 August 2025
BPL/IFW Wildlife Biologist Sarah Spencer discusses habitat management with GIS Specialist James Turner and Forester Nick McDougal.
For those who think land management is just about grading roads, harvesting wood, and marking property boundaries, I have some news: it’s way more complicated than that! I got a good taste of some of those complexities earlier this summer when I joined our Public Lands forestry and wildlife staff at the 41,000+ acre Seboomook Unit northwest of Moosehead Lake. The Unit includes extensive Deer Wintering Areas and a Habitat Management Area for Canada lynx, a Federally Threatened species. White-tailed deer prefer mature softwood (evergreen) forest for winter cover, and lynx like much younger forest – dense, regenerating softwood patches that are the preferred habitat of lynx’s main prey, the snowshoe hare. While these alternate conditions can’t exist on the same acre simultaneously, sound management will allow them to shift across the landscape as forests grow, effectively accommodating each species in space and time. As a result, managing habitat for deer and lynx is like a game of chess - you need to keep many options on the table, and remain nimble in the face of changing conditions, to ensure success.
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BPL staff assess culvert replacement needs on the Seboomook Unit.
In addition to discussing challenging wildlife issues, our team looked at an old, marginally functional pair of culverts that connect the Penobscot River to a large wetland complex. When the Penobscot floods every spring, the culverts not only impede water, but they also flood our road. We’re pursuing grants and other funding mechanisms to bridge the span, improve fish passage, and extend the life of the road that provides crucial recreational access.
Juggling all these variables can be daunting (there’s a reason most forestry and wildlife professionals have college degrees), and I’m thankful for the expertise of Public Lands staff, who are always up to the task!
~ Andy Cutko, Director, Maine
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Welcome Adam Fisher to the Bureau of Parks and Lands – Grants and Community Recreation Program to lead the implementation of the Maine Trails Program. The Maine Trails Program is Maine’s new bond funded $30 million dollar trail grant program voted into existence last November. This program will fund the acquisition, development and or renovation of all types of trails, trailheads and trailside amenities. With grant applications due on September 26th, for the first round of $7.5 million, Adam has arrived just in time!
Adam takes on this lead role with a background in trail work, geomorphology, and federal program management. Originally from Southeast Alaska, Adam has connected to nature through hiking, trail building, and kayaking. He earned his B.S. and M.S. in Watershed Science from Utah State University, studying landscape erosion in Northern California. He comes to us from the Region 2 Environmental Protection Agency where he coordinated the Clean Water Act 303(d) and helped states, territories, and tribal nations assess water resources. Out of work, you can find Adam running on his favorite trails, hunting for carnivorous plants in peat bogs, or tending to his vegetable garden.
~ Doug Beck, Outdoor Recreation Program Manager
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The Colburn House State Historic Site archaeology survey in progress.
The Bureau of Parks and Lands recently contracted archaeologists to conduct an archaeological survey at the Colburn House State Historic Site. As a requirement of the Semi-quincentennial grant awarded by the National Park Service, this survey was used to help determine the absence or presence of any artifacts that may be located on the grounds prior to the replacement of the house foundation, and any further construction.
Approximately 16 shovel test pits were dug around the house, and a wide variety of artifacts were found in the process. These ranged from examples of Jackfield ware pottery and porcelain dating back to the 18th century (just before or shortly after the house was built), to pre-contact pieces and early examples of hand forged glass bottles. There were also some modern artifacts found, such as a piece of a broken record and roof shingles that likely came off of the house during repairs made in the 20th century.
As the Historic Site Specialist, I am always learning about the sites I work with. This survey is particularly unique, as it provided me with a deeper understanding of the property itself and the history that remains on its grounds. The survey also gave me the opportunity to step back in time and physically interact with once ordinary objects that are now significant pieces of history, compared to simply reading about them in a book.
Built in 1765, the house was not sold outside of the family until the 1940s. My concluding thoughts are that it is quite honorable to be the first person holding something that can be up to 250 years old or more, and was likely last held by the Colburn family themselves!
~ Christina Bear, BPL Historic Site Specialist
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Photo above: Community Tree Stewards Cam Scharff and Emma Hovencamp move logs during an invasive species event to mitigate bittersweet and multiflora rose at Viles Arboretum. Photo below: MCC Individual Placement Program Manager Deidrah Stanchfield and Community Tree Steward Matt Galvin discuss the tree species selection process for the City of Portland Bayside Neighborhood plantings
Maine Conservation Corps Community Tree Stewards have been busy since starting in January! So far they have accomplished the following:
- 80 shade trees planted
- 88 fruit and nut trees planted
- 100 seedlings/saplings planted
- 264 trees pruned
- 9 trees removed
- 426 trees cared for
- 49 trees given away
- 3812 tree sites inventoried
Six AmeriCorps members have jumped into their communities, and serve Oxford County, Lewiston, Ellsworth, Portland, East Machias, Skowhegan, and the surrounding areas. They are recruited by Maine Conservation Corps and selected by the Host Sites to accomplish forestry projects in underserved communities.
This project is funded by the US Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program.
Want to learn more? Join us on Tuesday, September 9 at 2:00 p.m. for a virtual meeting with more details. Register Here.
~ Deidrah Stanchfield, MCC Program Manager for Individual Placements
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Wabanaki storytellers, historians, language keepers, writers, dancers, and singers will share their expertise during three programs in August through the grant-funded Wabanaki Voices: Their Stories, Their Art project. The project aims to provide the opportunity and support for the Wabanaki to tell their own history on Bureau-stewarded lands through programs and interpretive materials.
Please join them for the programs listed below. Be sure to bring a lawn chair or blanket and a picnic with you. All ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Friday, August 1, 6:00 - 9:30 p.m. at Camden Hills State Park featuring:
- Dr. Dwayne Tomah—Passamaquoddy language keeper
- Lauren Stevens—Passamaquoddy singer & writer/poet
- Isaac Syliboy—Mi’kmaq & Passamaquoddy dancer & singer
- Richard Silliboy—Mi’kmaq basket maker
- Jan Paul—Penobscot storyteller & education specialist
Saturday, August 2, Noon - 2:00 p.m. at Lily Bay State Park featuring:
- John Bear Mitchell—Penobscot storyteller and teacher
- Sherri Mitchell—Penobscot lawyer, author, teacher and activist
Friday August 8, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Moose Point State Park featuring:
Maria Girouard—Penobscot Artist and Historian
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This fun-filled day includes horse carriage rides, mountain bike demos and rides, guided hikes, games and activities, an appearance by Smokey Bear, Maine Search & Rescue Dogs, outdoor organization activity and information booths. The Hold My Cone Ice Cream truck will be on site and the Lincolnville Fire Department will be selling burgers and hot dogs.
~ Charlene "Sunshine" Hood, Manager, Camden Hills State Park
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Camden Hills State Park, Camden, Maine
- August 1, 2025 : Wabanaki Voices-Their Stories, Their Art
- August 2, 2025 : Junior Ranger Program
- August 2, 2025 : Hike With the Ranger to Ocean Lookout
- August 3, 2025 : Owl Prowl
- August 8, 2025 : Bird Walk
- August 9, 2025 : Full Moon Observation on Mt. Battie
- August 9, 2025 : Junior Ranger Program
- August 9, 2025 : Hike With the Ranger--Nature Trail to Mt. Battie
- August 10, 2025 : Owl Prowl
- August 16, 2025 : Outdoor Adventure Day
- August 22, 2025 : Looking for Sasquatch
- August 22, 2025 : Bird Walk
- August 23, 2025 : Junior Ranger Program
- August 23, 2025 : Hike With the Ranger to Ocean Lookout
- August 30, 2025 : Junior Ranger Program
- August 30, 2025 : Hike With the Ranger-Nature Trail to Mt. Battie
Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site, New Harbor, Maine
Please note: Both the Movie Night and Castlebay programs will be held at the Pemaquid Point Learning Center, Pemaquid Lighthouse Park: 3115 Bristol Road, New Harbor 04554
Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park, Brooksville, Maine
Lily Bay State Park, Beaver Cove, Maine
Moose Point State Park, On US Route 1 between Belfast and Searsport, Maine
Mount Blue State Park, Weld, Maine
- August 1, 2025 : Nature at Nightfall
- August 2, 2025 : Junior Ranger Program
- August 3, 2025 : Fishing at the Beach
- August 8, 2025 : Nature at Nightfall
- August 9, 2025 : Junior Ranger Program
- August 10, 2025 : Fishing at the Beach
- August 15, 2025 : Nature at Nightfall
- August 16, 2025 : Junior Ranger Program
- August 22, 2025 : Nature at Nightfall
- August 23, 2025 : Junior Ranger Program
Range Pond State Park, Poland Springs, Maine
Reid State Park, Georgetown, Maine
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Above: University of Maine at Augusta Senior College stand by a Brecca outcrop during their geology fieldtrip to Birch Point and Owls Head State Parks. All photos courtesy of Louis Fontaine, Instructor and Chair, UMA Senior College. Below: Students in front of a basalt cliff.
UMA Senior College students held two field trips visiting Birch Point and Owls Head State Parks as part of an eight week “Rocks and Walks” geology course which introduces students to the bedrock geology of Maine. UMA Senior College is an all-volunteer organization designed to offer lifelong learning opportunities to senior citizens on a wide variety of topics and is affiliated with University of Maine at Augusta.
Birch Point and Owls Head are examples of some of the geologic events that formed the bedrock of the State of Maine. At Birch Point, the class examined many features of the 412 million year old granodiorite bedrock (a rock similar to granite) and it’s many cross-cutting veins and dikes. At Owls Head Lighthouse Park, students viewed the remnants of an ancient arc-island volcano that formed between 480 and 560 million years ago. The class examined the basalt cliffs left by the volcano. Along the shoreline of the beach students looked at outcrops of volcanic tuffs (solidified ash), volcanic breccia (angular rock fragments cemented together) and rhyolite dikes.
UMA Senior College appreciates the opportunities that the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands offers for public access to unique geologic environments.
~ Louis Fontaine, Chair, UMA Senior College, and Cheryl Fontaine, Hydrogeologist
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