2010 Maine Land Conservation Conference: Conference Highlights
Identification, Conservation and Management of Natural Communities in Maine
- Led by Andy Cutko and Kristen Puryear, Ecologists for the Maine Natural Areas Program
- Bradley Pond Farm Preserve, Topsham
- 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Limit: 30 participants
This winter the Maine Natural Areas Program will publish a new book entitled: Natural Communities of Maine: A Field Guide for Identifying Maine’s Habitats, which will describe the characteristics, distribution, and rarity of natural communities in Maine. The objective of this hands-on field trip will be to enable lay people to use the descriptions and keys in this book to identify natural communities in the field. This workshop will complement and build on the workshop Andy gave at the 2009 Maine Land Conservation Conference on Rapid Ecological Assessment. Andy and Kristen will spend 10-15 minutes reviewing the format and contents of the book itself, and then walk participants though use of the diagnostic keys at 3-5 field sites. Participants will receive a copy of the book free with registration.
Participants should know some basic plant identification (particularly trees) and be comfortable with a moderate hike in the woods. Participation in the 2009 Rapid Ecological Assessment fieldtrip will be helpful but not necessary.
Meet at the West Lot parking area off Main Street in Topsham (see directions) at 9:00 am to carpool to the preserve.
Invasive Forest Insect Survey Tools
- Led by Allison Kanoti and Colleen Teerling, Maine Forest Service Entomologists
- Cathance River Ecology Center, Highland Green, Topsham
- 12:45 – 4:30 pm
- Limit: 25 participants
In this split session participants will spend time in both the classroom and the field as they learn how to identify several invasive forest insects, recognize the damage they cause and use basic survey tools for detecting them. A special focus of the workshop will be biosurveillance for emerald ash borer using a native non-stinging wasp. We will also become familiar with an invasive insect survey table developed by request for the Harpswell Heritage Trust. Bring a hand lens if possible. Close focus binoculars will be provided for workshop use. Most walking will be along trails; however to look for insect signs you will have to go off of the trails.
Meet at the Wild Duck Pub/Golf Course parking lot in Highland Green (see directions) at 12:45 to carpool to the Cathance River Ecology Center Lot.
Important Note: Field trip participants should come prepared for adverse weather and footing conditions and tick avoidance (http://www.mmcri.org/lyme/prevent.html). Please arrive at meeting places on time! Parking at the preserves is limited.
A Public Use Dialogue: Benefits, Questions, & Responsibilities
1:00 – 4:30 pm
With each completed project, a land trust faces new stewardship responsibilities and will likely find itself working with new stakeholders. Increasingly, some land trusts are challenging themselves to provide a broader diversity of public access opportunities. How much use can and should they encourage? The challenge of finding the right balance between preservation of natural resources, relationships with and responsibilities to their communities, responding to state interests and needs, and managing for multiple users - all on a limited budget - can be daunting.
In this session, we will explore the factors land trusts consider when acquiring and stewarding land for public use; discuss benefits and how to maximize them; identify and address risks; and consider whether organizations should make these decisions individually or in concert with others. This workshop will follow last year’s popular format featuring varied panelists and a “fishbowl” discussion where attendees rotate in and out of the panel.
Welcoming Reception and Concert
- 5:30 – 8:00 pm
- Cash Bar
We had such a great time last year, why mess with a good thing? Kick off your conference experience at our welcoming reception, which is sponsored this year by Oakhurst Dairy. Visit with other conference participants and enjoy Frontier’s delicious fare in this unique and inviting space. Music will be supplied by Dark Hollow Bottling Company, a 5-piece band that calls their music “Americana” – a fusion of bluegrass, rockabilly, folk, rock and pop. Join us for “a journey along a road of our collective culture” with this great local band. More information at http://darkhollowbottlingcompany.com.
Keynote Address: Demystifying Maine – How history has shaped our people and landscape
Historian, environmental journalist, and investigative reporter Colin Woodard grew up in Maine but brings experience from around the world. Listen as he shares insights, stories and perspectives about the past, present and future of Maine’s communities.
Colin Woodard is a self-employed writer, award-winning journalist, and author of The Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators, and The Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier (Viking, 2004), Ocean’s End: Travels Through Endangered Seas (Basic Books, 2000), and The Republic of Pirates (Harcourt, May 2007). A native of Maine, he has reported from more than fifty foreign countries and six continents, and lived for more than four years in Eastern Europe. He is currently a foreign correspondent for The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Christian Science Monitor and a contributing editor at Down East magazine.
Colin has covered a wide-range of issues, from ethnic conflict in the Balkans and peacekeeping in Guatemala to the destruction of coral reefs and the effects of global warming on Antarctica. He is a 2004 recipient of the Jane Bagley Lehman Award for Public Advocacy, given by the Tides Foundation for his global reporting on environmental issues; has been awarded numerous fellowships; and was voted Best Author in 2009 by the readers of the Portland Phoenix.
Colin currently lives in Portland, Maine with his wife, Sarah Skillin Woodard. For more information, visit www.colinwoodard.com.
Presentation of 2009 Espy Land Heritage Award
Maine Coast Heritage Trust will award the 2009 Espy Land Heritage Award during the Plenary Session of the Maine Land Conservation Conference. This award, recently renamed and endowed in honor of MCHT’s long-time president Jay Espy, recognizes those that have made outstanding contributions to land conservation in Maine while serving to inspire and educate others. The recipient of the Espy Land Heritage Award will direct a gift of $5,000 from Maine Coast Heritage Trust to the conservation organization(s) of their choosing.
