Ecology & Wildlife
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.
Join In On #BillionsofFish Fun!
Mainers, it’s alewife time! Head to your local alewife stream and snap some wildlife pictures for Facebook and Instagram. Tag your photos #BillionsofFish to enter to win prizes from MCHT and partner organizations.
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.
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.
Spring Tide
A poem by Nancy Nielsen, 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.
Tracking Animals at Erickson Fields
Bloody adventures from a winter tracking walk at Erickson Fields Preserve in Rockport.
Marsh Revisited
MCHT Land Steward Kirk Gentalen pays a visit to his local marsh in February and finds some pretty cool creatures, including a beaver and a water boatman (that’s an aquatic insect).
Ice-fishing Spiders
How’s this for a headscratcher: hundreds of Six-spotted Fishing Spiders making their way across the ice in January? Kirk has more.
Fighting Distraction During the Christmas Bird Count
MCHT land steward Kirk Gentalen takes part in the Christmas Bird Count and, as always, resists the temptation to track mammals.
Nature Never Stops
Has anyone else noticed it’s been a winterberry fall? Not sure what that means? Kirk will tell you.
Corals, Tongues, and Jellies
Forever on the search for cool mushrooms, MCHT land steward Kirk Gentalen gives “fall colors” a whole new meaning.