Woodie Wheaton Land Trust Conservation Notes

Understanding The Work Of Land Conservation Today

—Phil McLellan WWLT has been focused mainly on seeking permanent protection of undeveloped shoreline and forests for the past twenty years. Preventing rampant development was a rallying cry that resonated throughout the conservation and funding communities. It was an opportunity that was captured and much was accomplished. Let's fast forward to today. Preserving and sustaining those past accomplishments remains a constant focus, and protecting natural shorelines is still a very valid goal, however, much of the federal and state funding is essentially drying up due to recent economic and political constraints. These limitations significantly impact funds for land and easement purchases, stewardship, staffing and public outreach. Assessed value of land and waterfront have significantly increased, creating tougher opportunities for "willing buyer-willing seller" real estate transfers to land trusts with limited resources.

Dri-Ki Point Progress Page 5

Education & Outreach Pages 6-7

Issue 10 Summer 2015

Helping Save The Places You Love

"What's rare in this world is a place in nature that remains the same from one generation to the the next. This Boundary Lakes area is such a place, and it's our responsibility to leave it that way." —Elbridge Cleaves

Articles Elbridge Cleaves Steve Keith Phil McLellan Jean Swanson Art Wheaton Dale Wheaton Editors Steve Keith Jean Swanson Design Jean Swanson Photos Bob Ellis Steve Keith Patty Michaud Mike Saunders Art Wheaton

President Elbridge Cleaves

Vice President Arthur Wheaton

Secretary

Jean Swanson

Treasurer John Gaskins

Directors:

Steve Buckingham Jeff Bursaw

Gwen Campos Homer Clough

Brian Higgs Steve Keith

Phil McLellan Steve Mine

Dale Wheaton Shane Wheaton

Woodie Wheaton Land Trust 2 Grove Road, Forest City, ME 04413 www.woodiewheaton.org 207-448-3250 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Non Profit Org US Postage

PAID Permit # 1425235

Brookton, ME

(…continued on page 2)

Keeping a balance between human needs and the requirements necessary for natural resource preserva-tion continues to be the focus of land trust activity. Encouraging and supporting private landowner charitable donations of land and easements is more critical than ever to the work of conservation. Acting as a facilitator for real estate transfers to the public domain or becoming the actual deed or easement holder, land trusts preserve some of the most important remaining natural resources in the state. Conservation funding from foundations and private individuals is still very much alive and well. Fundable projects, however, require numerous public benefits and must preserve significant wildlife habitat, wetlands, water quality, fisheries and/or public access as well as focusing on scenic values and natural shore lands. A while ago I was asked by the Board to flag conservation opportunities on East Grand that might be of future interest to the Trust. What's important to know is that the conservation world is changing, and the ways we have to look at these lands is becoming a bit more complicated.

Targeted areas for land trust involvement range from vista and natural shoreland preservation, along with securing permanent public access and outdoor recreational opportunities, to protection and steward-ship of large areas of ecological significance for flora, fauna, air, and water quality. Education and outreach to the general public and active community involve-ment are more important than ever. Education pro-grams for the public at large have become more cen-tral to WWLT’s mission. Success now requires a marketing strategy based on a positive "for something" message rather than an "against something" approach. Bottom line, the busi-ness of land conservation is changing. Good public relations, long-term strategic land conservation and financial planning, partnering to pool resources, a lean professional staff, and a solid base of members and volunteers are just a part of the fundamentals of conducting land conservation in today's challenging environment. New directions in cooperative work, general con-servation education for public awareness, use of (GIS) technology, and rethinking funding sources are the major areas where organizations are striving to meet these new realities. With your support WWLT will continue to pursue its mission whatever the cli-mate, but staying abreast of change is going to be vital to our continued success.

The Shifting Landscape Of Land Conservation (…continued from Page 1)

How to approach the opportunities presented in these numbers is different today than it has been in the past. Public funds to support local projects have all but disappeared. Foundations and individual do-nors are now much more important players in these transactions, and the demand is such that they can focus sharply on projects that best fit their interests. The tool chest for land conservation continues to involve donations of land and/or easements, purchas-es of development rights, and fee simple acquisitions, all which form mosaics of private, public, and land conservation areas shaped in part by land trust in-volvement.

A Look At The East Grand Shoreline By The Numbers**

• Just under a quarter of the shoreline is now developed, con-sisting mainly of the seasonal communities whose residents are drawn by the beauty and the extraordinary natural assets of the area. • Around 3% is now permanently protected, consisting largely of Maine IF&W holdings and a portion of the New England Forest-ry Foundation’s Sunrise Easement that extends to the southern-most part of East Grand. • Nearly 60% of the shoreline is in the hands of “conservation-minded owners.” These lands aren’t protected, but they aren’t on the development block either, and may well migrate in the direc-tion of permanent protection. They include the Weston points and the major piece of Greenland Ridge that changed hands last year. • The balance of East Grand shore lands (around 15%) is pri-vately owned and mostly in small parcels. Some of these have been held and stewarded by families for generations, valued for their resources and beauty.

Regional conservation partnerships are currently receiving attention. There are joint efforts by land trusts and similar organizations to conserve land and resources across a broad landscape. The focus is on important resources and corridors that link them, as well as their place in local economies. I recently saw a map of existing and potential partnerships in New England and was struck by the absence of any east of the I-95 corridor above Bangor. "There's a huge hole, " stated Elbridge Cleaves, noting a circle he had drawn between Baxter State Park and New Brunswick labeled ‘the hole in the donut.’

The Chiputneticook Lakes are a major link across a good portion of that area. East Grand lands offer an opportunity to extend the past successes on Spednic and the Sunrise Easement in a northerly direction. Some of the private holdings on East Grand are key pieces that link to protected lands or contain important resources.

Interested owners and creative funding structures, based on appealing to the broader value of these hold-ings, are likely what it will take to realize their long term protection. East Grand may also offer opportunity of another sort. Today there are multiple conservation groups (KIG, CLIC, TCF) and interested owners focused on the future of the lake and its surroundings. Shifts in the regional economy have many residents looking harder at the value of conservation and a wide range of out-door activities. Building a coalition of these folks in support of conservation initiatives, given the economic realities we’re all facing, may be the best way to real-ize the conservation opportunities that lie before us.

East Grand Lake from Million Dollar View Area

Since 1948 our long time-friend and founding WWLT board member, Bob Kay, spent his summers along Spednic Lake; deeply rooted on land once owned by his grandfather. He and Judy with their Labrador retrievers loved the pristine shoreline, private solitude and vistas from their beautiful cabin. This is a special place folks dream about that is tucked on the slope behind one of Woodie Wheaton’s favorite fishing haunts, “Clark’s Bar”. Bob taught English at Brookwood School for thirty years, preceded by teaching and coaching assignments at The Marvelwood School and Lawrence County Day School. A passionate educator with a Master’s Degree in Education and English, he engaged Leslie College to adopt a Master’s Degree Program which con-sisted of equal parts practical experience at Brookwood and academically-based training at Leslie. The program posi-tively impacted the lives of 363 interns over twenty years. His proficiency and contributions have resulted in continued contact with many stu-dents, years after their graduation. As a conserva-tionist, Bob was a fixture around Forest City and a dedicated volunteer who worked diligently on a success-ful project educating a cadre of about thirty people from the Land for Maine’s Future Board and the State of Maine about the importance of protecting the St. Croix River from Forest City to Grand Falls. Along with Pete Pipines, Lance Wheaton and their wives, he was an important mover and shaker to con-serve the pristine 488-acre Booming Out Ground Forest adjacent to Mud Lake Falls.

A Tribute to Bob Kay Additionally, at a time when development around the Chiputneticook Lakes raised urgent concern for the future of the woods and waters, a decisive Woodie Wheaton Land Trust board meeting was held on the porch of Bud Brooks’ camp. When the board was asked for input on conservation priorities, Bob was the first to raise his hand to say, “We have to save Spednic”. Often a “Silent Sam” who listened intently, but when he had something to say, you had better

listen. It was a call to action that ultimately yielded great conservation work, and saving it we did! His support in 2008 to purchase Greenland Is-land in East Grand Lake and restore it to its natu-ral character demonstrated more of his long-standing commitment to the area. The very next year, finishing the job, Bob and Andrew Brooks led board volunteers, armed with garbage bags, shov-els, and rakes, to clean up decades-old bottles,

rusting cans and iron, then toted them by canoe and pickup to the Danforth dump. But respective of all his notable contri-butions, “Bubba” as he was fondly called,

was a well-regarded member of the Forest City guide corp. He loved being on the lake and took the guiding respon-sibilities seriously, including complete preparedness, finding fish, and delivering

a memorable day for his sports. The guests liked him. Even as he battled serious illness, his tough

constitution kept him going. Shortly after Christmas on Feb-ruary 15, 2015, after a fall and hospitalization, Robert Nicholls Kay crossed the great divide, and we lost our good friend, WWLT Treasurer for twelve years, and Maine Guide. Along with his wife Judy, stepsons Judson and Par-ker, grandchildren Ali and Max, we will miss his counsel, his personal visits and his waves from the turned-down win-dow of his Chevy pick-up…for he was part of the fabric of “Good Ol Forest City”.

—Art Wheaton

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**(as calculated by WWLT from public data).

Phil McLellan is a Woodie Wheaton Director and currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Trust. He works in environ-mental planning and project management for the State of Con-necticut.

“Good Fires Make Good Friends."

—Gene Hill

“Share an inspiring and compelling vision about the rea-son what you’re doing matters; people will embrace it. It’s not enough to tell about the great work you’ve done or are doing or burying people with numbers, statistics, and graphs.”

Internationally renowned non-profit writer and speaker —Phil Cooke

This statement reminded me of a lifetime devoted to forestry, where biometrics reigned and a career thrived because it was sustained by a deep love of Maine’s woods and waters—a love cultivated from traipsing many a forest mile behind a true Maine woodsman and fishing trips with a father who stole precious time away from the rigors of providing for a family in rural northern Maine. Those great memories of hunting with “Uncle Sandy” and fishing with Dad transcend reams of information and many hundreds of data points. Such is the heart and soul of conservation: Board and officer succession, staffing, organizational development, strategic conservation planning and fund raising are what a land trust must do to be successful. BUT it is deep per-sonal connection through life’s experiences that leads one to believe that what we are doing matters. It may seem that “birding” for spring warblers, leading a canoe trip to some quiet part of nature, sponsoring mid-dle school outings, presenting in local high schools, earn-ing a youth membership in the Mickey Finn Club, devot-ing a summer speakers series to topics on nature and the environment, and investing many volunteer hours and dollars in outdoor community events for youth are all far removed from the real work of conservation. For me, hunting and fishing was just as natural as the love of the woods and waters by my mentors. So which outdoor experiences are truly natural occur-rences in the lives of our youth of today? And who will be their mentors? Whether our place in Eastern Maine is home or a sanctuary, it is truly a special place where stewardship and the work of conservation are nurtured and sustained by a deep love of Maine’s woods and waters. My hope is that each of you see yourself as a full partner in what the Woodie Wheaton Land Trust is doing, and that it matters. —Elbridge Cleaves

Message From The President

The landscapes and heritage we cherish here in Maine are only a part of our life because of those who came before us. How will you be remembered? Your planned gift to the Woodie Wheaton Land Trust helps to ensure that the next generation will enjoy these spectacular places of natural and cultural significance. Estate planning enables each of us to make a lasting statement about the lands and waters we cherish.

"Into the Light"-by Artist & Former WWLT Director, Judy Saunders

Gifts of long term appreciated stock, mutual funds, or real estate provide a tax-efficient way to make a lasting contribu-tion, while avoiding capital gains tax and reducing federal income tax. Arrangements should be made before the sale of securities.

A gift that is transferred after death by will or trust. A specified amount can be directed to WWLT by way of a codicil to an existing will. • Naming WWLT as a Beneficiary This option is naming WWLT as a beneficiary on a life insur-ance policy, with the proceeds offsetting an estate tax chari-table deduction, and/or specifying the Trust as a beneficiary of a 401K or IRA. • A Life Income Gift Making an irrevocable gift of cash, securities or real estate to WWLT and receiving income, fixed or variable. A fixed in-come option would be a Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust, while a variable income option is called a Charitable Remain-der Unitrust. • A Charitable Lead Trust This is an immediate gift to WWLT, while ultimately transfer-ring assets such as cash, stocks and artwork for a set term of years, which will significantly reduce gift and estate taxes.

What will the landscape look like to future generations? Your benevolent, planned gifts today, will ensure clean water-ways, intact ecosystems, healthy wildlife populations, and ample outdoor recreation opportunities for those you love.

Consult your financial or tax advisor to establish the planned gifts that are most appropriate. Our communication with you is strictly confidential and without obligation.

Planning Today For Tomorrow

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Our Maine Guide Heritage - A Tradition That Matters

Maine's impressive diversity of fish and game, forests and clear waters make it a favorite destination for hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. Here in Forest City, hunting and fishing are more than a sport—they are an integral part of the outdoor tradi-tion as well as the local economy. Ruth and Woodie Wheaton built their sporting camps in the early 50's, utilizing Maine Guides to help veteran and novice anglers and hunters alike, enjoy their visits.

"The profession brings with it responsibility, planning, knowledge, and commitment to giving your 'sport' a solid day's effort, the best you know how, in order to find fish or game and create a memorable experience. Your guide is up before dawn preparing to meet you after your breakfast. He's already taken into consideration the wind’s speed and direction, the weather, and the expertise and expectations of his 'sports'. He'll meet you with lunch basket in hand, a full tank of gas, and a thoughtful plan for the day," states Art Wheaton, a Trust director, Registered Maine Guide and author, in his article “Woodie Wheaton, Grandest of Maine Guides.”

Left to right: John Gaskins, Andrew Brooks, Dave Hentosh, Gil Penny, Earle Bubar, Homer Clough, Dale Wheaton, Paul Laney, Mark Danforth, Butch Meyers , Art Wheaton

The guides provide a connection to the past and to a simpler way of life. They travel with full cooking gear, a handful of dry wood and a selec-tion of miscellaneous items you may have forgot-ten. They can build a campfire in the pouring rain and rustle up a shore lunch with steaming hot guides’ coffee in short order. This has been a guiding tradition in Washington County for well over a hundred years. The State of Maine began licensing Profes-sional Maine Guides in 1897, and the Whea- tons have been guiding for three genera- tions. Every guide must pass both a written and oral exam. Maine has some of the most rigorous stand-ards in the nation. “Guiding is our heritage and continues to be a huge part of our culture. These natural, undeveloped places are 'our world,' and they're very special to us," says Dale Wheaton, fifty-year Registered Maine Guide and a Trust director.

The Land Trust was formed in 1994 when the guide corps realized that their world was threatened by development. Protection began along Mud and Spednic Lake shorelines and continues to this day along East Grand Lake. The Trust relies on the eyes and ears of the guides who spend every day on the water in their green, square-sterned Grand Lakers and have an intimate knowledge of the area. The guides, on their own time, also fulfill a stewardship role in maintaining the day use campsites, which are open to the public. Often, on their day off, they will do clean-up at the lunch sites and repair or replace a broken table or bench. As stewards and ambassadors, they spend each day with "sports from away," most of whom embrace the same values and feel passionate about maintaining the unspoiled vistas and shorelines for present and future generations.

This region's beauty is truly special and the quiet atmosphere will nourish your soul. The fall colors

are bright, the smell of the pines is sweet, and the lake water is clear enough to drink, but it's our local guiding heritage that makes WWLT unique. Today, Maine Guides are recognized for their professional-ism, their knowledge of the outdoors, and their ability to develop the kinds of winning relationships that keep visitors coming back. It’s easy to understand why 'folks from away' have travelled here for decades, building friendships and memories that last a lifetime.

Homer Clough, Mike Langelutig, Paul Laney, Andrew Brooks, Dale Wheaton, Bud Brooks, Mark Danforth, Gil Penny, Susan (Wheaton) Hurd, Earle BuBar, Front: Art Wheaton, Butch Phillips, Dave Hentosh

Lance and Woodie 1990

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• A Gift of Appreciated Assets

• A Charitable Bequest

Baskahegan Canoe Trip

Join us for a relaxing day on the water Saturday, August 22nd. The trip will leave from the Baskahegan landing in Brookton, ME at 8 a.m. Registered Maine Guide, WWLT board member, and Brookton native, Homer Clough will lead this trip along Baskahegan Stream. This is a good place to see a moose. We'll paddle across the lake, go thru Gordon's Gut, around the dam, through Hell's Rapids, and come out in Danforth. This beautiful country is owned and cared for by the Baskahegan Company, known for their exemplary forest management. Bring your lunch, plenty of water, sunscreen, a hat, life vest, and a canoe or kayak, or reserve a traditional wood/canvas canoe from the Upham collection at the Land Trust building. This will be a great opportunity to see plentiful wildlife. The rain date will be on August 23rd. Please pre-register by calling the Trust office at 207-448-3250.

Please help us with the Dri-Ki Point acquisition or our Outreach and Education efforts such as the Mickey Finn event by making a tax deductible donation to WWLT.

Your support is greatly appreciated.

Join us on Friday, July 10th from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for a trip to see this outstanding wildlife habitat. We'll depart from the Orient border crossing and will be towing canoes and kayaks via Grand Lakers to Greenleaf Brook, where we will transfer to traditional canoes for the journey upstream. A traditional guides' lunch will be provided. Bring sunscreen, hat, binoculars and camera. Rain date will be Saturday, July 11th. This trip is open to the public and pre-registration is re-quired. Call the Land Trust office at 207-448-3250.

Aerial View -The Narrows A Riparian Avian Sanctuary Scarlet Tanager Olive-Sided Fly Catcher

Supreme Court Justice William Douglas, upon his first visit to Baxter State Park, described the Maine Woods as a “haunting melody.” This aptly portrays the spruce fir forest as you enter the headwaters property from Route 1 in Amity. With a total of 6,606 acres, the headwaters forest has nine miles of frontage on Monument Brook—the international boundary, and fourteen miles of frontage on eight brooks—many of which hold native brook trout. A 1,623-acre historic deer wintering area is located within the forest and continues south into Conservation Fund lands that will be owned by the state this spring and managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for whitetail deer. Hundreds of acres of sedge meadows abutting Monument Brook are breeding grounds for rare species of birds as evi-denced in a survey conducted by Dave Evers of Biodiversity Research Institute in 2011. With Maine Guide John Gaskins, Dave identified over sixty bird species, including many rare olive-sided flycatchers at the confluence of Greenleaf and Monument Brooks. A well-constructed and maintained road network traverses the property. The forest was heavily cut within the last

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Field Report September 16, 2014

Amity-Monument Headwaters Forest

Join Us To Experience Monument Brook

Each colored box on the map represents, to some degree, a differing riparian habitat which translates into an ever changing mix of flora and fauna especially the mix of bird species as one progresses upstream and as the sedge meadow areas grow narrow and then widen out and narrow again.

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Canoe Trip To The Booming Out Ground Ecological Reserve

Pack your lunch and join Steve Keith, a WWLT Director, on Tuesday, June 16th for a flat water paddle from Spednic Landing to our lunch site at the base of stunning Mud Lake Falls. You may see beaver, mink or otter along the way, as well as eagles and loons. Funds from the Land for Maine’s Future Program, along with your generous dona-tions save this 488-acre parcel. Working to-gether, the Booming Out Ground was con-served and ownership conveyed to Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. More recently it was designated by the Maine Natural Areas Program as an ecological reserve. The Booming Out Ground is a late succes-sional forest (trees over one hundred years old) with significant waterfalls, two Abanaki portages, and a fascinating history of how it was saved from the chainsaw in recent times. The name, Booming Out Ground, re-fers to an area where 19th century log drivers established a collection point. The logs, tied together with chains, acted as a corral of sorts, so they could be towed down Spednic Lake. Steve will discuss the importance of the Booming Out Ground and the adjacent forest ecosystem.

Come meet other community members and visitors. Enjoy the incredible beauty of the 150-200 year old trees, which create a natural canopy for many species of ferns, moss, lichen and fungi. Smell the pines and observe the swiftness and the drop of the water through the rapids. Bring your binoculars and look for black-backed wood-peckers, who only live in this type of late successional habitat. This trip is open to the public. We will be leaving the Land Trust Center at 9 a.m. and returning around 2 p.m. Please pre-register by calling the Trust's office at 207-448-3250. Rain date is Sunday June 17th.

In early 2014, WWLT was able to purchase Dri-Ki Point, in Spednic Lake’s beautiful mid-section. Having an interest in this property for many years, we were rather suddenly able to reach a deal with the landowner. Baskahegan Company, long-term stewards of the parcel, understood its important public value. They agreed to sell in order to trans-form that land value into commercial timberland, but con-summation of the transfer was time-sensitive. From the Trust’s perspective, total project cost was esti-mated at $127,000. This was comprised of a property price of $92,000, acquisition/administrative costs of $10,000, and $25,000 toward future stewardship expenses. The Trust was already operating under a tight budget, and had no cash reserve to draw upon. The Board saw the acquisition as extremely important, and the opportunity fleeting. We borrowed the funds from Machias Savings Bank and bought it, knowing very well the challenge of paying the outstanding debt. Our members have generously stepped up to address our obligation. Anchored by a major gift from the Sam and Betty Shine Foundation (Sam and Betty are Hoosiers with an affection for Spednic smallmouths.), many have re-sponded to our recent appeals. Thank you!

As of May 1, 2015, the outstanding balance due on the note is $11,167. The acquisition costs—legal, appraisal, administrative, interest—have been borne internally by the WWLT operations budget. The stewardship component remains unfunded. Dri-Ki is one of those special gems, protruding northward into a vast landscape of conservation lands. The view across sparkling waters and rock-strewn shorelines to for-ested hills in both Maine and New Brunswick, unbroken by human insult, extends 270 degrees and many miles distant. To visitors, it is breathtaking, not measureable in dollars. During WWLT’s conservation tour last September, partic-ipants were able to experience Dri-Ki Point first hand, and readily understood why sporting camps once graced the strategic site.

Spednic Lake: Dri-Ki Point, Muncie Cove, Muncie Point

Your Board of Directors is committed to cleaning up the Dri-Ki debt in 2015. We just need a few more dollars. We ask for your help to put this to bed, and to make a down-payment toward future stewardship expenses. This will re-move our current financial burden, and help cover our con-tinuing responsibilities of ownership. And if you get a chance, come visit this neat place! —Dale Wheaton

(…field report continued from page 4) decade, but is recovering quickly because of the fertile soils, identified by Maine Farmland Trust to be of Statewide Importance. The headwaters property is an ideal candidate for wild-life habitat improvement and secondarily a future source of income from high-value softwood timber. Recreational op-portunities abound, including hunting, fishing, wildlife ob-servation, kayaking and canoeing. Developing a few primi-tive canoe access sites along Monument Brook would pro-vide a first-class day trip experience. Preserving public ac-cess to these lands will foster goodwill between local com-munities and conservation interests. A site visit on September 8, 2014 to Monument Brook by way of Grand Laker canoe from North Lake to Clark Brook took us through hundreds of acres of sedge meadows with an expansive view of the horizon. This is what Elbridge Cleaves and I saw: flocks of black and ringneck ducks, nu-merous bald eagles, over a dozen kingfishers, a pair of otters with cub, an American bittern and a bull moose that wanted a canoe ride.

Having paddled most of the flat-water rivers in Eastern Maine over the last forty-five years, I believe Monument Brook is among the best. With its outstanding wildlife habitat, recreational attributes, and ability to produce income from timber harvesting, the headwaters forest is an ideal candi-date for conservation ownership and stewardship. Monument and its eight headwater brooks are the fertile lifeblood of East Grand and Spednic Lakes, the St. Croix River, and ulti-mately Passamaquoddy Bay. —Steve Keith

Dri-Ki Point: Good Progress Reported

Post Script March 26, 2015: Efforts in 2014 and early 2015 to se-cure sufficient capital for an outright acquisition by WWLT of the Amity-Monument lands were unsuccessful. Steve Keith and El-bridge Cleaves remain committed to work with the landowner to find a conservation outcome for some or all of the Monument Headwaters Forest.

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Making An Impact...

Taking Conservation On The Road This past year the Trust has been working behind the scenes by taking our conservation education power point presentation into the local schools. WWLT Administrative Director, Patty Michaud and 2014 summer intern, Anna Rickard, visited the fifth grade class at Hodgdon Mills Pond School, where they presented a kid-friendly version of our conserva-tion power point combined with an interactive session with questions and answers. Elbridge Cleaves and Steve Keith presented and discussed the same concepts in the East Grand School in Danforth, ME. Visits were also made to students in grades 6-8 at Topsfield School with author Tim Caverly who discussed some of his children’s books set on the Allagash River. WWLT donated a book to the school and the students discussed the importance of conservation.

Partnering With CLIC

The third week of May will usually find area students at the Orient Thoroughfare with buckets and clipboards, stocking small salmon fry that have been raised by the students. Chiputneticook Lakes International Conservancy's [CLIC] school salmon-raising program raises awareness among the children about ecology in and around the Chiputneticook Lakes area. Large aquariums—complete with water chillers—are installed in five classrooms in local schools in Houlton, Hodgdon and Danforth. The schools are supplied with salmon eggs that are hatched in the aquariums by the students and then released back into the lake by participants during a school trip to East Grand Lake. Students develop skills in environmental and biological sciences, observation and data collection, planning, organiz-ing, decision-making, environmental stewardship, teamwork, and leadership. The Land Trust provides demonstrations and hands-on learning for fly tying and fly casting. This year the children will have the opportunity to identify both warm and cold water fish species. CLIC provides a picnic lunch for the children and volun-teers to enjoy. The date is yet to be determined for this May. Please check our website at www.woodiewheaton.org for more info.

...Inspiring The Next Genera on 2nd Annual Mickey Finn Day

"This is the best day of my life!" commented one young participant at last year's event. Join us again on Satur-day, July 18 at Rideouts Lodge in Weston, ME, rain or shine, for a day of learning and fun as part of our Out-door Heritage & Conservation Education Program. This event is free for families with youngsters ages 3-15, and is made possible by donors who share our vision for in-spiring the next generation. Join us to see firsthand the impact your financial sup-port to WWLT has on the lives of todays youth. The chil-dren will again learn outdoor skills at several interactive stations and will also enjoy kayak races, big splash and coloring contests, as well as a fishing completion, fly-tying streamer clinic, fundamental canoeing skills, and a hotdog lunch. Please pre-register for this event by calling the Land Trust Office at 207-448-3250.

Waiting For The Big One!

The East Grand Adventure Race WWLT is proud to partner with East Grand School again this year to help sponsor the twenty-mile race, which is open to the public. Dave Conley, course instructor and Maine Guide, said " the outing class has been teaching outdoor skills and leadership for fourteen years as a way to encourage youths to spend more time outdoors, learn life skills, even sur-vival skills." The adventure race, now in its fifth year, increases the students' exposure to the woods, encouraging both participation and competition. The school provides the mountain bikes and canoes for the multi-sport race that has been dubbed a "mini Eco-challenge". Last year sixty-four participants (including adults and high school students, many traveling long distances) competed in this grueling adventure competition. They ran more than a mile through a thick wooded area, rode mountain bikes more than nine miles over rough terrain, and paddled a nine-mile stretch of the Baskahegan Stream and Crooked Brook Flowage.

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2015 Woodie Wheaton Land Trust Summer Speakers Series/Field Trips

Friday, May 29 WILD BROOK TROUT Retired IF&W Fisheries biologist Forrest Bonney will discuss a wide range of topics including genetic sampling of wild brook trout from thirty drainages throughout the state, stream surveys and habitat restoration projects, standardization of brook trout fishing regulations, and renewal of brook trout hatchery stock. 7:30 p.m. at the WWLT Center

Saturday, May 30 BIRD WATCHING AT THE BOOMING OUT GROUND Join naturalist Marion Bates as we look for migrating and nesting warblers, rare Black-Backed woodpeckers, and Scarlet Tanagers. 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meet at the WWLT Center. Bring lunch. Pre-register with the office at 207-448-3250 or info@woodiewheaton.org

Tuesday, June 16 MUD LAKE FALLS CANOE TRIP Flat water paddle from Spednic landing to the base of the falls. Steve Keith will lead this trip and discuss the importance of the Booming Out Ground late-successional forest ecosystem. Meet at the WWLT Center. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring lunch. Traditional wood/canvas canoes can be reserved or bring your own canoe or kayak. Pre-register with the office 207-448-3250 or info@woodiewheaton.org

Friday, July 10 MONUMENT BROOK CANOE TRIP Jointly sponsored by WWLT and CLIC, we will depart from Orient in Grand Laker canoes, towing double-enders and kayaks to Greenleaf Brook and paddle north to the wildest place in the watershed. Great wildlife viewing opportunities. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guides lunch provided. Traditional wood/canvas canoes can be reserved or bring your own canoe or kayak. Pre-register with the office at 207-448-3250 or info@woodiewheaton.org

Friday, August 21 TROUT, SOME GREENS, AND A CHARGE OF BEANS!

ANOTHER EVENING IN RHYME! A lively evening of unpublished verse with a distinctly local flavor, long hidden in dusty attics and old shoeboxes, again shows how folks in other times loved and laughed like us. 7:30 p.m. at the WWLT Center. This was a hit in 2013

Thursday, June 25 STATE OF THE FISHERY Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife regional biologist, Nels Kramer, will discuss the sport fishery of East Grand and Spednic lakes. Nels has worked as a full-time biologist out of the Enfield office for thirty-three years. With his staff of biol-ogists, they manage fisheries for landlocked salmon, brook trout, togue, small-mouth bass and other species of interest, as well as their habitats. 7:30 p.m. at the WWLT Center

Saturday, August 22 BASKAHEGAN STREAM CANOE TRIP Registered Maine Guide, WWLT board member and Brookton native Homer Clough will lead this trip along Baskahegan Stream. Bring your canoe, kayak, or reserve a traditional wood/canvas canoe from the Upham collection. Good chance to see a moose. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring lunch. Pre-register with the office at 207-448-3250 or info@woodiewheaton.org

Friday, September 11 HEIRLOOM APPLES Join pomologist John Bunker of Palermo, Maine for a talk about the history of apples in Maine and their importance to the self-sufficient farms that were common across the state until recent times. For over forty years John has been identifying, grafting, and cultivating rare apple varieties on his farm in Palermo. 7:30 p.m. at the WWLT Center.

Sunday, August 9 ANNUAL MEETING Join us for excellent food, election of officers, and entertainment by singer Dick Kaufmann. A Washington D.C. native, Dick worked with Tony Bennet’s music director, Lee Musaker and produced a CD “Just in Time” in 2005. He will sing works by Ben-nett, Sinatra, and their contemporaries. Everyone is welcome! Refreshments. 1 p.m. WWLT Center*

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Saturday, September 12 HEIRLOOM APPLE TOUR On Saturday, we will go with John on a tour of old orchards beginning at the WWLT Center in Forest City, ME and continuing to Forest City NB; Fosterville NB; Orient, Weston, and Brookton, ME. Bring any varieties you wish and John will try to identify them. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring lunch. Pre-register with the office at 207-448-3250 or info@woodiewheaton.org

Saturday, July 18 SECOND ANNUAL MICKEY FINN DAY Join us again at Rideouts Lodge in Weston, ME (rain or shine) for a day of learning and fun as part of our Outdoor Heritage & Conservation Education Program. This is a free event for families with youngsters ages 3-15. The children will learn outdoor skills at interactive stations as well as participate in many activities for chances at great prizes. Hot dog lunch will be provided. 10-2 p.m. Pre-register with the office at 207-448-3250 or info@woodiewheaton.org