 October 2025
Photo Above: The NASPD Conference was in West Virginia. Photo Below: Andy Cutko with BPL staff Matt Hamilton and Casey Smedberg at the NASPD conference.
As the Northeast’s representative to the Board of the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD), I was fortunate to attend, along with staffers Matthew Hamilton and Casey Smedberg, this year’s annual NASPD conference in Canaan Valley, West Virginia. With 47 states represented among the 300+ attendees, the conference provided a forum to share best practices, learn about emerging trends and challenges, and spend time networking outdoors in a scenic state park setting. I joined colleague Brandon Burris from Louisiana (with a big assist from NC State University and Aspira) to lead a session on NASPD’s Annual Information Exchange, which enables park systems across the country to compare data on visitation, funding, and staffing. I always return to Maine inspired by the possibilities of improving our parks for people and nature.
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Andy Cutko and Rodney Franklin of Texas State Parks and President of NASPD.
~ Andy Cutko, Director, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
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The Maine Conservation Corps (MCC) director's position attracted many highly qualified applicants. After a competitive interview, Christy Owen emerged as the top candidate, bringing extensive global experience and a passion for conservation and community engagement to Maine.
Owen is an accomplished program and grants manager with over 20 years of experience designing, leading, and advising federally funded international programs. Her career has focused on improved natural resource management, sustainable landscapes, and biodiversity conservation, particularly in response to challenges created by infrastructure development, climate change, and shifting economic opportunities.
Maine is fortunate to welcome Christy Owen as the new leader of the Maine Conservation Corps. Christy’s depth of experience and dedication to building partnerships and empowering young professionals make her well-suited to guide the MCC in its mission to protect Maine’s natural resources while inspiring the next generation of conservation leaders.
Before moving to Maine in July 2023, Owen spent twelve years in Bangkok, Thailand, where she managed a regional portfolio of activities centered on multi-stakeholder partnerships to reduce infrastructure development's social and environmental impacts. Her work also included leveraging the private sector for climate finance initiatives to reduce deforestation and protect critical landscapes.
Owen’s connection to Maine is a deeply personal one. Her love for the state began with childhood summers spent at her grandmother’s home on Lake Megunticook, where she returned annually before relocating permanently in 2023.
“I am honored to join the Maine Conservation Corps and continue its vital work of stewarding Maine’s lands and waters while creating meaningful opportunities for young people,” said Owen. “I believe strongly in the power of partnerships and locally led solutions, and I look forward to working with the MCC team and our many partners.”
About Maine Conservation Corps Established in 1983, MCC builds upon the Civilian Conservation Corps' legacy by engaging diverse individuals to address pressing conservation needs in Maine communities. Members develop in-demand skills and work experience while showcasing the power of service and civic engagement. MCC is part of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the DACF. Learn more.
~ Doug Beck, Bureau of Parks and Lands Grants & Community Recreation Program Manager
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Haley Johnson with her paintings at the Lock Dam Cabin in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
Haley Johnson, the 2025 AWW Artist in Residence, spent two weeks during August exploring the Allagash Wilderness Waterway while using the rustic Lock Dam Cabin as her basecamp. Her most memorable experiences were visiting Allagash Falls and paddling Eagle Lake, where she heard a dozen loons vocalizing and saw an immature moose, which inspired the enclosed moose painting.
During her stay, Haley immersed herself in nature and studied the many moods of the Waterway. She completed numerous plein air paintings, working quickly to capture the light, color, and the unique aspect or essence of the Allagash, which will inform her final paintings.
“The AWW Residency more than fulfilled my expectations!” exclaimed Haley, “It was an experience of a lifetime to have the time to immerse myself in nature and paint. I want to return to see more of the AWW and paint it in all the seasons.”
Haley recommends the Residency to artists who are comfortable with solitude in a remote wilderness setting, even if they invite the one allowed guest. They may not see people for days, other than the much-appreciated occasional visit or outing with an Allagash Ranger. She also says it is important to relax and take it all in, to reflect, to draw, photograph, and paint, and to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
To learn more about Haley and her art, visit her website: https://haleyajohnson.com/
To learn more about the Residency at the Lock Dam Cabin in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, visit the AWW Artist Residency page.
~ Mark Deroche, Superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway
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This Indigenous Peoples' Day take some time to learn about the history of the Wabanaki Nations.
Event:
Select Resources:
About the Photo: John Neptune, Lieutenant Governor (1767-1865). John Neptune was a Penobscot Representative to the Legislature in 1823, 1824, 1831, 1835, 1837, 1844, and 1861, and he was the Lieutenant Governor/Sub-Chief in 1847. Source: Maine State Archives and Maine State Museum.
~ Jocelyn Hubbell, Interpretive Specialist, BPL
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Bradbury Mountain State Park, Pownal, Maine
Camden Hills State Park, Camden, Maine
Range Pond State Park, Poland, Maine
Reid State Park, Georgetown, Maine
Leaf Peeping is taken seriously in Maine, and if you want to know where the Autumn colors are best check out these resources:
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Graduates, planning team and DACF leadership from left to right: Ron Hunt, Donna McGraw, Joshua Hastings, Russell Davidson, Erik Hallsey, Michael McShane, Cameron McIntosh, Bailey Clark, Aleksei Hamm, Walter O’Driscoll, Matthew Barrows, Anthony Romano, Alissa Lutz, Samantha Wilkinson, Theodore Hathaway, Eric Hurley, Keith Turdo, Kyle O’Neil, Daniel McCue, Haylee Parsons, Mark Deroche, Gary Best, Nancy McBrady.
Congratulations to the 2025 graduating class of the Maine State Parks Ranger Academy: Compliance and Enforcement!
Over the course of an intensive nine-day training, 17 of our Park Rangers and Park Managers strengthened their skills and knowledge to better serve and protect Maine’s natural and cultural resources, and the millions of visitors who enjoy them each year.
Training covered a wide range of focused topics, including:
- Verbal Judo
- Bureau of Parks and Lands compliance & enforcement policies, rules, and regulations
- Civil liability and 4th Amendment rights
- Issuance of summons, protecting a crime scene, and traffic control
- Defensive tactics, and chemical agent (OC spray) training
- Ethics and leadership
- Emergency response, and incident report writing
- domestic violence and diversity awareness
- Partnering with law enforcement agencies, Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, and Emergency Medical Services
- Over eight hours of scenario-based training to put learning into practice
This graduating class has demonstrated professionalism, dedication, and a commitment to protecting people, places, and resources across Maine. They are the next generation of leaders continuing the proud legacy of Maine State Park Rangers.
Please join us in celebrating their achievement!
~ Gary Best, Reginal Manager, Southern Parks
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The group stands with the results of a timber harvest completed in 2017 in the background. The harvest released established conifer regeneration to stimulate vigorous growth of these young trees. L to R: Shevenell Webb, MDIFW Furbearer Biologist, Taylor Merrill, BPL Recreation Ranger, Mandy Farrar, Seboomook Unit Forester, Sarah Spencer, MDIFW Parks & Lands Biologist, Juliana Berube USFWS Fish & Wildlife Biologist.
On September 24th, staff from BPL, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service visited the Seboomook Unit to view past and planned forest management with a focus on developing habitat for snowshoe hare, the preferred prey of Canada lynx in Maine. Forest management for this purpose is a science-based approach of establishing or releasing conifer-dominant regeneration to create dense stands of trees less than 35 feet tall.
~ Sarah Spencer, BPL Wildlife Biologist, CWB®, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
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Park entrance booth before and after renovation at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park.
The restroom building before and after replacement at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park.
Bus parking before and after renovation at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park.
Thanks to American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, we've seen dramatic improvements to the facilities at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park. In addition to the renovation of the entrance booth, replacement of the restroom building, and improved bus parking, the park's gravel road and edging has been greatly improved. I am thankful to Owen Blease, BPL's Director of Real Property Management, his team, and the construction crews who completed the work, and our park visitors for being understanding on the few days we had to close the park to allow completion of the projects.
~ Andy Hutchinson, Manager, Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park
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Send article suggestions or newsletter comments to Jocelyn Hubbell, Interpretive Specialist, webmaster, and newsletter editor for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.
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