 November 2022
I didn?t grow up in a hunting family. In fact, the first time I field-dressed a deer was just a few years ago, and I did so with help from my wife, a sharp knife, an iPad, and a few on-point YouTube clips. I took up hunting, after much consideration, because of growing concern about the impact of high deer densities on forest health. I also liked the idea of locally grown food. I keep hunting because I enjoy the stillness of a November dawn, the earthy smell of the forest floor after it rains, and the opportunity to de-fragment the brain after a busy work week. In that sense, there?s no such thing as a failed hunt.
Apparently, my recent hunting experience puts me in good company. Over the last several years, many Mainers have experienced a renewed interest in hunting ? perhaps another manifestation of the pandemic?s strong impact on outdoor use. Maine has a strong hunting tradition, and our Public Lands are open to hunting in accordance with Maine laws (including protections around recreational trails). Wildlife management is a high priority for us, and the Bureau?s Public Lands foresters regularly work with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife staff to ensure conservation of habitat for deer and other game and non-game wildlife. In addition, many of Maine?s State Parks are open to hunting. As a result, hunting season is yet another excellent excuse to explore our spectacular state. Check out the Bureau's hunting information.?Be safe and smart,?and enjoy the season!
~ Andy Cutko, Director, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands?
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Camping reservations for Lily Bay State Park will now be accepted and processed on the first business day of February along with Sebago Lake beginning this year,?2/1/2023 at 9:00 AM, EST. We have heard your feedback and have made this change to improve our campground reservation system during the opening days.
Remember, prime sites and locations fill up fast so plan to make your reservation as early as possible to secure a site. We look forward to seeing you in 2023! In the meantime, check out our?winter camping?options.
~ Abigail Andreasen, Camping Reservations Manager
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The article below, by Holly J. Sheehan, Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) Coordinator, highlights one example of the crucial volunteer work teens are involved in on trails throughout Maine. We at the Bureau of Parks and Lands thank the teens, teachers, volunteers, and staff of MATC and Teens to Trails who made this project happen! MATC also provided the photos.
This September, on a glorious long weekend, eighteen Portland area public high school students and three teachers volunteered to assist MATC volunteer and sawyer Steve Niles in clearing his adopted trail section, on Little Bigelow Mountain. The trip was led by MATC Coordinator, Holly Sheehan, and Portland High School ESOL teacher (English to Speakers of Other Languages), Kirsten McWilliams. Mrs. McWilliams also serves as the outing club advisor. Students were recruited from Portland, Deering, Casco Bay and South Portland High Schools and included five teenagers originally from Angola who recently immigrated to the U.S.
The group stayed at the rustic Bigelow Lodge within the 36,000 acres Bigelow Preserve for two nights which has beds for up to 25 people. However, the generator which provides power to the lodge was broken, so the group hauled in water, relied on headlamps, and used an outhouse within Round Barn Campsite. The students arrived on a Saturday afternoon and enjoyed exploring around Flagstaff Lake. Early the next morning we shuttled the kids to the A.T. trailhead - 5 miles down a dirt road - and everyone hiked up Little Bigelow Mountain in three small groups. The kids cleared the trail of blowdowns and trimmed brush from the summit to Safford Notch Campsite. Steve brought his chainsaw. The total hike was 9-miles and the students met a flood of North-bound "thru-hikers" gunning for Katahdin. ?Later that evening, chaperones provided pre-made casseroles for supper, the kids played cards, and were dazzled by the night stars. Monday morning the group packed and cleaned-up, enjoyed the lake, circled-up to debrief the experience, and headed back to Portland. They made new friends, learned about the Appalachian Trail, experienced nature, unplugged, and got to take part in the stewardship of our public lands. And everyone had so much fun!
Many thanks to the teachers who chaperoned the trip, Steve Niles who volunteered his time, as well as the school principal for providing a school bus and excusing the students from classes on Monday! And a Big thanks goes out to Teens to Trails for providing a grant which covered food costs and to the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands for lending the Bigelow Lodge.
~?Holly J. Sheehan, Maine Appalachian Trail Club Coordinator
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Teens to Trails Rendezvous 2022 at Camden Hills State Park. Photos courtesy of Teens to Trails.
During the weekend of Friday, October 21 Teens to Trails held Rendezvous 2022 at Camden Hills State Park. Ten schools throughout Maine sent a total of 55 students and 16 advisors to participate in the campout and service weekend. During their stay, the students volunteered their time and muscles to split, haul, and stack over nine cords of wood, improved the access trail to the Shoreline Trail, removed limbs and brush along the Mt. Battie Road, and from the Nature, Tablelands, and Mt. Battie Trails. They also spruced up the lower campground by raking leaves. In all, they contributed 320 volunteer hours!?
As a thank you, the teens were given a star party. James Shields, volunteer astronomer extraordinaire, and I tag-teamed to provide a night sky tour that included ancient legends about the constellations, and James' vast knowledge about the stars. The teens got hands-on with Orion StarBlast telescopes. We'd gathered up seven (four on loan from other State Park campgrounds, one from Camden Hills, and two on loan from Camden's public library. ) so the teens could learn how to find, sight, and view the night sky objects of most interest to them. Jupiter was of great interest since it is the closest it has been to Earth since 1963 and we were able to view four of its 80-plus moons! James brought his large telescope which allowed students to see nebulae, star clusters, and distant galaxies. It was great hearing all the wows and seeing the excitement as the teens focused in the telescopes to explore the starry sky and marvel at the wonders of the universe.
Thank you to all the teens, their advisors, Teens to Trails, and the park staff that coordinated the work projects. And a huge thanks to James Shields who, in addition to this evening, has been guest astronomer at Bradbury Mt. State Park this past summer and has been allowing me to shadow, assist, and learn from him at these programs. He is a tremendously dedicated teacher and mentor.
We are also thankful for the?Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund grant that made the purchase of the 12 park telescopes possible in 2020.?Please look for and select the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund lottery ticket next time you play, and keep an eye out for star programs when you camp with us next summer. Check on the Maine libraries that loan telescopes.
~ Jocelyn Hubbell, Interpretive Specialist
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Photos clockwise from top left: On Route 26 at Grafton Notch State Park sign, trail sign enoute to Old Speck, Candice on the snowy trail, and the tower at the summit. All photos by Candice M. Pinkham.
As a relatively new hiker, I wanted to summit more 4K-footers in 2021. Unfortunately, every hike I did yielded no view at the top due to bad weather. I made a New Year?s resolution for 2022 to hike every 4K+ in Maine, with a view! I set out on my first 4K hike in January, Old Speck, and finished in September on top of Mount Abraham. I always come back to Old Speck as my favorite Maine 4K. The trail is clearly marked, and has diversity (bog bridges, rungs, rocks, etc.), lookouts, and a tower at the top for a 360 view to top off your hike.
View from the top of the tower on Old Speck Mt. Photo by Candice M. Pinkham.
Here's my peak list:?
5,268 ? Katahdin, Baxter Peak
4,756 ? Katahdin, Hamlin
4,250 ? Sugarloaf
4,228 ? Crocker Mountain
4,170 ? Old Speck?
4,151 ? Baxter Park, North Brother
4,145 ? Bigelow, West
4,120 ? Saddleback
4,090 ? Bigelow, Avery
4,050 ? Mount Abraham
4,050 ? South Crocker
4,023 ? Saddleback Horn
4,010 ? Mount Redington
4,010 ? Spaulding Mountain
Trail map and information for Old Speck is in the Grafton Notch State Park and Mahoosuc Public Land Guide & Map.
~ Candice M. Pinkham, Planning & Research Assistant, Off-Road Recreational Vehicle Division
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This small book makes a big statement. Award-winning author Barry Lopez asks us to take another look at our founding story, listen to others, and weave a new story that honors us and the place we call home.
The Wabanaki that live in Maine today now hold less than 1% of the land that once sustained their vital cultures. Can you imagine what this loss was like? And, what it is still like? Do you know how much of their history, culture, and presence has been erased?
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~ Jocelyn Hubbell, Interpretive Specialist
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One of my favorite authors, Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, was recently a guest on Science Friday for a discussion about her book?Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. This 17-minute discussion explores how we can improve our health and that of Nature through a reciprocal relationship with the natural world, and a deeper, more inclusive understanding of ecology.?
~ Jocelyn Hubbell, Interpretive Specialist
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Send article suggestions or newsletter comments to?Jocelyn Hubbell, Interpretive Specialist, webmaster, and newsletter editor for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.
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