COAST-WIDE EDITION COAST-WIDE FALL ‘20 FALL Maine Heritage MCHT Preserves See More Use Than Ever Before © Courtney Reichert Cousins from Brunswick and Freeport play on Whaleboat Island Preserve before enjoying their first overnight camping experience on an island. For Maine Coast Heritage “I’ve never seen so many people than ever before, including (to Trust land stewards, a nine-to- out on Casco Bay and using name just a couple) uncontrolled five workday isn’t a common our island preserves,” says dogs and left-behind waste. She occurrence during field season. Caitlin Gerber. “Just about seized the opportunity to educate Weather, tides, boat sharing, every available campsite was preserve users in an op-ed in the volunteer availability—there’s in use on any given night and local paper. Earlier in the year, lots of coordination involved, particularly on the weekends.” when COVID-19 hit, MCHT’s and flexibility is essential. That Caitlin would make the rounds on Land Trust Program Director said, it’s also not common for those Saturday nights, checking Warren Whitney gathered a group a land steward to fire up a boat in on campers, ensuring fires were from the conservation community below the high tide mark, and on a Saturday evening to go and state resource agencies to explaining to some that camping check on island preserves, create clear guidelines for safe is limited to designated sites. which is exactly what MCHT’s and responsible use of conserved Southern Maine Regional Land Thankfully, the vast majority lands, which were shared across Steward found herself doing of visitors were respectful. She local land trust and state websites quite a bit this summer. also encountered more problems and various media outlets. CONTINUED INSIDE >> From the President Full of Hope for the Next 50 Years of MCHT This time last year, we were pulling national dialogue around climate together pieces for the fall newsletter change remains roiled, here in Maine, announcing Maine Coast Heritage MCHT got to work, completing Trust’s 50th anniversary. Perhaps one of its most significant salt marsh Tim Glidden you remember it? The cover of that protection projects to date and making edition was a collage of 50 images headway in other efforts to protect ranging from Bold Coast landscapes critical salt marsh systems on the to portraits of smiling kids to hands coast—an initiative that’s sustaining unearthing root vegetables from the integrity of our coastal ecosystems conserved soil. It was bright and and economies in this changing climate. hopeful. I found it humbling and Your MCHT has not slowed down. inspiring to think back on all MCHT has accomplished through decades Since MCHT’s beginning in the year of extraordinary generosity and of the first Earth Day, we’ve been hard work. Equally, I was excited on a mission to keep the coast open, to share MCHT’s vision for 2020 and healthy, working, and beautiful. What the years to come. we do hasn’t changed all that much, Of course, nothing could have prepared but how we do it has certainly evolved any of us for 2020. At best, this year over time, and we continue to evolve has been trying. At worst, devastating. to meet the unique challenges of today Personally, working for MCHT— and tomorrow. working on behalf of this coast and the people who live, work, and play Despite the trials and tribulations here—buoyed me. At every turn, I was of this year, when I think about the reminded of our work to create value: next 50 years of MCHT, my outlook more public access to coastal lands, remains bright and hopeful. I think stronger coastal communities, and a about all the generous people who coast more resilient—more adaptable— love this place, who come together to climate change. to protect and care for it again and again. If you’ve been with us along In 2020, MCHT preserves were busier than we’ve ever seen them, and the the way, thank you. If you’ve been on need for more access to the coast was the sidelines, now’s the time to get in stark. I’m proud to say that as I write the game. If last year’s fall newsletter this, weeks before you’re reading it, was a celebration of the past 50 years, we have completed 26 public access this one is the kick-off to the next 50. projects so far this year. While the Let’s make them count. Preserves Busier Than Ever CONTINUED FROM COVER Across the state of Maine, conserved lands of all kinds MCHT has been working for years to create more saw more use than ever in 2020—from popular state public access to the coast and has come a long way parks to lesser-known community preserves. Andy thanks to generous donors. Over the past six years, Cutko, Director of the Maine Bureau of Parks and MCHT has played a leadership or supporting role in Lands, says use of state parks was up through the 60% of the new coastal access sites added in Maine. summer and didn’t wane in September. “Campground Still, the need for more public access to the coast—and use was 68% higher in September 2020 compared to investments in stewardship to care for that land—is September 2019,” he says. “Much of the increased use evident. Thankfully, through the trials and tribulations was by Mainers.” of this year, MCHT’s work to conserve extraordinary Of course, this increased use is largely due to the coastal lands and islands for public access and keep the pandemic, which restricted travel and limited options coast open has not slowed down. for safe activities. To spend time with friends and family, fight off cabin fever, and find some much- needed social, emotional, and physical reprieve, people took to the outdoors. And what they found delighted them. “Spending time on the coast made this summer, which was otherwise challenging, an extraordinary one for my young daughters,” says Courtney Reichert of Brunswick. “They spent countless hours swimming and playing on the shore.” “I hope that people who discovered land trust lands for the first time this year continue to get out and enjoy them,” says Stewardship Director Jane Arbuckle. “And © Ward Burns for our part, we will continue to look for opportunities One of MCHT’s newer preserves, Lookout Rock in Brooksville, to educate people about safe and responsible use.” saw lots of visitors in 2020. In My Words: Nova Tower NEXT WAVE CO-CHAIR I had been in When my friend Ned posted I come away with more respect Portland for about an insane lobster bake on and admiration for the people less than a a sandbar between the Goslings and work of this organization. month when I Islands, I wanted to know what found my way that was about. I went to my first Lately, I’ve been inspired to to a trail along Saltwater Shindig in 2019. Now, see MCHT preserves stay open the water. I stood in a clearing I’m co-chair of the Next Wave, a to communities through the looking out at the rocky coast and group of young MCHT donors. pandemic, our progress in making the islands of Casco Bay, and I the coast more resilient to climate actually said out loud to myself, “I I love hanging out with other Next Wavers at events like the change, and our organization am never leaving this place.” That engaging in issues of diversity, was eleven years ago. Shindig, but that’s not what pulls me deeper into the organization. equity, inclusion, and justice. Those very islands brought me to Rather, it’s the work we do at Everyone I talk to at MCHT is so Maine Coast Heritage Trust. MCHT. Every meeting I attend, passionate—it’s contagious. LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT INSPIRES NOVA TO BE A PART OF MCHT’S NEXT WAVE AND SUPPORT MCHT’S MISSION TO KEEP THE COAST OPEN, HEALTHY, WORKING, AND BEAUTIFUL AT MCHT.ORG/STORY/IN-MY-WORDS-NOVA-TOWER. Amanda Devine Caring for Newly Conserved Clark Island Preserve The Clark Island beach is busy on a sunny summer day. In July of 2020, Maine Coast Heritage Trust acquired on the west side of the island and the kind of ongoing 120 acres of Clark Island for public access—creating an and constant care and attention a heavily used preserve extraordinary new preserve in the Midcoast. If you’ve requires over time. MCHT now has $70,000 left to raise made a gift to MCHT in recent years, you helped make toward stewardship of Clark Island, to be put toward this happen. trails, water quality testing, increased staff time on the preserve, signage, and major habitat restoration. Already, the island—connected to the mainland by a causeway—is seeing many visitors enjoying the fabulous “Clark Island was heavily disturbed and almost completely beaches and trails. MCHT land steward Amanda Devine deforested during quarrying operations in the nineteenth spent the summer months making improvements to the century and, as a result, invasive plants have choked out preserve, from rejuvenating walking paths to cleaning wildlife-sustaining native vegetation over several areas,” up old dump sites to improving beach access and says Amanda. “To bring back functional native habitat, placing picnic tables in especially scenic spots. MCHT and to do all the other stewardship work there, it’s also conducted a natural resource inventory and began absolutely necessary we raise the remaining funds.” management of invasive plants. Still, there’s a great deal of stewardship work left to do, THANKS TO ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED TO CONSERVE CLARK ISLAND! THOSE INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING ONGOING STEWARDSHIP EFFORTS including one-off projects like additional trail building CAN CONTACT DAVID WARREN AT [email protected].