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Bureau of Parks and Lands
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September 2022

In this Issue:

* Director's Note: Maine Conservation Corps ? So Much More Than Trail Work [ #link_1 ]
* Campground Reservations Call Center Closes for Season on Sept. 9; Off Season & Winter Camping is Available [ #link_2 ]
* National Park Service Semiquincentennial Grant Program Awards $500,000. for Colburn House State Historic Site Rehabilitation [ #link_3 ]
* Goats Munch Invasive Knotweed at Crescent Beach State Park Thanks to Sponsorship by Inn by the Sea [ #link_10 ]
* Mobility Pathway Installed at Popham Beach State Park [ #link_4 ]
* Water Rescue Training held in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway [ #link_8 ]
* Photos from the AWW Artist 2022 Open Studio [ #link_9 ]
* Defend the Dark in Your Backyard. [ #link_7 ]
* Programs and Events [ #link_5 ]
* Get Ready to Leaf Peep - Fall Foliage Season is On Its Way! [ #link_6 ]
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Director's Note: Maine Conservation Corps ? So Much More Than Trail Work

Commission Beal discussing a bog bridge with an MCC crew at Camden Hills State Park.

Commissioner Beal discussing a bog bridge with an MCC Field Team at Camden Hills State Park.

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MCC Tumbledown Mt. trail crew with their stone steps.

Growing up as a city kid, I thought a ?job in the outdoors? meant you were a construction worker, a firefighter, or if you were lucky, you worked at a zoo. My first summer job, as a 16-year-old working for the Youth Conservation Corps, opened my eyes to a different kind of outdoor job. That summer job led to several more like it, and together those seasonal jobs changed the path of my life. As a result, when I have the chance to meet with Maine Conservation Corps [ [link removed] ]?(MCC) trail crews, as I did with Commissioner Beal at Camden Hills State Park [ [link removed] ] in August, I see a bit of myself in them. The MCC is an outstanding but under-the-radar program within the Bureau of Parks and Lands, and it serves multiple functions. As a job training program, the MCC provides valuable work and life skills that benefit volunteers in just about any profession. (Imagine camping with your co-workers all summer long!) As a service to the state and other landowners, MCC field teams [ [link removed] ] complete much-needed trail work at heavily-used sites like Tumbledown Mountain (photo #2 = MCC Field Team with their stone steps on Tumbledown Mt.). In addition to the great work of MCC trail crews, MCC Environmental Stewards [ [link removed] ] lend energy, creativity, and enthusiasm to state agencies and conservation organizations across the state. In my recent visit with the MCC crew at Camden Hills State Park, crew members hailed from places like Kansas City, New Jersey, and North Carolina. Many were at a crossroads in their early lives, and most had never been to Maine. I hope their trail work experience serves them as well as mine did, and I hope they will someday call Maine home.

~Andy Cutko, Director, Maine Bureau Bureau of Parks and Lands

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Campground Reservations Call Center Closes for Season on Sept. 9; Off Season & Winter Camping is Available

Park visitors silhouetted against a lake.

The State Park Campground Reservations Call Center will close for the season on Friday, September 9, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. EST. Thank you for a wonderful camping season. We hope to see you again next summer!


* _Internet Reservations will continue_ through to Sunday, 9/11/2022 until 4:00? p.m. EST at www.CampWithME.com [ [link removed] ]

Off Season & Winter Camping

* Campsites become first-come/first-served on Monday, September 12, 2022.
* Customers can continue to camp through October 15 [ [link removed] ] at "most"*"*"* park campgrounds. Standard camping fees apply [ [link removed] ].

*"*Camping season ends for the year for"*":"


* _Peaks-Kenny_: Campground closes for the year on October 1
* _Rangeley Lake_: Campground closes for the year on October 1
* _Warren Island_: Campground closes for the year on September 15

* Campground rates [ [link removed] ] vary by location.
* Campground Maps [ [link removed] ].
* No camping is permitted at the Parks from October 16 to December 14. This break allows for park maintenance of the campground areas.
* Winter Camping [ [link removed] ], as primitive tent camping only, is offered December 15 - March 15 at select Maine State Park Campgrounds.

2023 Campground Reservation Dates for Call Center & Online Reservations:

* Sebago Lake State Park ? Wednesday, February 1, 2023, at 9:00 AM, EST "(storm date if Maine State Government is closed ? Thursday, February 2, 2023)"
* All parks - Monday, February 6, 2023, at 9:00 AM, EST "(storm date if Maine State Government is closed ? Tuesday, February 7, 2023)"

"www.CampWithME.com [ [link removed] ]"

2023 Group Campsite and Group Picnic Shelter Reservations ? for all parks

* Wednesday, February 1, 2023, at 9:00 AM, EST

_Call the park-specific phone numbers for these reservations_:


* Group Camping [ [link removed] ]?Information & Reservation Phone Numbers
* Group Picnic Shelter [ [link removed] ] Information & Reservation Phone Numbers

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National Park Service Semiquincentennial Grant Program Awards $500,000. for Colburn House State Historic Site Rehabilitation

Colburn House State Historic Site, Maine. Photo by Jocelyn Hubbell.

Colburn House State Historc Site. Color photo taken in 2022. Black and white photo taken in 1913.

Colburn House in 1913.

The National Park Service (NPS) notified the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) that it has earned a $500,000 grant to rehabilitate the Colburn House State Historic Site. Andy Cutko, DACF Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) Director, received news of the award. The Colburn House grant was included as part of the $7 million NPS Semiquincentennial Grant Program, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Colburn House, built in 1765 and included in the National Register of Historic Places, is renowned for its ownership by the shipbuilder and friend of George Washington, Major Reuben Colburn. Colburn played a prominent role in Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec. One of seventeen BPL-owned Historic Sites, interior tours of Colburn House have been closed to the public since 2019 for needed renovations.?

"We're grateful to NPS for helping DACF fund this important rehabilitation project that will ultimately allow us to reopen Colburn House and create rich visitor experiences," *said DACF Commissioner Amanda Beal*. "The NPS grant highlights the important role of federal support in preserving Bureau of Parks and Lands Historic Sites and helping us continue to tell the important stories about the significance of these sites."?

"We are extremely happy and honored to have earned this NPS grant and to preserve this important historical jewel for generations to come," *said BPL Director Andy Cutko*. ?Thank you to the Maine Historic Preservation Commission for identifying the NPS Semiquincentennial Grant Program and providing assistance and guidance throughout the application process.??

"We prioritize every day and every year, and this generous grant will allow us to move forward with refurbishing this treasured destination," *said BPL Southern Region State Park and Historic Site manager Gary Best*.??

Support for the Semiquincentennial Grant Program was also provided by Senators Collins and King and Representative?Golden, as well as state Senator Craig?Hickman?and Representative Jeffery Hanley. ?

In the NPS award announcement *Park Service Director Chuck Sams stated*, "National parks and National Park Service programs serve to tell authentic and complete history, provide opportunities for exploring the legacies that impact us today, and contribute to healing and understanding. Through the Semi-quincentennial Grant Program, we are supporting projects that showcase the many places and stories that contributed to the evolution of the American experience."??

The NPS Sem-quincentennial Grant Program was created by Congress in 2020 and funded through the Historic Preservation Fund. This round of grants supports 17 cultural resource preservation projects across 12 states.?

*Read the full text of the NPS Grant Announcement [ [link removed] ].*

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Goats Munch Invasive Knotweed at Crescent Beach State Park Thanks to Sponsorship by Inn by the Sea

Scapegoats at work munching invasive knotweed at Crescent Beach State Park. Before and after shots. Photo by Rauni Kew, Inn by the Sea.

Before and after shots of the Scapegoats in a patch of knotweed at Crescent Beach State Park. They leveled it!

The Scapegoats, sponsored for their mission at Crescent Beach State Park [ [link removed] ] by Inn by the Sea, are the hardworking goats of Heather Lombard of Kennebunk. Invited back this summer after their successful July 2021 trial program visit, they once again took the bite out of invasive plants and have proven their munching to be a sustainable solution for habitat restoration that preserves food sources and habitat for local wildlife. And, park visitors were thrilled to once again see the goats for another week this season.

As the before and after photos show, the goats leveled two large knotweed infestations at Crescent Beach. Their work complements that of park volunteers, known as the Summer Knotweed Party, who meet each week to clip knotweed [ [link removed] ] shoots by hand in select areas and to keep an eye out for any spread of this highly aggressive introduced invasive that out-competes native plants and destroys wildlife habitat. The combined clipping power of the goats and park volunteers impairs the knotweed's ability to store enough nutrients over the winter for starting new growth come springtime. Clipping also keeps the plant from flowering and seeding a new crop of knotweed. Controlling knotweed takes persistence over seven to ten years, patience, and a long view of habitat restoration. We are grateful to our park volunteers, the goats, and Inn by the Sea for continuing to sponsor the goats' work at Crescent Beach State Park.

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Mobility Pathway Installed at Popham Beach State Park

Gov. Mills at Popham Beach State Park to see the new accessibility upgrade, a mobility pathway.

Gov. Mills with Rep. Hepler, Sen. Vitelli, Phippsburg resident Deb Stockwell, and DACF staff, including Commissioner Amanda Beal and Bureau of Parks and Lands Director Andy Cutko visit Popham Beach to survey the new accessibility upgrade - a mobility pathway.

Mobility pathway installation and use at Popham Beach State Park.

The installation of the mobility pathway at Popham Beach State Park on August 3, 2022 and the immediate use by many grateful beach visitors.

A mobility pathway is now available at Popham Beach State Park to improve accessibility to the beach. This collaborative project began when Phippsburg resident Deb Stockwell contacted state representative Allison Hepler about the need for a pathway.?Together they and their I LOVE Popham Beach! community developed the project concept with State Park staff.?

Beach mobility chair at Popham Beach State Park.

The path became a reality thanks to Governor Mills? Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, which is using funding from the American Rescue Plan to improve state parks for Maine people and visitors. View more photos and information about Governor Mills' visit to Popham Beach [ [link removed] ], and about?the Governor's Job Plan that dedicates $50 million to improve infrastructure at State Parks [ [link removed] ].

Beach mobility chairs are also available at the park for visitor access to the beach.

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Water Rescue Training held in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway

Water rescue training sequence at the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

A recent Allagash Wilderness Waterway(AWW) staff training was held at Scofield Point on Churchill Lake. It included deep water rescue training with Game Wardens Mark Hutcheson and Alex Maxsimic of the?Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and swift water rescue training led by Rangers?Keith Turdo, Nolan Jacobs, and Ed Palys.? AWW staff experienced being both victims and rescuers during the sessions, learned how to deal with pinned canoes, and practiced a variety of scenarios and safety protocols that will aid them in helping visitors who paddle the Allagash [ [link removed] ].

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Photos from the AWW Artist 2022 Open Studio

Montage of photos of the AWW Artist 2022 Open Studio showing artist and attendees printmaking. Photo by Mark Deroche.

Photos on left show AWW Artist Jordan Parks demonstrating printmaking. Middle photos show AWW Assistant Ranger Alissa Lutz giving it a try. Photos on right show attendee and final piece. All photos by Mark Deroche.

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Jordan Parks, AWW Artist 2022, demonstrating print making during an open studio in the Allagash.

Jordan Parks, AWW Visiting Artist 2022, held an open studio at the Chamberlain Bridge Ranger Station on August 25? to demonstrate her printmaking and discuss how her visit to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway [ [link removed] ] has impacted her and inspired the creation of new art. Visitors enjoyed getting hands-on with her process and we all look forward to seeing the art that is inspired by Jordan's stay at the Allagash.

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Defend the Dark in Your Backyard.

Photo and link to view Defend the Dark for Wildlife short film. [ [link removed] ]

Light pollution impacts us all: birds, insects, plants, and even humans. None of us live as our best healthiest selves when lights interrupt the night. Learn ways to reduce light pollution in your backyard, neighborhood, or town by watching the film short Which Animals are Most Impacted by Light Pollution. [ [link removed] ]

For more information on how you can protect the night sky visit one of our partnering organizations:


* DarkSky.org [ [link removed] ]
* MountainsOfStars.org [ [link removed] ]
* DarkSkyMaine.com [ [link removed] ]
* SeeTheDark.org [ [link removed] ]

We encourage you to share this with your friends, neighbors, and groups who may be interested in promoting good dark sky lighting. View the trailer for the full movie. [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ]

A Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund [ [link removed] ] grant supported the production of the full-length film and film shorts shot by Tara Roberts Zabriskie. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands is a partner on this project along with the organizations highlighted above and at the end of the film.

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Programs and Events

*Bradbury Mt. State Park, Pownal*


* Sept 30 - Moons Over Bradbury Night Sky Program [ [link removed] ]

*Camden Hills State Park, Camden*


* Sept 24 - Star Tour and Stargazing [ [link removed] ]

*Ferry Beach State Park, Saco*


* Sept 25 - Fall Festival [ [link removed] ]

*Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park, Freeport*


* Sept 1 -??Forest Detective [ [link removed] ]
* Sept 2 -??Tree Hunt [ [link removed] ]
* Sept 3 -??Hike With The Ranger [ [link removed] ]
* Sept 4 -??Osprey Watch [ [link removed] ]
* Sept 5 -??Leave No Trace [ [link removed] ]
* Sept 10 -??Ready, Set, Sleep! [ [link removed] ]
* Sept 11 -?Fall in the Forest [ [link removed] ]
* Find more programs at Wolfe's Neck Woods on the online event calendar [ [link removed] ].
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Get Ready to Leaf Peep - Fall Foliage Season is On Its Way!

Fall foliage on a rocky mountainside in Maine. Photo by Jocelyn Hubbell.

Start planning your fall foliage adventure now. Our Fall Foliage webpage [ [link removed] ] provides:


* Links to webcams around the state so you can view the current conditions.
* Recommended locations for hiking, biking, and paddling to see the colors.
* A link to our program & event calendar

For peak foliage listings by region and to subscribe to the reports by the Maine Forest Service visit the Maine Foliage Reports [ [link removed] ]. The 2022 season reports will begin on Sept. 14.

The Forest Trees of Maine is a great guide to have for identifying the trees you see on your foliage trips. Download the Forest Trees of Maine [ [link removed] ] or order a bound edition of the Forest Trees of Maine [ [link removed] ].

For tourism information see VisitMaine.com [ [link removed] ]

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www.ParksAndLands.com [ [link removed] ]

Send article suggestions or newsletter comments to?Jocelyn Hubbell <[email protected]>, Interpretive Specialist, webmaster, and newsletter editor for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.




Maine State Government is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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