Maine Heritage: Spring 2008

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MCHT Conserves 1,500 Acres along Bold Coast

Maine Coast Heritage Trust recently used an array of creative approaches to protect four key parcels that lie at the heart of the Bold Coast, including the largest property in single ownership that remained unprotected along this dramatic and diverse shoreline. Thanks to conservation-minded landowners and generous foundation support, MCHT secured more than 1,500 acres including grasslands, blueberry barrens and shorefrontage. The newly protected lands encompass most of the Bog Brook watershed and nearly two miles of coastline that lie between the State’s 12,000-acre Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land and MCHT’s existing preserve at Moose Cove.

The 900-acre Bog Brook Cove Farm property encompasses tremendous biological diversity. A long, cobble beach spans the Cove, framed by forested headlands and decorated by graceful, wave-sculpted volcanic formations. Just up from the Cove, 10-acre Norse Pond offers high-value habitat to wood ducks and American black ducks. The upland portions of the property hold a mix of wet meadows, grasslands, birch-aspen woods, and spruce-fir forest. Consulting ecologist Norm Famous described the grasslands here as “the second highest quality grassland barren of its type in the lower 48 states.” Around 90 acres of upland are in active blueberry production, helping support the local economy and providing habitat for marsh hawks, northern harriers and savannah sparrows.

For more than 20 years, local conservationists have hoped to secure the future of Bog Brook Cove Farm. “These lands have always ranked high in our local list of priorities, and have been recognized by State programs—like Land for Maine’s Future and the Natural Areas Program—for their exceptional conservation values,” notes Alan Brooks, Executive Director of Quoddy Regional Land Trust. To protect this valuable setting, MCHT worked with eight landowners and drew on a wide array of techniques to stretch conservation dollars.

In that process, the Trust received help from Greg and Catharine Moser—who acted as conservation buyers to purchase 82 acres on and around Stone Hill, the highest promontory in the area, saving it from fragmentation into house lots. This wildlife-rich property encompasses the upper reaches of Bog Brook, and supports rare communities of blue-joint grass meadows and yellow rails—a bird seldom seen in Maine. MCHT now holds an easement on the Mosers’ land that provides for public access to the hill (and allows for a future trail to the State’s Reserve Unit). In September, MCHT purchased a 500-acre parcel adjoining Stone Hill that will further protect sensitive habitat and buffer Bog Brook and Rice Brook, both of which contain healthy populations of native brook trout.

Trust staff then worked with landowners at Moose Cove on a creative land-for-structures swap to conserve additional undeveloped shoreline. “While largely undeveloped, Bog Brook Cove Farm does have some residential structures on it,” explains MCHT Project Manager Patrick Watson. “Knowing that landowners at nearby Moose Cove were planning to build a waterfront home abutting our preserve there, we asked if they would consider swapping their undeveloped 50 shorefront acres for the clustered compound of buildings already at Bog Brook Cove.” That way, the buildings at Bog Brook Cove Farm would remain in private ownership and on local tax rolls. In February, that swap was completed, preventing further development along 3,700 feet of Moose Cove (where MCHT had preserved 75 acres of raised coastal peat bog in 2005). The Trust retains a conservation easement on the Bog Brook Cove homestead area and a right of first refusal should the new owners ever want to sell it.

The four newly protected parcels help create a contiguous wildlife corridor of more than 8 miles and 13,500 acres, stretching from the Bureau of Parks and Lands’ Cutler Coast Unit to MCHT’s preserve at Moose Cove. By linking existing conserved lands, these four new acquisitions will greatly expand wildlife habitat—particularly for wide-ranging mammals such as black bear, bobcat and fisher.

Potential for future trail linkages enhances the high recreational value of the newly conserved lands. Washington County is one of three regions in Maine participating in a statewide initiative to foster nature-based tourism, drawing visitors for low-impact outdoor experiences. “The Bold Coast has a lot to offer those who enjoy hiking, wildlife-watching and spectacular scenery,” notes Judy East of the Washington County Council of Governments, who co-chairs the Vacationland Resources Committee that is promoting sustainable tourism in the area. “We’re delighted that Maine Coast Heritage Trust is making more natural destinations accessible to the public, protecting lands that can help support our regional economy.”

Fundraising efforts for this ambitious project are ongoing, and the Trust is relying on gifts both large and small. In addition to receiving support from foundations, MCHT has submitted a proposal to the Land for Maine’s Future Program and is reaching out to Trust members. To make a contribution or to learn more, please contact Warren Whitney, MCHT’s Associate Director of Development, at 207-729-7366 (or wwhitney@mcht.org).

From MCHT’s Board Chair: Persistence and Creativity Downeast

Twenty years after MCHT first saved several key peninsulas along the Bold Coast from the prospect of 30-lot subdivisions, it has conserved another key stretch of this remarkable shoreline. There’s a wonderful symmetry in having this latest milestone fall on the 20th anniversary of the Trust’s first commitment to Bold Coast preservation. But looking at the cumulative map of conservation achievements downeast, what strikes me is how much steady progress occurred without fanfare during the intervening decades.

What this map cannot capture is the fullness of each project story—such as the incredible generosity of the private landowners who donated easements and land or who offered MCHT key parcels at a fraction of their market value. The Bold Coast might look very different today were it not for the vision and conservation ethic of landowners like Ernst Martin, Charles and Madeline Lookabaugh, Gordon and Ruth Corbett, and the Bohlen, Pike and McGhie families.

Foundations and public funders also have been powerful allies in sustaining the exceptional conservation values of this region. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation loaned MCHT the money it needed—in short order—to secure Boot, Western and Great Heads back in 1988. The next year, the Richard King Mellon Foundation helped fund a significant purchase by The Conservation Fund encompassing 2,100 acres and 4 miles of wild shoreline, along with 8,900 acres of woodlands and rare grasslands (all of which later became part of the State’s Cutler Coast Reserve). The Land for Maine’s Future Program played a critical role in helping fund that major acquisition. Sweet Water Trust later assisted MCHT in purchasing shorefront land now incorporated into the Hamilton Cove Preserve.

MCHT has a number of grant proposals pending for its work at Bog Brook Cove Farm and gratefully received generous contributions late last year from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts through its Northeast Land Trust Consortium. We look forward to updating you further on support for this work in future issues of Maine Heritage.

While the map and photos shown here convey some of the vast scope and grandeur of the Bold Coast, these two-dimensional views don’t begin to do justice to the place. If you haven’t yet ventured east of Machias, I urge you to go see this remarkable landscape for yourself. When I visited there last summer, it gave me an even greater appreciation for the 20 years of steady effort that has gone into sustaining this exceptional corner of Maine.

Caring for Conserved Lands: MCHT’s Regional Land Stewards Part II

To assist in caring for its 75 preserves and 183 conservation easements, Maine Coast Heritage Trust now has six regional land stewards. Two were profiled in the last Maine Heritage: the other four are introduced here.

Kirk Gentalen, Vinalhaven

Kirk Gentalen works on Vinalhaven and North Haven as MCHT’s part-time land steward—maintaining trails, monitoring conservation easements, working on management plans, conducting wildlife surveys and doing educational outreach (relying on 15 years of experience as an environmental educator). He also does stewardship work for Vinalhaven Land Trust so MCHT’s work with the local trust is well integrated. “When I came to Vinalhaven four years ago, I didn’t expect much in the way of open space,” Kirk observes. “What is here in terms of natural areas is truly awesome.” Last year, he studied a 255-acre property on the Basin that had recently been given to MCHT and found 33 species of breeding birds!

Doug McMullin, Penobscot Bay Region

Nearly all the skills Doug McMullin picked up in a diverse assortment of former jobs—as a climbing guide, windjammer crew member, outdoor educator, and commercial pilot—inform his work caring for preserves and easements around Penobscot Bay and Deer Isle. Doug takes delight in what he calls the “fantastic diversity” and dynamic nature of stewardship work, which has “no task that isn’t interesting to me.” His position involves a great deal of travel on and offshore, and frequent interactions with preserve visitors, easement grantors and community members.

Terry Towne, Mount Desert Island and Vicinity

Having grown up along the intracoastal canal in Florida, Terry Towne has always felt at home on the water. His work for MCHT has him offshore a great deal—traveling to and from Marshall Island, Frenchboro and Tinker Island. Terry holds a captain’s license and knows the local waters well, having worked formerly as a lobsterman and scallop diver. His previous experiences as a code enforcement officer and construction worker come in handy as well during trail building and improvement projects. Terry says he likes “making these places available to people and seeing the enjoyment they get out of being there.”

Melissa Lee, Downeast

Melissa Lee began her part-time position on Washington County preserves 10 years ago, making her MCHT’s first regional steward. Her job responsibilities keep growing: just in the past year, the acreage she’s responsible for more than doubled. Melissa loves her “fantasy job,” saying “it’s always been such a privilege to care for these properties that are part of my neighborhood.” Her strong background in natural history informs both her preserve management and community outreach (e.g., Melissa runs an elementary school outing club that gets children out to area preserves for snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking and rock-climbing). Recently, she helped MCHT’s stewardship team assess the “carrying capacity” of its preserves—a topic we’ll cover in the next Maine Heritage.

Volunteers Needed

In our Topsham office, we are seeking a person to help answer phones on Monday mornings, and volunteers willing to help with occasional mailings and administrative tasks. Our Somesville office needs volunteers to periodically answer phones and help staff when the office manager is away. There are also long-term projects that would benefit from the attention of a few focused volunteers (who could schedule work at their convenience).

To volunteer in Topsham, call 729-7366 and speak with Donna Bissett or Celeste Black. If you'd like to help out in Somesville, contact Heidi Smallidge at 244-5100.

Maine Land Conservation Conference

“Conservation and Communities”; May 2 and 3 in Brunswick

This year, MCHT's annual conference offers an array of speakers, trips and workshops: for details, please visit www.mcht.org. Conference highlights include:

Sustainable Communities, Meaningful Lives, a keynote talk by writer, naturalist and activist Janisse Ray (author of the Ecology of a Cracker Childhood);
A Friday afternoon field trip to the Lower Kennebec Regional Land Trust’s 125-acre Merrymeeting Fields preserve—which offers great birdwatching opportunities and impressive water views;
Thirty-five informative workshops on Friday and Saturday, providing all levels of guidance on topics related to organizational management, stewardship, development, mapping and collaboration;
Two “idea forums” for brainstorming new techniques, funding mechanisms and partnerships within Maine’s land trust community; and
A Friday evening reception at Brunswick’s Frontier Café, with short conservation films and a photography exhibit of works by area schoolchildren.