Current GRLT News
GRLT Plans Annual Celebration and Members Meeting
On August 22, GRLT members and friends will gather in Cushing at the Antolini property under easement with GRLT, a St. George River site that supports a nesting colony (rookery) of great blue herons. GRLT will conduct its annual business 
meeting of the membership, including a brief look at our accomplishments and revisions to the BYLAWS. We are pleased that Brad Allen and Danielle D'Auria from Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife will speak about shorebirds and herons followed by a potluck picnic. Attendees are asked to bring food to share according to the first letter of your last name, as follows: from A-I a main dish, J-S a salad, and T-Z a dessert. GRLT will provide drinks. Bring your kids, chairs or blankets, and frisbees! (Please leave your pets at home). Come and enjoy the camaraderie with GRLT members, board, and staff on this beautiful property on the St. George River! Directions: From Route 1 in Thomaston, turn south on Wadsworth Street next to the Prison Store. Continue across the green bridge and go approximately 1 mile to McCarter Point Road and turn left. The Antolini property is at the end of the road.
Laura B Spruced Up for Land Trust Celebration
Laura B, the long serving mainstay of Monhegan Boat Line, is getting a new coat of paint just in time for the Georges River Land Trust gala Celebration of the St. George River to be held at Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding in Thomaston on Saturday, June 19, 2010. The Land Trust has chartered the Laura B to take guests at the fundraising event on a tour of the St. George River. The boat trip will cruise down river past the GRLT Riverview Hayfields Preserve and the Paulsen Farm recently conserved through a conservation easement. Don Reimer and GRLT staff will narrate the trip highlighting birds, wildlife, and the importance of conservation along the river.
Every spring, after a winter of taking freight, passengers, and mail to Monhegan Island, the 65-foot Laura B is steam cleaned and carefully inspected by the Monhegan boat crew. They look in every corner and clean, scrape, and repaint the boat to prevent any wood rot and keep this 67-year-old T-boat chugging along. The Laura B has had many jobs in her career. In World War Two, she was a U.S. Army workboat in the Pacific who took heavy damage. The boat was rescued from a scrap fire in 1946 to become a lobster transport between Vinalhaven, Boston, and New York City. Since 1954, the Laura B has operated as a mail boat and transport ferry between Port Clyde and Monhegan Island.
Captain Jeff Delaney of the Monhegan Boat Line welcomes Jane Rasmussen,
a GRLT volunteer, aboard so she can view the painting
and polishing of the Laura B. The much loved craft will
cruise the St. George River as part
of the June 19 Gala Celebration and fundraiser for
the Georges River Land Trust.
The Georges River Land Trust is grateful to Monhegan Boat Lines for also being a sponsor of the event on June 19th. Tickets for the gala celebration may be purchased at GRLT, 8 N. Main Street in Rockland, online at www.grlt.org, or by contacting GRLT at 594-5166.
Bird Poster a Great Gift!
The Georges River Land Trust is pleased to offer a beautiful 12" x 18" print of "Birding at Saint George River." The original watercolor painting was donated by local artist, Gretchen Mead, to benefit the Land Trust's programs. The print features the meandering St. George River from Lake St. George to Port Clyde, and twelve bird and three plant species found in the watershed. Priced at only $20 (plus shipping), this is a beautiful gift for friends and family. Call GRLT at (207) 594-5166 or Email GRLT to order your prints now!
GRLT Celebrates 22 Years
The threat of hurricane Danny passed through our area quickly, so Sunday, August 30, dawned bright and warm. Members, friends, staff, and Board members of GRLT gathered at the Harris easement on the shores of Sennebec Pond to celebrate 22 years of conservation in the Georges River watershed. The views of the pond across the recently harvested blueberry fields were a spectacular backdrop for a brief business meeting. Two retiring Board members were thanked for their service with copies of Come Spring signed by Ann Wardwell, the daughter of the author Ben Ames Williams. Three new Board members were elected by the membership and welcomed to the Board. Everyone brought food to share and it truly was a feast! The Harris' completed the easement with GRLT in late 2008. This beautiful property supports productive blueberry fields and borders wetlands along Allen Brook. Our thanks to the Harris family for sharing this spectacular property with all of us. Click here to see more pictures of this wonderful day
Book Signing with Lee Sligh at the Garden Tour
GRLT is delighted that Lee Sligh has offered to sign her new book, The Ever-Blooming Flower Garden: A Blueprint for Continuous Color, at the 18th Gardens in the Watershed Tour on July 12. She has been a long time supporter of GRLT and continues to be so by being a Garden sponsor again this year as well as offering to donate the proceeds from the sale of her book to the land trust.
Lee compiled this book over seven years and it is a classic for any garden enthusiast with many helpful lists, plant photos, flower catalog and growing information. Lee will be available to sign a copy of her book from 1-3 pm at Garden #5, the Clark Island Wildlife Refuge, where you can also pick up your gourmet bagged lunch and buy several raffle tickets!
and GRLT: Partnering for Conservation
May tire sales will benefit Georges River Land Trust. Alvin and Aaron Chase, owners of Eastern Tire and Auto Service in Rockland, ME, will be helping to conserve May flowers by donating $5 of every May invoice to the Georges River Land Trust (GRLT). Members and supporters of GRLT are encouraged to schedule their auto repair and tire needs for May to benefit GRLT. Earth Day is every day at Eastern Tire since Alvin Chase is currently serving as President of the GRLT Board of Directors. In this capacity, Alvin, together with GRLT Executive Director Gail Presley, are leading the land trust in planning and carrying out conservation programs throughout the St. George River watershed. “Any focus on the future requires commitment to preserving the natural resources and agricultural community that distinguish our area,” states Chase.
Through the generosity of our partnership with Eastern Tire, we are privileged to have the opportunity to invite those who are not members to join our efforts and become a member. Your contribution to permanent conservation will help us achieve a lasting legacy for the St. George River. Thank you!
Visit Eastern Tire and Auto Service at 70 Park Street, Rockland, ME. 207-594-5250.
Annette Naegel, Conservation Program Manager
for Georges River Land Trust on WERU's Talk of the Towns
On April 10,2009, our own Annette Naegel, was a guest panelist on the topic "Topic: Conservation and Public Access." To read about the broadcast and listen to the panel discussion, click HERE to access the Maine Audio Archives of WERU. Once there, to listen click on the small triangle just above the "Audio MP3" button or on that button. The host of the program was Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Björn Runquist Donates Painting
to Benefit Georges River Land Trust
Renowned artist Björn Runquist has donated a beautiful view of the South Thomaston Hayfields to the Georges River Land Trust to be sold for the organization’s benefit. Please click HERE for more information. The painting was the subject of a raffle on June 19, 2010 at the gala celebrating the St, George River.
Georges River Land Trust Conserves Scenic Blueberry Land on Sennebec Pond
Situated along the banks of Sennebec Pond in Appleton, a lovely stretch of productive blueberry lands owned by the Gushee family for generations will now be permanently protected. The Georges River Land Trust recently received a donated conservation easement on 66 acres that will continue to allow farming on the fields while protecting the valuable wetland and wading bird habitat along Allen Brook.
Within weeks of Collin and Kathi Harris purchasing the land this past September, they 
called the land trust to put it in conservation. “It is too valuable a property to see it possibly turned into many house lots and so we wanted to be sure the legacy of this land as productive blueberry barrens remains,” said Mr. Harris. The residence will continue to be an integral part of the property’s use and management by the owners. Their purchase of the land and subsequent decision to conserve it will carry on the long-term stewardship and care of the property by the Gushee family. Kathi is a relative of the family and the blueberry barrens are managed by Nash Farms, another extension of the Gushee family.
The Georges River Land Trust is excited to protect such a prominent stretch of blueberry land along the lakefront that contributes to the local economy. This parcel abuts an additional 8 acres of wetland along Allen Brook owned by the Georges River Land Trust, which compounds the conservation benefits of the donation. According to Annette Naegel, Conservation Project Manager for GRLT, there is tremendous conservation value in linking conserved lands, so the land trust is additionally grateful to the Harris’s for being able to increase the conservation and habitat protection along Allen Brook.
The Harris property is in the heart of the Georges River watershed and is part of a growing base of conserved productive agricultural lands. The land trust now holds easements on 343 acres of commercially productive blueberry land in Appleton and a total of 900 acres of locally owned and managed farmland throughout the watershed.
The Georges River Land Trust's mission is to conserve and steward the natural resources and traditional character of the Georges River watershed region for the public benefit. For more information about the conservation work and programs of the Georges River Land Trust please call (207) 594-5166 or send an Email.
Georges River Land Trust Announces New Executive Director:
Georges River Land Trust (GRLT) is delighted to announce the arrival of Gail Presley as the new Executive Director. Gail comes to GRLT with
over 25 years of experience in conservation. She recently concluded a 22 year career with the California Department of Fish and Game as the statewide Conservation Planning Program Manager. Gail’s program responsibilities included voluntary regional conservation planning with local governments and stakeholders, land protection priorities and strategies, mitigation banking, management of endowments for stewardship of protected lands, building partnerships with other agencies and conservation organizations, and developing new incentive programs to involve landowners in conservation. Earlier in her career, Gail was a field biologist working to conserve and manage wildlife and other sensitive resources such as wetlands and endangered species. Gail can be reached at (207) 594-5166 or by email.
Some Earlier News:
News Archives
Eagles Way: A Family Legacy Preserved in Perpetuity
Local Land Trusts Meet in Montville
Maine Coast Protection Initiative Launched
Eagles Way
A Family Legacy Preserved in Perpetuity
“John Burns and Mildred Burns Wotton. May their memory be held in this peaceful tract of land that they cared for all their lives.” So writes Alice Carroll, niece of Mildred Burns Wotton, who recently transferred title of a magnificent 66-acre wildlife haven in Warren to the Georges River Land Trust. When Conservation Project Manager Annette Naegel first stepped foot on the land with Alice one year ago, eagles soared overhead. It was at that moment that Annette knew the land trust was beginning a special journey.
Shortly before the first visit to the property, GRLT had invited Alice to participate in the Landowner Incentive Program, a federally-funded initiative to purchase development rights on highly sensitive and ecologically important lands. Alice sorted through the best options to ensure the legacy of her aunt and uncle, who gifted the property to her in 1988 thus continuing the 40-year-old family ownership. After careful consideration, Alice decided that the best way to ensure long-term protection of the land was to sell it to GRLT.
Located immediately below White Oak Pond and bounded on three sides by the St. George River, Fuller Brook and North Pond Outlet, this forested wetland is teaming with life and 
natural beauty. Drenched by water converging from these three sources, the property reflects the abundance of food, shelter and habitat of rich wetlands. The forest includes large old specimen Swamp White Oaks, unusual in their size and character. Rare to this part of the coast, this northern hardwood floodplain forest has distinct biological value and habitat characteristics, including rare plant species, diverse waterfowl and birdlife, as well as deer, beaver and other small mammals.
During visits to the property with GRLT, while loons, ducks, and great blue herons rose silently from the water's edge, Alice recounted stories of exploring the land with her family. On one particular late fall day with eagles once again circling overhead, Alice and Annette were greeted by local duck hunters, a true sign that the natural abundance of wildlife provides tremendous opportunity for both hunting and fishing, two long-standing traditions among community members.
GRLT is truly grateful to Alice Carroll and her family for the incredible opportunity to carry on the tradition of local stewardship and traditional use of this magical parcel of land, aptly named by Alice, “Eagles Way Preserve.” The land trust is also most thankful to the funders who made the purchase possible: MBNA Foundation, Norcross Wildlife Foundation, John Sage Foundation, The Nature Conservancy and you, our members.
Exploring Eagles Way with Nancy Sferra of The Nature Conservancy
Local Land Trusts Meet in Montville
It lacked the fanfare of the transcontinental railroad meeting, but was a proud moment nonetheless for two local land trusts. Volunteers from the Sheepscot Wellspring Land Alliance (SWLA) and GRLT met at the half-way point of the new connector path, the Hogback Connector, that joins each group's trail network in Montville.
The trail, originally laid out last spring by SWLA's Buck O'Herin and GRLT's Brendan Curran and Dave Getchell, meanders through a mature stand of mixed hardwoods. About a mile in length, it joins SWLA's 3-mile Bog Brook Loop with GRLT's 6-mile Hogback Loop, the northwesternmost section of the Georges Highland Path. To avoid possible confusion arising from each land trust's use of the familiar blue blaze, the Hogback Connector is denoted by a blue blaze with a white horizontal stripe. Signs mark each end of the connector trail.
GRLT is delighted to enter into partnership with the Sheepscot Wellspring Land Alliance and welcomes hikers to our linked trail system that offers sweeping vistas, prime wildlife habitat and mature forests. Both SWLA and GRLT would like to thank the landowners who gave permission for the trail to cross their land.
Maine Coast Protection Initiative Launched
With leadership support from the Land Trust Alliance, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Maine State Planning Office and National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center and participation from more than 70 organizations, the Maine Coast Protection Initiative (MCPI) was officially launched in June, 2005. The goal of this multi-year, coast-wide program is to increase the pace and quality of land protection by enhancing the capacity of Maine's conservation community to preserve the unique character of the Maine coast for the benefit of the people of Maine and beyond.
In late September, the Land Trust Alliance announced the 10 recipients of the first round of MCPI grants. We are very pleased to report that the Georges River Land Trust was granted $25,000 to further its community-based work in the six coastal towns from head of tide south, including Warren, Thomaston, South Thomaston, Cushing, Owls Head and St. George. GRLT's goal is to continue its work with partner organizations, local leaders and citizens to complete inventories of natural resources, cultural/scenic attributes and working landscapes so that we may have the most complete and community-supported picture of conservation priorities as we move forward together.
The vision of MCPI is expansive and its leaders are poised to help bring significant resources to the coast of Maine over the next three years. Find out more about this important program.
