2011 Maine Land Conservation Conference: Conference Highlights
Friday Events
Vernal Pool Ecology & Conservation Strategies
- Led by Dr. Aram J.K. Calhoun, Professor of Wetlands Ecology, University of Maine Orono
- Cathance River Ecology Center, Highland Green, Topsham
- 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
- Limit: 20 participants – Register early!
Maligned as mud-puddles by some, vernal pools are critical components of forest ecosystems. They are home not just to breeding amphibians and invertebrates, but provide critical habitat for many other species, including moose and white-tailed deer. As such, they have been protected through state legislation as significant wildlife habitat.
This session will begin with an indoor presentation on the science behind vernal pool regulations and conservation strategies at the local level. Afterwards, we will shift our focus to ecology as we head into the field to visit a couple of pools in the Topsham area. Dress appropriately, and be warned: these cold pools are full of hot stuff.
Meet at the Wild Duck Pub/Golf Course parking lot in Highland Green at 8:00 am to carpool to the Cathance River Ecology Center Lot.
Designing and Building Sustainable Trails
- Led by Kirk G. Siegel, Esq., Hanley & Associates, P.A.; Mike Cooper, Caribou Recreation Development, LLC; and Andrew Norkin, Appalachian Mountain Club
- Harpswell Heritage Land Trust headquarters
- 12:45 – 4:30 pm
- Limit: 25 participants
What separates well-intended but problem-ridden paths in the woods from lasting monuments that can be a true public benefit for generations? In this workshop, participants will spend classroom time learning about the fundamentals of public trails, including: securing access, layout, assessing problems and developing a maintenance plan. We will then visit a nearby trail system to gain an on-the-ground perspective into what works, what needs improvement, and how to do it. Other topics will include principles of trail design, working with stakeholders, developing a realistic budget, and prioritizing work when time and resources are limited.
Meet at the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust headquarters. After the classroom session, we’ll carpool to field sites.
Important Note: Field trip participants should come prepared for inclement weather and adverse footing conditions and practice tick avoidance. Please arrive at meeting places on time! Parking at the preserves is limited.
Partnerships: A Key to Land Trust Vitality
- 1:00 – 4:30 pm
- Omega Wellness Center, Red Mill, Topsham
There is a growing trend among land trusts to create and work in a wide variety of partnerships, including those with other land trusts, with other nonprofits and with governmental and private organizations. Land trusts partnering on projects of joint interest with municipalities build long-term trust with town officials and taxpayers and provide new ways to add value to the trust’s community. Combining forces with organizations outside of the conservation family can reach new supporters and allow for new ways for people to interact with the land. Larger partnerships involving many land trusts can provide economies of scale and accomplish true landscape scale conservation. In these and other ways, such partnerships are proving critical not only to the sustainability of the individual trusts but to the durability of the land trust community as a whole.
In this session we examine a variety of partnerships that have enabled land trusts to conserve more land, create greater ties with their communities, and establish stronger relationships with other organizations that have shared goals. Each partnership has its own advantages, and its own challenges. Presenters will talk about lessons learned in establishing and maintaining these partnerships, as well as the successes that would not have been achieved had they been working alone.
Welcoming Reception and Concert
- 5:30 – 8:00 pm
- Frontier Café and Gallery, Fort Andross, Brunswick
- Cash Bar
Enjoy delicious food, great music and the company of friends at this popular conference event. You won’t want to miss hearing the York River Ramblers (featuring MCHT’s own Keith Fletcher on fiddle) as they play their eclectic mix of French Canadian fiddle tunes, bluegrass and country. They’ve been fiddling up a storm for more than a decade, delighting New England audiences in venues large and small. Once again this year we’ll be treated to the fantastic fare of the Frontier Café.
Saturday Events
Keynote Address: The Art of Nature (in 3D!)
Sometimes we take for granted the beauty of the natural world around us. Right in our back yards are myriad treasures, if only we take the time to look. The images in this presentation by 3-D photographer Roger Richmond are offered as a close up look at “nature’s art”–visual compositions presented for our pleasure and inspiration.
Roger Richmond has been a 3-D photographer for over 25 years. He has given hundreds of 3-dimensional photographic presentations to public schools and other public and private organizations on art, architecture, and nature throughout New England and internationally, and was named The Student’s Choice Teacher of the Year in 2001.
Roger was the national competition design winner of the Maine’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He has also won national design competitions in stained glass art and a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr., proposed for Cambridge Square in Boston. He is a registered architect, a professor of Architecture in the program he created at the University of Maine at Augusta, and a professional design consultant.
Mr. Richmond lives in South Freeport, Maine with his wife Beverly.
Presentation of 2011 Espy Land Heritage Award
Maine Coast Heritage Trust will award the 2011 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. Recipients of the Espy Land Heritage Award may direct a gift of $5,000 from Maine Coast Heritage Trust to the conservation organization(s) of their choosing.
