjoy the view asthey walk, run or bike the road for recre-ation. The residents along that roadhave the luxury of having the view aspart of their daily experience.Development pressure continues

Like all the beautiful places in thisarea, Newbury Neck is under steady de-velopment pressure. Even in the currenteconomic environment new residential

construction is “growing” in those fieldsby the water, reducing the number of“public windows” from the road ontothe magnificent mix of fields, water andmountains.

Now thanks to Peggy Smith and herbrother Marshall, two adjacent parcelsthat have been in their family fordecades will remain open, preservingone of those windows. The two parcelstotal nearly 17 acres with long frontageon the road and large fields running tothe shore. Both parcels, one owned byMarshall and Peggy jointly and the sec-ond owned solely by Peggy, now haveconservation easements that prevent fu-ture development and require that thefields be kept open so that the view re-

Walks and Talks 2010

Fields, Water and MountainsNew View Protection on Newbury Neck in Surry

Please join us. All events are free andopen to the public. For more informationvisit our website at www.bhhtmaine.org orcall our office at 374-5118 to pre-register.

mains available to the public. Not onlywill the view be protected, but thewildlife habitat that these fields providewill also be protected. In addition theeasement permits the public to enter theproperty for low impact recreationaluses such as walking and nature obser-vation. Surry encourages open space

The importance of these views hadbeen previously recognized by the Townof Surry which had placed the parcels inthe open space tax classification as a wayto encourage their protection. Now thatprotection is ensured in perpetuity.

In accepting a gift of these conserva-tion easements, the Trust assumes thelong term responsibility for monitoringand enforcing the restrictions on the fu-

ture uses of these lands. We are gratefulthat both Marshall and Peggy made gen-erous contributions to our StewardshipFund to help cover the costs associatedwith fulfilling those responsibilities. Aspecial thanks also goes to Ciona Ul-brich of Maine Coast Heritage Trustwho assisted with this project.

To help celebrate our 25th Anniver-sary Year, we organized an expand-

ed Walks and Talk schedule for 2010.People of all ages have been joining usto explore the wonders of this place. Welooked at winter constellations overCaterpillar Hill in February, learnedabout late winter ecology on Blue HillMountain in March, explored vernalpool life at Kingdom Woods in April,heard about the importance of alewivesin May and also investigated woodyplants and shrubs at the Carter NaturePreserve, went birding with the pros atthe Great Meadow and walked amongthe fireflies at Wardwell Pasture in June. Events still to come:

■ July 10: Medicinal Plantsat Kingdom Woods

■ July 31: Shore Land Geologyat Carter Nature Preserve

■ August 21: Riparian Plants at Patten Stream

■ August 24: Full Moon HikeUp Blue Hill Mountain

■ Sept 15: Fall Mushroomsat Caterpillar Hill

“In the open spaceof democracy, beauty is not optional, but essential to our survival as a species.”

– Terry Tempest Williams, award-winning author and seasonal resident of Surry

Executive Director Jim Dow:

Honoring the past, looking to the future25years of conservation. More

than 5500 acres of conservedland. Local people working togeth-er to protect the character and well-being of their place by protectingspecial places in the landscape.This is a great story, a great accom-plishment, worthy of celebration.

But 25 years is but a small steptoward “perpetuity”– the word usedso commonly in conservation cir-cles to denote the length of ourcommitment to the conservationlands that we own or monitor. Ourvery success is forcing us to try tocome to grips with what that wordmeans for this organization.

Meanwhile, our fundamentalwork of protecting the most signifi-cant local places is not done. Wecan all name places that have spe-cial meaning for us but which could“grow a house” any day. Yet we areoperating in a very different time

than we were25 years agowhen we be-gan this enterprise.

So as we prepare to go forwardfor the next 25 years, we are takingstock as we celebrate. We are look-ing at what we need to do to ensurethat our organization – our localconservation vehicle – is sustain-able over the long haul. We arelooking at our internal processesand our external resources. We arelooking at new ideas and new waysof doing our business that are ap-propriate for these times. Most im-portantly we are working to involveas many people as possible in thiscommunity enterprise – young andold, from here and away, birders andhunters – everyone who is a part ofthis community and holds a sharein this land legacy.

Onward!

Do scenic views matter?The founders of our Trust thought so.Some of our earliest projects cen-tered on preserving scenic characterthrough the use of conservation ease-ments. Protecting scenic views is stillpart of our mission and still part ofour new project work. Views acrossthe landscape from public roads orother public vantage points, includ-ing from the water, provide aestheticenjoyment. For many of us, theseviews also help define our sense ofplace, both the grand, dramaticviews – like those over our CooperFarm at Caterpillar Hill – and thequick glimpses over a field or a marshas we drive by. Scenic beauty is alsoan economic benefit for the localeconomy. Scenic beauty attracts peo-ple, – for a visit, for a season, for alifetime – who help fuel local busi-nesses. Not everybody is able to orwants to walk a trail. The protectionof scenic views provides anotherkind of access that is important tothe well-being of our community.

Blue Hill Mountain Trail Work in July

An experienced trail crew from theMaine Conservation Corps (MCC) willlead a major maintenance project onthe Osgood and Hayes Trails on BlueHill Mountain this summer. Heavy useby residents and visitors takes its toll, re-quiring regular restoration projects. Youcan help by volunteering a few hours ofwork or donating money to help coverthe $3500 cost of this project.

Alewives were once a central part oflife on the Blue Hill Peninsula as well

as elsewhere along the Maine Coast. Theirarrival to local streams and rivers that led totheir spawning grounds was a dramatic signthat Spring had arrived. They were wel-comed by eagles, seals, osprey, other fishspecies and a host of other wildlife, as well asby people.

Alewives are dia-dromous fish – mem-bers of the herringfamily – that migratebetween salt andfresh water. The di-adromous fish com-munity also includesblueback herring, shad, rainbow smelts andAtlantic salmon.

The huge abundance of alewives knownto early settlers diminished drastically as aresult of the damming of streams and riversas well as pollution and over-harvesting. Asthe human dependencies on this food sourcedeclined, so did the human constituency forthe welfare of these alewife runs. Recently,however, renewed awareness of this fish’sfundamental place in the food web is lead-ing to efforts locally and statewide to restorethat natural abundance.

Marine biologist Rory Saunders from theNational Marine Fisheries Service describedthe importance of alewives and the restora-tion efforts underway at a presentation host-

ed by the Trust on May 19th. As he talked,thousands of alewives were gathering in asection of Patten Stream just below Route172 trying with all the power of Nature toget over a stream blockage caused by the de-sign and construction of the highway’s over-pass.

Patten Stream is one of our local streamsthat once hosted hugeruns of alewives. Upperand Lower Patten Ponds,its headwaters, provideexcellent spawning habi-tat. The blockage at thehighway is the only ma-jor obstacle to restoringthat run. Residents are

currently working with local and state offi-cials to find a solution. Meanwhile, duringthe several days that the fish were running,volunteers with permits from the Maine De-partment of Marine Resources were aidingthe fish by netting and transporting bushelafter bushel over the blockage.

Our Trust owns a parcel of conservationland along Patten Stream that features along stretch of stream frontage and an arrayof outstanding natural features. Our land ispart of a natural system of which thealewives are also a part. We intend to do ourpart to help restore their place in that sys-tem, and once again make this rite of Springa part of our community’s common experi-ence.

Alewives: Restoring a Rite of Spring

Jed Island: HalfwayThere!Our joint effort with Maine Coast Heritage Trust to acquire and protect

Jed Island is halfway to its fundraising goal. With 18 months left in theinstallment purchase agreement, $442,000 of the necessary $800,000 pur-chase and stewardship funding has been raised. Please help us complete theprotection of this island gem. If you can help or would like more informa-tion, please contact Jim Dow or John Merrifield at the Trust office.

We continue our efforts to provideopportunities for people to connect to theland by developing and maintaining walk-ing trails. The limited amount of town,state or federal conservation land in ourarea makes our role especially important.

Trail openingsIn June, a crew of volunteers celebrat-

ed National Trails Day by preparing the

trail on John B. Mountain, our new pre-serve in Brooksville. Meanwhile, our“partners in stewardship,” the Friends ofMorgan Bay, hosted a trail opening at theFurth Wildlife Sanctuary and TalalayNature Sanctuary, adjacent properties inSurry, celebrating the completion of sev-eral seasons of work.

New Trail KiosksThanks to the students at the Harbor

School in Blue Hill, assisted by our Boardmember David Porter, we have a newkiosk at a trail head in the KingdomWoods Conservation Area. Thanks toBoard member Norman Mrozicki we havea new kiosk at the trail heads of the Furth/Talalay Trail and the Osgood Trail onBlue Hill Mountain.

New Trail Maps Availableon our Website

We now have updated trail maps for allof BHHT trails. View these maps online athttp://www.bhhtmaine.org/trailguide.htmlor download the pdf and print them athome. You can also stop by the office andwe’ll be happy to print out the maps thatyou need.

President’s Column

The most fulfilling task I ever pursuedOn a recent hike on our John B

Mountain property in Brooksville,I reached the top and let out an audiblesigh. My hiking companion said, “It’sbeautiful, isn’t it?” Andit was – EggemogginReach, Orcutt Harborand Horseshoe Cove inthe foreground, Isle auHaut to the southeastand the Camden Hillsto the southwest. Butmy sigh was also for thetremendous sense ofsatisfaction in being a part of the BHHTland conservation effort that has beenprotecting places like this for 25 years.

After three years as President of theBoard of Directors, I am completing myterm. In that time, nearly 1000 acreswere added to our preserves and conser-vation easements bringing our total areaof land conservation to over 5500 acres.We are steadily preserving the heritageand beauty of this place we call ourhome. It has been my pleasure and hon-

or to work with a Board of men andwomen who tirelessly offer their diverseskills to preserve places we can all treas-ure for years to come. To be honest, this

has been the most ful-filling task I have everpursued. It has given mespecial friendships and aclearer understanding ofhow we are all connect-ed to each other and tonature.

None of these experi-ences would be possible

without the support of our members andfriends who donate land and money,time and inspiration to help us continuewith our mission. We thank you for yourcontinued support.

We can always use energetic mindsand bodies to help us in this work. Feelfree to contact us anytime about addingyour skills to our committees or Board orhelping on a specific project. We lookforward to seeing you out on the land.

– John Merrifield

Blue HillHeritageTrust

Mission StatementThe mission of the Blue Hill Heritage Trustis to conserve land and water of specialecological, natural, agricultural, scenic,cultural and recreational significance inBlue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Penob-scot, Sedgwick and Surry, and to work toincrease public understanding of theimportance of land and water conserva-tion.

Board of DirectorsJohn Merrifield, Blue Hill, President;Norman Alt, Brooksville, Co-Vice-President; Pam Johnson, Sedgwick,Co-Vice-President; David Porter,Brooklin, Secretary, John Murphy,Sedgwick, Treasurer; Mary Barnes,Sedgwick; Paul Birdsall, Penobscot;Peter Clapp, Blue Hill; BonnieCopper, Penobscot; Tim Garrity,Blue Hill; Jim Kannry, Blue Hill;Heather Albert-Knopp, Penobscot;Norman Mrozicki, Surry; Kim Rid-ley, Brooklin

StaffJames W. Dow, Executive Director

Sheila Corbett, Membership/Administrative CoordinatorCharlotte Clews Lawther, Stewardship Coordinator

Trail News

BLUE HILL HERITAGE TRUST . 207-374-5118 . www.bhhtmaine.org . PAGE 3

PAGE 4 . SUMMER 2010 BLUE HILL HERITAGE TRUST . 207-374-5118 . P. O. BOX 222, Blue Hill, ME 04614 . www.bhhtmaine.org

New Conservation Easement Protects Coastal Beauty and Ecological Assets

Yes ! I want to help conserve the character of the Blue Hill Peninsula landscape for future generations.

Conservator ...........$1000 and upBenefactor ...............$500 – $999Steward ....................$250 – $499Sustaining ................$100 – $249Supporting ...................$50 – $99Contributing ................$35 – $49

■■ Please find enclosed my /our tax-deductible gift of $ ___________________

■■ I have named the trust in my will.■■ Please contact me about bequests

and other planned giving opportunities.■■ I / We prefer to remain anonymous.Name: ____________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________

City/State/Zip: _____________________________________

Phone: ___________________________________________

e-mail: ___________________________________________

Please make your check or money order payable to:BLUE HILL HERITAGE TRUST

P. O. Box 222Blue Hill, ME 04614

Think of the future

Agift of a conservation easement by a broth-er and sister on their family land in Brooksville

extends the scenic and natural area protection alongEggemoggin Reach that we have worked on since theTrust’s early years. Widely known for its scenic beauty,Eggemoggin Reach is a primary navigation route be-tween Blue Hill Bay and Penobscot Bay used by theboating public for recre-ation and commerce.

The conservation ease-ment protects a sixteen-acre parcel with 700 feetof frontage on Deep Coveeast of Bucks Harbor. Byremaining undeveloped,this land will help protect the long-term scenic charac-ter of the Reach, and also preserve important ecologi-cal assets. This parcel includes great topographic diver-sity, including rocky and sandy coastline, wetlands,streams and waterfalls, a cold-air talus slope and a vari-ety of woodlands.

The property has two special ecological features.The shoreland area has been identified as “significantwaterfowl and wading bird habitat” by Maine’s Depart-

ment of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife while its uplandsection, part of a coastal ridge, includes a pitch pinewoodland community, a natural community identifiedby the Maine Natural Areas as a rare/exemplary com-munity type.

The newly protected property is adjacent to otherproperties with similar conservation values that have

been protected by BHHTconservation easements.Together these lands nowinclude approximately 280acres and 9000 feet of con-tiguous undeveloped sce-nic frontage on Eggemog-gin Reach and Bucks

Harbor. As with all conservation easements, the prop-erty remains in private ownership but with perpetualrestrictions on its future use that are monitored and en-forced if necessary by our Trust.

Our thanks to Ron Fangel and Laila Kain for work-ing with us to protect this land for the benefit of usall,and for making a financial gift to our StewardshipFund which will ensure our capacity to carry out ourlong-term stewardship responsibilities to this property.

Thanks to inspired volunteers,our Trust is hosting a day of fam-

ily fun on August 8, on Blue HillMountain as part of our 25th birth-day celebration! Mountain Day isfree, featuring activities for all ages,live music, and great food from localvendors. It is a chance to enjoy thebenefits of local conservation at aniconic feature of our landscape.

The day begins with morningyoga on the summit, followed by afoot race up Blue Hill Mountain,

children’s activities including fieldgames and a scavenger hunt, anopen mike featuring stories fromthe Mountain, and a birthday cake!There will be displays by the BlueHill Historical Society and DownEast Audubon.

Check our website calendar atwww.bluehillheritagetrust.org andour Facebook Fan Page or call 374-5118 for more information. Specialthanks to Courtney Weaver and ourcommunity outreach committee fororganizing this special event, and tothe Blue Hill selectmen for permis-sion to use the fields donated to thetown for conservation by RuthHayes. We still need volunteers tohelp with the event. E-mail Court-ney at courtecca@aol.com.

Family Fun: Mountain Day Celebration on August 8

“Though this is a relatively small piece ofproperty, it is spectacularly diverse. There is something for deer, bear, otters, mink and a gorgeous view for the rest of us!”

– Charlotte Clews Lawther, Stewardship Coordinator

This conservation easement continues our efforts to protect the outstanding scenic values ofEggemoggin Reach.

“This is one of the most secludedplaces in the area and yet it is inthe middle of Blue Hill. I love it.The trail is very well maintained.Thank you!”

– Note found in the Letterbox placed by BHCS students on our Parker Point Road to South Street Trail

25th AnniversaryParty July 17thOur 25th Anniversary celebration includes a big

party! On July 17, 300 supporters from all over thepeninsula will share a meal, dance the night away tomusic by Wavelength Band and participate in asilent auction at the home of Jim and Linda May inEast Blue Hill. Partyers can bid on 25 amazing silentauction items ranging from a trip to Bermuda to aLunaform pot, a bouquet of flowers or a mooring inBlue Hill harbor, and eat a wonderful dinner pre-pared by Moveable Feasts.

Over 100 volunteers are having fun putting theevening together along with strong support from lo-cal businesses that are providing sponsorship andsilent auction items. We all owe special thanks to ourtwo lead sponsors Union Trust and The First and tothe 50 other businesses that are helping us celebrate.If you would like to come to the party, volunteer tohelp or become a sponsor, please visit our website formore information.