Spring 2009
Permanent Protection for 601 Acres on Sears Island
A conservation easement held by Maine Coast Heritage Trust clearly defines future uses on two-thirds of Sears Island—a welcome change after decades of uncertainty. © Kevin Shields
Maine Coast Heritage Trust now holds a conservation easement on 601 acres of Sears Island, a prominent landmark the State owns in upper Penobscot Bay. Were delighted to help ensure permanent protection of two-thirds of this significant island, observes MCHT president Paul Gallay, and believe that neighboring communities will benefit greatly from this conservation success.
The future of Sears Island, the second largest undeveloped island along Maines coast, has been a source of controversy for nearly four decades. Intensive community planning and negotiations spanning several years led to a recent agreement that places 601 acres (with 3.65 miles of Penobscot Bay frontage) under a conservation easement that protects scenic values and wildlife habitat while securing continued public access for low-impact recreation, nature observation and education. The islands remaining 334 acres are available for potential transportation use (such as development of a cargo port).
The conserved part of Sears Island contains a diverse mix of marine and freshwater ecosystemsfrom beaches, coastal salt marshes, vernal pools and wetlands to forests, meadows and shrubs. Many species of wildlife rely on these habitats, including more than 160 bird species and several rare mammals and amphibians. Area residents and visitors have long enjoyed hunting on the island and clamming along its shores, as well as walking and skiing an extensive trail network.
A permanent Sears Island Advisory Council (still to be formed) will advise the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), the State authority charged with managing Sears Island. All management decisions on the conserved portion of the island must conform to guidelines set out in the conservation easement. The Trust, as the easement holder, will continue sharing its conservation expertise and oversight as the Council, MDOT and various community organizations begin offering varied recreational opportunities that respect the islands diverse ecosystems.
MCHT plans to host a guided hike on Sears Island this summer. Visit www.mcht.org/tours for details.
Presidents Column
Maine Coast Heritage Trusts Role in Protecting Sears Island
Maine Coast Heritage Trust had a front-row seat in the long and fascinating community planning process that successfully protected two-thirds of Sears Island in January. Toward the end, we took on a key role drafting and holding the conservation easement that secures the future of 601 beautiful acres fronting on Penobscot Bay.
© Kevin Shields
Through all the discussions of Sears Islands future, which have spanned decades, we at MCHT felt strongly that the State as landowner, the Maine Department of Transportation as primary manager, and community stakeholders should reach consensus on the islands future. We chose to serve the island planning process not by lobbying for a particular vision but by following discussions closely and providing land conservation expertise when asked.
We were impressed by how diligently first the Sears Island Planning Initiative and then the Joint Use Planning Committee (appointed by Governor Baldacci) worked to reconcile economic and environmental concerns. With their encouragement, local communities like Searsport were deeply engaged in the planning (and, not surprisingly, were happy with the final result).
The protection of two-thirds of Sears Island marks the culmination of countless hours of work contributed by many partners who had to be creative, accommodating and adaptable.
Those community discussions led to an agreement that will preserve the scenic and ecological values of two-thirds of the island for low-impact public recreation and environmental education while reserving the remaining third for potential development as a cargo port (pending environmental impact reviews and permits). The Committee needed to delineate these two areas and find some means to ensure that the natural portion would remain unspoiled through time. A conservation easement, they decided, would provide the best long-term assurance that all those involved in the islands future management would operate from a shared vision.
After the Committee put out a call for qualified easement holders, it became clear that MCHT was uniquely qualified to draft and hold the Sears Island easement. But we needed to weigh the potential complications of overseeing a conservation easement on lands that might someday border a large-scale commercial operation. After careful deliberation, we concluded that the high natural values of the preserved area could be sustained in that context. We offered to draft and hold the easement, and the Committee selected us for this role. MCHT project manager Ciona Ulbrich worked diligently with Committee members to complete an easement that fulfilled their conservation goals and met MCHT standards.
The protection of two-thirds of Sears Island marks the culmination of countless hours of work contributed by many partners who had to be creative, accommodating and adaptable. All of us at MCHT appreciate the persistence of those who worked for so long to achieve this success, and we look forward to being an ongoing partner in caring for Sears Island.
The western shore of MCHT’s Stave Island Preserve, shown here, now incorporates 25 additional acres at the southernmost end—thanks to a generous land gift.
Land Gift Preserves Key Portion of Stave Island
For more than a dozen years, MCHT has worked with cooperative landowners to preserve the natural integrity of Stave Island, a remarkably unspoiled 500-acre expanse east of Mount Desert Island. Two conservation easements held by MCHT protect 330 acres of the island, another easement protects 42 acres, and nowthanks to a generous land giftMCHTs own preserve on the island has expanded to 105 acres. Wendy Gamble and her family recently donated to MCHT 25 acres on the islands southwestern point, including a half-mile of bold frontage overlooking Frenchman Bay.
Wendy Gamble purchased this shorefront parcel in 1988 with the idea of a possible building there someday, but over time she came to feel that any construction would have been so prominent. My husband and I felt a strong commitment to preserve the beauty of the area and so decided to explore options for long-term protection. After 20 years of careful stewardship and with the blessing of her children, Gamble recently gave the entire parcel to MCHT so that its exceptional scenic and ecological qualities would be preserved in perpetuity. Knowing what others had already done to conserve Stave, she reflects, we wanted to add what we could to that effort.
Thanks to the cooperation of Wendy Gamble and other Stave Island landowners, more than 95 percent of the island is now permanently protected. MCHT plans to complete a natural resources inventory on its newly expanded Stave Island Preserve this summer.
Aldermere Farm Engages Community Youth
Aldermere Farm, MCHTs working farm in Rockport, anticipates running more outreach programs this year than ever before, with six ongoing programs and many half-day opportunities for young people and families to learn about conservation and sustainable agriculture. Last year, Aldermere Farm staff connected with more than 1,100 local youth through on-site programs and events in the community.
Two or three days a week through-out the school year, youth from Knox and Waldo counties participate in six-week Farm Hands programs that allows them to help halter-train calves, and learn about farming as a way of life. Students who have been through Farm Hands and want more farm time often join the Aldermere Achievers 4-H Club, a year-long commitment that immerses students in farm work and caring for animals. The long hours that youth spent last year were evident when they attended fairs with the cattle they had trained: out of 30 youth handlers at the Eastern States Exposition, for example, the second-, third- and fourth-place awards for showmanship went to Aldermere 4-H club members.
Among the many popular family events happening on the farm this year is Calf Unveiling Day on May 9 (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.): visit www.aldermere.org for details on other Aldermere events as the season unfolds.
MCHT Preserve Tours: More Choices than Ever
Maine Coast Heritage Trust is offering upwards of 40 field trips during 2009 so that more people can experience the wonder of our preserves. Each of these trips will be guided by one or more Trust staff members with detailed knowledge of that preserve. Advance registration is not required, and most trips are free (although a few boat trips with transportation provided do have a fee). Unless otherwise noted, most trips are 2 3 hours in length.
More detailed descriptions are available on our Trips & Events page, along with information on where to meet, items to bring, and weather cancellations. If you have additional questions, please call Peg Adams, Stewardship Assistant, Monday through Friday at 207-729-7366, ext. 117. For last minute cancellation information, call 1-207-798-5590, ext 201.
Stewardship: All in a Days Work
On warm spring days after a long winter, its easy to think that stewardship staff members at Maine Coast Heritage Trust have enviable jobs. After all, arent they outdoors much of the time on gorgeous preservessoaking up the sun as they add a trail sign here or clip a few branches there? This idyllic vision erodes quickly when regional stewards describe the array of challenges they facefrom routine hindrances like uncooperative tides and weather to unforeseen situations that truly test their mettle. The following anecdotes portray the wildly unpredictable nature of stewardship work.
- Returning from a workday on Marshall Island, three MCHT staff members were aboard the Peggy (one of the Trusts stewardship boats), with regional steward Terry Towne at the helm. Suddenly, Towne observed flames inside the engine cover. He reached instantly for the fire extinguisher and sprayed inside the cover putting out the flame before the manifold of the gas engine ignited. The air was none too fresh after the fire-quelling chemicals hit the hot manifold, but the engine kept working and brought everyone safely to shore. * Terry Towne now faces another challenge with bad airthis time from a 5-ton rotting whale carcass lying just 15 feet from an oceanside trail on MCHTs Frenchboro Preserve. * After months of advance planning by regional steward Melissa Lee, a crew of Maine Conservation Corps volunteers arrived at MCHTs Western Head Preserve, ready to build a rock retaining wall. Torrential rains arrived as well and continued the entire week of their stay. Crew members worked in a slurry of mud all day, and camped in wet tents each nightrising to don the wet, muddy clothes they had worn the day before. Yet Lee reports they sustained good spirits throughout the week. * Regional steward Doug McMullin had just begun work with MCHT when the 2006 Patriot’s Day storm hit the Witherle Woods Preserve with a vengeance, downing more than 100 trees. Parts of the Preserve looked like pick-up sticksonly the sticks were up to two feet in diameter, McMullin recalls. I had work experience on a forestry crewwhich had come up at the interview, he says, but none of us realized how much we’d be drawing on those skills! Fortunately, staff and community members created a plan to remove a lot of the downed trees with heavy equipmentgreatly reducing a potential fire hazard and opening up areas for regeneration. It was a great example of working with what nature throws at you, said McMullin. * Aldermere Farm, the Trusts saltwater farm in Rockport, is a popular spot for passersby to stop and photograph the Belted Galloway cattle and scenic vistas. One afternoon, cameras turned toward a different focal point: a woman posing naked in one of the pastures! Farm staff diplomati-cally ended that photo shoot but had greater difficultyanother dayseparating two sparring 2,000-pound bulls that were destroying nearby fencing and threatening to harm each other. Two shovel handles were broken in an effort to intercede, but the bulls never even noticed.
Staff News
Two longtime staff members who left Maine Coast Heritage Trust this past winter will be sorely missed. Chris Fichtel, a project manager in southern Maine, moved to Nevada where his wife Nancy will be working for the local chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Chris was instrumental in helping the Trust with conservation and whole place planning efforts, particularly along the downeast coast. He plans to continue work in the conservation field out west, and will enjoy exploring the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Jonathan Labaree left work at MCHT after 11 years here, initially as a project manager in the midcoast, and subsequently as manager of the Campaign for the Coast and as Development Director. Jonathans dedication to the Trusts mission, expertise with computers and personable manner made him an indispensable member of the organizationhelping keep MCHT on solid footing through many transitions. Jonathan now works for the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, leading an innovative program to help fishermen gain more control of resource management by establishing federally approved harvesting sectors. MCHTs staff and board members extend heartfelt appreciation and best wishes to Jonathan and Chris in their new endeavors.
MCHT welcomes a new Regional Steward who will care for easements and preserves on Mount Desert Island, Billy Helprin, a long-time resident of Bass Harbor. Trained as a wildlife biologist, Billy has been active in local schools and a volunteer for the Trust over the past three years.
