August 25, 2022
By 2022 MCHT Richard G. Rockefeller Conservation Intern Vladimir Reed My name is Vladimir Reed, and I am a rising junior at Bowdoin College majoring in Classics. Visiting Mount Desert Island as a child gave me the unique opportunity to access some of the most beautiful places in Maine. Spending time on trails when I […]
August 23, 2022
Nature Bummin’ with MCHT Steward Kirk Gentalen I mean, they’re Red Crossbills. Loxia curvirostra. Where do we begin? Better yet, when do we begin? Full disclosure here (and I think we’ve had this conversation before) but when it comes to nature observing, birds tend to be the “first hook” when exploring a new […]
July 25, 2022
By 2022 MCHT Richard G. Rockefeller Conservation Intern Matthew Martin My name is Matthew Martin, and I am a Conservation Intern as a part of this year’s Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) Richard G. Rockefeller Conservation Internship program. This summer, the internship program has sent me to the forests, farms, foothills, and lakes of Norway, […]
July 14, 2022
By MCHT Land Steward Kirk Gentalen Written June 17, 2022 So maybe I got a little ahead on myself a couple of posts ago, or maybe I should have known better before announcing a “favorite” anything too quickly. I don’t know—maybe “favorites” should be viewed a fluid concept that changes depending on which way the […]
June 13, 2022
Nature Bummin’ with MCHT Steward Kirk Gentalen Nowadays, it seems like everyone is busy processing changes in the world. Changes in perspective, changes in knowledge and understanding—and not just changes happening in real time, but changes from the past, as well as changes that have implications for the future. Processing like this brings […]
May 1, 2022
Nature Bummin with MCHT steward, Kirk Gentalen So, here’s something both new and unexpected—I now have a favorite tree species. Crazy. I (the royal “I”) have played favorites with many individual trees over the years but having a species that I call my favorite is new for me. Playing favorites makes me a human, or […]
April 1, 2022
Nature Bummin with MCHT steward, Kirk Gentalen Written March 2021, published April 2022 In “nature-speak” there are many words for transition: molting, shedding, and metamorphosis come to mind right off the bat. These particular transitions occur on a somewhat regular basis (often with implications of life and death). Amphibians have to get metamorphosizing and “out […]
March 17, 2022
Nature Bummin’ with MCHT land steward, Kirk Gentalen The trick for most, if not all, nature observation comes down to tracking, as in tracking down a critter. If you hear a Northern Parula sing and follow the song to the singer on its perch, you’re tracking. If you follow the hyper-active flight path of a […]
March 1, 2022
By MCHT Land Steward Kirk Gentalen Written March 2021, published March 2022 When it comes to being outside there are a few mantras (for lack of better term) that I live by. One favorite is “whatever gets you out there.” This mantra is inspired by the happiness that comes from seeing people outside and active. […]
February 14, 2022
By MCHT Land Steward Kirk Gentalen Written February, 2021 And then, seemingly overnight, everything changed. Suddenly, the ice did not crack when I waddled (my regular walking gait) onto it. Suddenly, there were no bare patches of grass to be found, just a wide-open expanse of deep snow. Yes, the winter that was previously MIA […]
