Please join me in welcoming Madelyn Johnson, the bureau?s new Office Associate II Manager Supervisor (Park Reservations Supervisor) in the Bureau of Parks and Lands.

Madelyn (Maddy) graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, receiving a Bachelor of Science, Tourism & Hospitality degree in May of 2023. She has served in the Parks Reservation Division for the last four summers as a Customer Service Representative, as well as serving as a Front Desk Agent at Cliff House in Cape Neddick, Maine and as a Merchandising Representative at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Maddy has shown her excellent customer service skills repeatedly while serving in all positions that she has held in both the private sector and in Maine state service. We all look forward to April 1 when she will assume her duties.

~ Ron Hunt, Director of Operations

Alissa grew up in Plymouth, MA, and credits her father for her love of the outdoors. He shared his outdoor skills and passion for the outdoors on family hiking and camping trips.

Her own passion deepened through experiences as a volunteer with Mass Audubon?s diamondback terrapin project to monitor hatchlings and then with the New England Aquarium?s stranded sea turtle project. Alissa then knew that she wanted to be of service and work outdoors. She attained two college degrees, first a B.A. in Crime & Justice Studies from U-Mass Dartmouth, then a B.S. in Conservation Law Enforcement on a wildlife track at U-Maine Fort Kent.

In 2018, Alissa interned at the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW); in 2019, she was hired as a Waterway Ranger and served in that capacity until this year. Though AWW Superintendent Mark Deroche is sad to see her leave the Waterway, he cheers on her advancement to Manager of Lamoine State Park, saying, ?Alissa is so reliable and talented, she can do anything!? When asked what her career with BPL has meant to her so far, Alissa said, ?Working in parks has shaped the woman I am today. I learned how to fly fish and hunt on and around the Waterway, two passions that make me who I am, learning another way of respecting the outdoors and its inhabitants. Working in parks made me push myself, want to learn all that I could, help anything and anyone. It truly changed who I am as a person, and it continues every day, and for that, I am so grateful. I am proud of who I have become through the Maine State Park system.? Alissa looks forward to managing Lamoine State Park, getting to know the returning seasonal staff, and building relationships with the community. And she is very happy to be near the ocean once more!

We are very fortunate to have her at Lamoine State Park! Congratulations Alissa!

~ Matthew Hamilton, Northern Regional State Park Manager

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In March, nine Field Team Leaders joined the Maine Conservation Corps (MCC). For the next 12 weeks, these AmeriCorps members will be immersed in training to prepare them to lead and accomplish recreational trail and habitat restoration projects during the field season. Leaders will engage in a wide range of in-house curricula as well as certifications and training from professionals on topics such as Nonviolent Communication, Chainsaw Operation, Wilderness First Aid, and technical Stonework. Over half of the pre-season training is rooted in hands-on service learning at sites in North Haven, Kennebec Highlands Public Lands, and Tumbledown Mountain. Beyond the hard and soft skills developed, leaders cement a sense of community and camaraderie unmatched in a traditional work setting. MCC extends a warm welcome to the leaders and thanks them for their dedication to improving Maine's outdoor spaces and fostering the success of their members this year and beyond.

Moreover, MCC welcomed the first Community Tree Steward of 2024, Matt Galvin. The Community Tree Steward program is a multi-year project funded by the US Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program, in collaboration with the Maine Forest Service. Matt will spend his initial weeks in training with MCC before transitioning to his service site with the City of Portland. There, Matt will collaborate with city personnel and community groups to lead urban forestry management projects at a municipal scale. Key objectives include strategically increasing the tree canopy in less forested neighborhoods through plantings and developing a forest pest management plan to address Emerald Ash Borer infestations. Additionally, Matt will serve as a community liaison, sharing knowledge of tree biology and health within an urban environment to increase local awareness.

These latest additions to the corps only bolster the ongoing service of eight AmeriCorps Environmental Stewards who began terms in January. These members monitor vital ecosystems, lead volunteer events, provide environmental education, and improve public spaces. The skills and experiences of this talented group are already increasing the capacity and reach of programming at the City of Hallowell, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, and Viles Arboretum in Augusta.

MCC is just getting started! Throughout 2024 the corps will welcome over 70 more members. Check out and share current service opportunities on the MCC website.

~ Sara Knowles, Maine Conservation Corps Director

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Each year beginning on April 1, all pets (including dogs, and horses), bikes, and kite flying are not allowed on the State Park Beaches in order to protect federally endangered nesting shore birds. Pets, bikes and kite flying will be welcomed back onto the beach October 1, 2024.

Thank you for helping us protect shorebirds and the dune habitat they rely on.

(Photo of Piping Plover adult and chick by Amanda Reed, courtesy of Maine Audubon.)

~ The Piping Plovers ~ PS - don't miss the Plover Program on April 25! See Below.

Both days include bird watching walks, crafts and activities for children, nature hikes, a drawing birds workshop, educational displays, and a live bird presentation: Maine's native owls on Saturday and Birds of Prey on Sunday. View the complete schedule.

On Saturday, April 27 the events are held at Bradbury Mt. State Park in Pownal. Don't miss the hawk watch - you can hike up any time between 9 AM and 5 PM to learn from a? raptor biologist as they identify and count all raptors and vultures that fly past the mountain.?

On Sunday, April 28 the events are held at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park in Freeport. Don't miss the osprey watch - you can stop in by the overlook any time between 10 AM and 3 PM to view osprey through a spotting scope and learn about them from park staff.

For all the details visit www.maine.gov/feathersoverfreeport?

Osprey photo by Jim Knox.

ATV Grants

The ATV Program provides two kinds of grants:

Club Grants

• Available to ATV Clubs registered with the Bureau of Parks and Public Lands ATV Program.
• Grant money is to help defray the cost of ATV trail development and maintenance expenses.
• Application deadline is July 1. Grant information is available on the ATV Club Grant webpage. The application will be available online during the first week of April.

Municipal Grants

• Available to municipalities for sharing the cost of ATV trail development and maintenance.
• Local matching money from the town, city or county must be available.
• Application deadline is May 30. The application and all information is available on the ATV Municipal Grant webpage.

Boating Facilities Fund Grant

• Available to assist towns, cities, districts and other public and private agencies in the acquisition, development, enhancement, or rehabilitation of boat launching facilities on waters of Maine that are available to the general public.
• A minimum 50% cash or in-kind match is required.
• Pre-application site visit requests are due April 17, 2024.
• Project proposals are due July 17. The application and all information is available on the Boating Facilities Fund webpage.

Harbor Management and Access Grant For Coastal Waters and Great Ponds (HMA)

• Eligible entities include Maine municipalities, unorganized territories and counties that are located adjacent to waters that are subject to the Submerged Lands Program (SLP). All structures (piers, floats, boat ramps, etc.) owned or managed by the applicant that are subject to Maine?s submerged lands laws must be incompliance with the SLP in order to be eligible for the HMA.
• Eligible projects are those that?restore and modernize an existing facility or support public water access facilities including but not limited to; float
  and gangway replacement; new piles or dolphins; trailer boat ramp reconstruction; pier maintenance; and repairs and hand carry boat access
  improvements.
  • Projects may also include reimbursement for emergency repairs due to storm damage or accidents. If you are requesting reimbursement for emergency repairs, only damages that occurred during the seven-month period preceding the grant submission deadline (May 10, 2024) are eligible. Applicants must provide documentation that the damage occurred during the specified seven-month period.
• HMA will not pay for planning or engineering in coastal waters; coastal towns should continue to apply to the Maine Coastal Program (now housed at the Maine Department of Marine Resources) for planning, feasibility studies and engineering.?
• A minimum of 25% local match is required. Grants are awarded on a reimbursement basis up to 75 percent of the total project cost or a maximum of$15,000 excluding local match.?
• Applications are due by 5:00 PM on May 10, 2024. The application and all information is available on the Submerged Lands Program webpage.