Nature Lovers
The Abol was Hairball (Kinda)
MCHT Land Steward Kirk Gentalen heads inland for a mushroom-filled trip to the top of Mount Katahdin.
Creeks Were Made for Walking
MCHT land steward Kirk Gentalen explores his local creek one August day and finds a wide variety of cool critters.
Clocking Changes at Calderwood
MCHT land steward Kirk Gentalen has learned to love walking the same trails over and over again (it’s part of the gig). And Calderwood Island has been one of his favorite places to return to for all the changes that have occurred there over the past decade-plus.
Cute Don’t Cut It
MCHT land steward Kirk Gentalen thinks flowers are just fine. Even cooler are the critters they attract.
Plant Strategies for Survival
MCHT Land Steward Kirk Gentalen shares information about the survival strategies of several plants found in June in Maine—the pink lady slipper, the bunchberry, and the one-flowered cancer root.
The Friends of Oophila Amblystomatis
In his ongoing salamander egg studies, MCHT land steward Kirk Gentalen learns about the super special algae that turns salamander eggs green.
Alewives
Essay by Susan Hand Shetterly, part of the Voices from the Coast project to celebrate peoples’ deep connection to the Maine coast and MCHT’s 50 years of land conservation.
Staying Local
Rather than traveling far afield to spot wildlife this spring, Kirk is sticking to his hood for the greater good. But still, there’s plenty to see—from muskrats to woodpeckers to spotted salamander egg masses.
Spermatophores Ring in Spring
MCHT land steward Kirk Gentalen is on the lookout for the harbinger of mid-late early spring (yes that’s confusing) and finds it in spermatophores.
Early, Edible, Poisonous, Rare
Naturalist and land steward Kirk Gentalen reviews some of the questions he’s most commonly asked, including, “Is it early for [insert creature name]?”
Maine’s Native Roundleaf Sundew: A Profile
Essay and illustration by MCHT land steward Amanda Devine, part of the Voices from the Coast project to celebrate peoples’ deep connection to the Maine coast and MCHT’s 50 years of land conservation.
Learning with Kids – On Ice!
Kirk takes local fifth and sixth graders on an adventure to his favorite place—the marsh behind his house in St. George.
Tracking Animals at Erickson Fields
Bloody adventures from a winter tracking walk at Erickson Fields Preserve in Rockport.