Summer 2016 Newsletter
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Mount Abraham Public Lands Fire Warden’S Trail - 8 Miles Round Trip, Strenuous
Mount Abraham Public Lands Fire Warden’s Trail - 8 miles round trip, strenuous t 4,049’ elevation, Mount Abraham (or locally, Mt. Abram) is one of only 13 Maine peaks over A 4,000’ elevation. Evidence of radical processes are on display here, including fire, windthrow, and crumbling bedrock. The Maine Natural Areas Program is tasked with ecological monitoring of Mt. Abraham — an Ecological Reserve owned by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands— and the role these natural disturbances play in maintaining these ecosystems. In this guided Heritage Hike, we will discuss how natural disturbance processes may be affecting the habitats that occur here. ————————————————————— Cold streams and big logs - -70.26373, 44.968411 Wood jams provide essential stream habitat for cold water fish. A short distance from the parking area, the trail crosses Norton Stream. Here we get our first lesson in the ecological importance of coarse woody material. Once thought to be a waste of wood fiber, large dead logs are now recognized for providing important habitat values. During the river driving era that lasted into the 1970s, many streams were cleared of woody debris and large boul- ders to facilitate passage of logs on their way downstream to mills. This ef- fect homogenized streams, reducing suitable habitat for cold water species, such as brook trout. Large logs now wedged into the stream bank at this trail crossing improve the structural diversity of the stream. This coarse woody material traps nutrients that help form the base of the food web, and modifies streamflow patterns, allowing scour pools to form that may become trout spawning habitat. -
Redington Mountain Wind Farm Page 6C-1 Section 6. Visual Impact Assessment Appendix C
Redington Mountain Wind Farm Page 6C-1 Section 6. Visual Impact Assessment Appendix C 6-P1. Lookout tower at the summit of Bald Mountain in Rangeley. Photos taken October, 2003. 6-P2. Picnic area at the summit of Bald Mountain near the base of the lookout tower. Redington Mountain Wind Farm Page 6C-2 Section 6. Visual Impact Assessment Appendix C 6-P3. View looking north from Bald Mountain lookout tower. Communications tower in foreground. Photos taken October, 2003. 6-P4. View looking north-northeast from Bald Mountain lookout tower. Redington Mountain Wind Farm Page 6C-3 Section 6. Visual Impact Assessment Appendix C 6-P5. View toward East Kennebago Mountain approximately 14.8 miles northeast of Bald Mountain lookout tower. Photos taken October, 2003. 6-P6. View toward Rangeley Village (6 miles to east-northeast). The wind farm will be 15.7 miles away. See Visualization 6-1a-c. Redington Mountain Wind Farm Page 6C-4 Section 6. Visual Impact Assessment Appendix C 6-P7. View looking north-northeast from Bald Mountain lookout tower. Photos taken October, 2003. 6-P8. View looking east from Bald Mountain lookout tower. Redington Mountain Wind Farm Page 6C-5 Section 6. Visual Impact Assessment Appendix C 6-P9. View looking east from Bald Mountain toward Rangeley Village (6 miles to east-northeast). The wind farm will be 15.7 miles away. Compare this photograph with 6-P12, taken on a day with less atmospheric haze. Photos taken October, 2003. See visualization, Figure 6-V1a-c. 6-P10. View looking east-southeast from Bald Mountain over Rangeley Lake. -
Natural Landscapes of Maine a Guide to Natural Communities and Ecosystems
Natural Landscapes of Maine A Guide to Natural Communities and Ecosystems by Susan Gawler and Andrew Cutko Natural Landscapes of Maine A Guide to Natural Communities and Ecosystems by Susan Gawler and Andrew Cutko Copyright © 2010 by the Maine Natural Areas Program, Maine Department of Conservation 93 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0093 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the authors or the Maine Natural Areas Program, except for inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Illustrations and photographs are used with permission and are copyright by the contributors. Images cannot be reproduced without expressed written consent of the contributor. ISBN 0-615-34739-4 To cite this document: Gawler, S. and A. Cutko. 2010. Natural Landscapes of Maine: A Guide to Natural Communities and Ecosystems. Maine Natural Areas Program, Maine Department of Conservation, Augusta, Maine. Cover photo: Circumneutral Riverside Seep on the St. John River, Maine Printed and bound in Maine using recycled, chlorine-free paper Contents Page Acknowledgements ..................................................................................... 3 Foreword ..................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ............................................................................................... -
Land, Timber, and Recreation in Maine's Northwoods: Essays by Lloyd C
The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Miscellaneous Publications Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station 3-1996 MP730: Land, Timber, and Recreation in Maine's Northwoods: Essays by Lloyd C. Irland Lloyd C. Irland Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_miscpubs Recommended Citation Irland, L.C. 1996. Land, Timber, and Recreation in Maine's Northwoods: Essays by Lloyd C. Irland. Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station Miscellaneous Publication 730. This Report is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Miscellaneous Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Land, Timber, and Recreation in Maines Northwoods: Essays by Lloyd C. Irland Lloyd C. Irland Faculty Associate College of Natural Resources, Forestry and Agriculture The Irland Group RR 2, Box 9200 Winthrop, ME 04364 Phone: (207)395-2185 Fax: (207)395-2188 FOREWORD Human experience tends to be perceived as taking place in phases. Shakespeare talked of seven ages of man. More recently Erik Erikson has thought of five separate stages in human life. All of these begin to break down, however, when we think of the end of eras. Partially because of the chronological pressure, such times come at the end of centuries. When one adds to the end of a century the concept of an end of a millennium, the sense of change, of difference, of end time can be very powerful, if not overwhelming. The termination of the nineteenth and the eighteenth centuries were much discussed as to the future. -
Maine SCORP 2009-2014 Contents
Maine State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 2009-2014 December, 2009 Maine Department of Conservation Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) Steering Committee Will Harris (Chairperson) -Director, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands John J. Daigle -University of Maine Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Program Elizabeth Hertz -Maine State Planning Office Cindy Hazelton -Maine Recreation and Park Association Regis Tremblay -Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Dan Stewart -Maine Department of Transportation George Lapointe -Maine Department of Marine Resources Phil Savignano -Maine Office of Tourism Mick Rogers - Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands Terms Expired: Scott DelVecchio -Maine State Planning Office Doug Beck -Maine Recreation and Parks Association Planning Team Rex Turner, Outdoor Recreation Planner, BPL Katherine Eickenberg, Chief of Planning, BPL Alan Stearns, Deputy Director, BPL The preparation of this report was financed in part through a planning grant from the US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, under the provisions of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965. Maine SCORP 2009-2014 Contents CONTENTS Page Executive Summary Ex. Summary-1 Forward i Introduction Land and Water Conservation Fund Program (LWCF) & ii Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) ii State Requirements iii Planning Process iii SCORP’s Relationship with Other Recreation and Conservation Funds iii Chapter I: Developments and Accomplishments Introduction I-1 “Funding for Acquisition” I-1 “The ATV Issue” I-1 “Maintenance of Facilities” I-2 “Statewide Planning” I-4 “Wilderness Recreation Opportunities” I-5 “Community Recreation and Smart Growth” I-7 “Other Notable Developments” I-8 Chapter II: Major Trends and Issues Affecting Outdoor Recreation in Maine A. -
ADDISON COUNTY Breathing Life Into Old
MONDAY EDITION ADDISON COUNTY Vol. 30INDEPENDENT No. 31 Middlebury, Vermont Monday, December 3, 2018 32 Pages $1.00 Midd budget See winter’s magic on film draft reflects • “Face of Winter,” a ski and more staff snowboard film by Warren Miller, will screen at THT. See Arts Beat on Page 10. & road work By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury selectboard will spend Home fire leaves the next two months refining family in the cold a fiscal year 2020 municipal budget proposal that currently • A New Haven family seeks reflects almost $600,000 in new help after an early-morning expenses, including two new hires chimney blaze. See Page 3. and a $296,119 increase in local infrastructure improvements. A $600,000 increase would drive the need for an 8-cent hike in the municipal tax rate, but that won’t happen. Middlebury Town Manager Kathleen Ramsay is proposing, from the outset, that the town use surplus revenues from the community’s (See Middlebury, Page 16) City recreation group pitches Local businesses LINCOLN RESIDENTS MARIA Teixeira, left, and her partner, Travis Herben, gathered a few toys no longer used by their children, 9-year-old Ezaias, right, Micaiah, 7, and Simeon, 1, to exchange at the upcoming Toy big pool fixes receive honors Swap at the Lincoln Library. Teixeira and other volunteers organized the swap to bring new life to old toys. • The Bristol Fire Department Independent photo/John S. McCright By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — The newly presented “challenge coins” to formed Vergennes recreation generous donors. See Page 7. Breathing life into old playthings committee last week shared with the city council the list of priorities its to “Toy Story,” we find hope in the notion that our members created after its first two Lincoln Library to host toy swap playthings could live separate lives, struggling like we meetings — and up to $147,000 of By CHRISTOPHER ROSS do, fighting our battles, keeping it real when the “real work to the city pool was at the top. -
High Peaks Region Recreation Plan
High Peaks Region Recreation Plan An overview and analysis of the recreation, possibilities, and issues facing the High Peaks Region of Maine Chris Colin, Jacob Deslauriers, Dr. Chris Beach Fall 2008 Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust – High Peaks Initiative: The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust (MATLT) was formed in June 2002 by a group of Mainers dedicated to the preservation of the natural qualities of the lands surrounding the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Following its campaign to acquire Mount Abraham and a portion of Saddleback Mountain, MATLT is embarking on a new initiative to research and document the ecological qualities of the entire Western Maine High Peaks Region. The MATLT website describes the region as follows: “The Western Maine High Peaks Region is the 203,400 acres roughly bounded by the communities of Rangeley, Phillips, Kingfield and Stratton. In this region, there are about 21,000 acres above 2700 feet. It is one of only three areas in Maine where the mountains rise above 4000 feet. The other two are the Mahoosuc Range and Baxter Park. Eight (8) of the fourteen (14) highest mountains in Maine are in this region (Sugarloaf, Crocker, South Crocker, Saddleback, Abraham, The Horn, Spaulding and Redington Peak.) These are all above 4000 feet. If one adds the Bigelow Range, across Route 27/16 from Sugarloaf, the region hosts ten (10) of the highest mountains (Avery Peak and West Peak added)). This area is comparable in size to Baxter Park but has 40% more area above 2700 feet.” Table of Contents I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1 A. Purpose and Need for High Peaks Area Recreation Plan .................................................................... -
Western Mountains Campaign Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust Thank
Western Mountains Maine Appalachian Campaign Trail Land Trust Mount Abraham and Saddleback Slopes For nearly a century nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts have enjoyed the The protection of the land surround- protected, uninterrupted natural beauty ing the trail is a piece-by-piece process. of the Appalachian Trail. Recently, the Maine Appalachian Trail On the Abraham Ridge Land Trust acquired the entire 1,159-acre To ensure its preservation for years to come, The Maine Appalachian Trail Land summit and ridgeline of Mount Abraham, “The richest values of wilder- as well as 1,183 acres on the southeast Trust is working to expand protection to ness lie not in the days of Daniel slopes of Saddleback Mountain - one of the trail’s surrounding lands, through the Trail’s most spectacular mountain Boone, nor even in the present, acquisition projects such as the Western stretches. This recent acquisition builds but rather in the future.” Mountains Campaign. upon, and is adjacent to, a 4,000-acre - Aldo Leopold, “A Sand County Almanac” The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust was parcel on the eastern slopes of Mount formed in 2002 as the primary organiza- Abraham purchased in 2002. tion focused on expanding the protected These mountains are two of the last Thank you for Maine corridor of the Appalachian Trail. remaining high-elevation peaks in Maine your support. Currently only one-third (roughly 99 miles) not largely protected through public or of the Trail in Maine has protection beyond conservation ownership. Both mountains the narrow 200 to 1,000-foot wide corridor. possess ecological resources of statewide There is a high possibility that unprotected significance and offer outstanding land close to the Trail will risk clear-cutting backcountry recreational opportunities. -
Maine State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, 2014-2019
ME State Comprehensive Outdoor Recrea on Plan 2014-2019 2014-2019 ME Bureau of Parks & Lands Dept. of Agriculture, Conserva on, and Forestry Maine State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 2014-2019 _______________________________________________________________________________________ Maine State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, 2014-2019 July, 2015 Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) Steering Committee Kaitlyn Bernard Maine Program Associate Appalachian Mountain Club Greg Sweetser Executive Director Ski Maine Association Leif Dahlin Community Services Director City of Augusta Phil Savignano Senior Tourism Officer Maine Office of Tourism Jessica Steele Director of the Outdoor Adventure Unity College Center James Tasse Ph.D. Education Director Bicycle Coalition of Maine Greg Shute Outdoor Programs Director The Chewonki Foundation Dan Parlin President Topsham Trailriders ATV/ Snowmobile Club Al Cowperthwaite Executive Director North Maine Woods, Inc. John Daigle Associate Professor of Forest Recreation University of Maine School Of Forest Management Resources Judy Sullivan Program Director Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation Planning Team Rex Turner Outdoor Recreation Planner (SCORP Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands coordinator, writer) Katherine Eickenberg Chief of Planning and Acquisitions Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands Doug Beck Supervisor of Outdoor Recreation (LWCF Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands program manager) Survey Research Team John Daigle University of Maine Sandra -
Old Speck Mountain Appalachian Trail and Eyebrow Loop – 6.2 Miles Round Trip, Advanced
Old Speck Mountain Appalachian Trail and Eyebrow Loop – 6.2 miles round trip, Advanced ld Speck Mountain, the northeastern terminus of the Mahoosuc Range, has long been a popular O hike along the Appalachian Trail. Here, evidence from the last glaciation is everywhere, and in- cludes scoured bedrock, Speck Pond tarn, erratic boulders and even the massive carved valley of Grafton Notch. While its glacial history is part of what gives the rugged landscape of Western Maine its charac- ter, exposed bedrock and shallow soils, harsh high elevation climate conditions, and catastrophic disturb- ance events have also shaped the variety of vegetation and habitats found here. The forests that have de- veloped are adapted to these unique soil and climate conditions. Temperate northern hardwood forest is prevalent at the base of Old Speck. Deep, fine grained soils devel- oped from the sediment eroded from slopes above, support hardwood species including American beech, yellow birch and sugar maple. Ascending in elevation, harsh climate conditions lead to a change in forest type. Red spruce and balsam fir are increasingly common, and hardwood species diminish. Nearing Old Speck’s peak, even red spruce becomes scarce. Here, heart-leaved-paper birch, balsam fir and scattered black spruce, highly tolerant of harsh weather and frequent disturbance, are the dominant canopy spe- cies. ————————————————————— Trailhead -70.94726, 44.59018 The parking lot offers an excellent view of the cliffs on the east side of Old Speck. From the trailhead, there is a great view of the Eyebrow Cliffs and during the summer one may observe peregrine falcons, a species once extirpated from Maine due to the use of the pesticide DDT. -
State of Maine Department of Conservation Land Use Regulation Commission
STATE OF MAINE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION LAND USE REGULATION COMMISSION IN THE MATTER OF MAINE MOUNTAIN POWER, LLC ) BLACK NUBBLE WIND FARM ) ) PRE-FILED TESTIMONY REDINGTON TOWNSHIP, FRANKLIN ) APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CLUB COUNTY, MAINE ) DR. KENNETH D. KIMBALL ) ZONING PETITION ZP 702 ) I. INTRODUCTION My name is Kenneth Kimball. I hold a doctorate in botany from the University of New Hampshire, a Masters in zoology from the University of New Hampshire and a Bachelors of Science in ecology from Cornell University. I have been employed as the Research Director for the Appalachian Mountain Club since 1983. I have overall responsibility for the club’s research in the areas of air quality, climate change, northeastern alpine research, hydropower relicensing, windpower siting policy and land conservation and management. I was the organizer of the Northeastern Mountain Stewardship Conference, held in Jackson, NH in 1988, co-organizer of the National Mountain Conference held in Golden, CO in 2000 and one of the original founders of what is now the biannual Northeastern Alpine Stewardship Symposiums. I have conducted research on New Hampshire and Maine’s mountains, including on Mount Katahdin, Saddleback, Sunday River Whitecap and the Mahoosucs. I am currently the principal investigator of a NOAA-funded research project titled “Climate and air pollutant trends and their influence on the biota of New England’s higher elevation and alpine ecosystems”, which includes partner organizations the University of New Hampshire and Mount Washington Observatory. I have been involved in research and policy development related to windpower siting in the northeast for over a decade. I have organized and chaired several forums on the need for states to develop windpower siting policy in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and spoken at a number of forums on this need. -
Western Mountains Region Management Plan Executive
Western Mountains Region Management Plan Executive Summary View of Mahoosuc Mountains from Table Rock Maine Department of Conservation Bureau of Parks and Lands January 4, 2011 ii iii iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................ vi I. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 About This Document..................................................................................................................... 1 What Parks and Lands are included in the Western Mountains Region?....................................... 2 II. Visions, Allocations, Issues and Management Recommendations for Parks and Lands in the Western Mountains Region ................................................................................................... 4 Mahoosuc Unit and Grafton Notch State Park ............................................................................... 4 Character and Significance of the Mahoosuc Unit and Grafton Notch State Park................. 4 Vision for the Mahoosuc Unit and Grafton Notch State Park ................................................ 6 Mahoosuc Unit Allocations .................................................................................................... 7 Grafton Notch State Park and Mahoosuc Unit Issues and Recommendations ..................... 10 Rangeley Lake State Park ............................................................................................................