Blue Hill Heritage TrustCommunity-Based Land Conservation since 1985

We are one! At a special membershipmeeting on March 31, the mem-

bers of The Conservation Trust ofBrooksville, Castine and Penobscot(TCT) unanimously approved a mergeragreement with Blue Hill Heritage Trust(BHHT), and the next day merger docu-ments were filed with the Secretary ofState and the Hancock County Registryof Deeds. These were the final steps in alengthy process by which our Trust ab-sorbed the operations and many of theconservation lands of TCT, which nowno longer exists as a separate organiza-tion.

Discussions with TCT’s leadershipabout the possibility of merging had been

occurring for the last several years, asboth organizations looked ahead to thechallenges of sustaining small organiza-tions and of keeping their promises of per-petual conservation for their lands. Ouroverlapping service areas in Brooksvilleand Penobscot, the demographics of theBlue Hill Peninsula, and our mutual de-sire to continue conservation work at ahigh standard in an age of national landtrust accreditation were keys to the deci-sion to merge. By joining forces, we willbe better able to continue a legacy of ef-fective local land conservation that pro-vides enduring public benefits to thecommunities on the Blue Hill Peninsula.

TCT, founded in 1978 as the Castine

Conservation Trust, wasone of the first local landtrusts to exist in Maineand remained primarilyan all-volunteer organiza-tion. Throughout its 35year history, TCT ac-quired a diverse portfolioof conservation lands thatincluded 34 separateproperties totaling 983acres. Fifteen propertiescame to our Trust as partof the merger; some areshown on this page. Theremainder were trans-ferred to Maine CoastHeritage Trust (MCHT),a statewide land trust which had assistedTCT with many of its land projects.MCHT also played a key role in arrang-ing the merger.

The practical “post-merger” work ofintegrating TCT’s lands, membership,operations and records with BHHT’s is

ongoing and will likely take most of theyear. Two of TCT’s long-time Boardmembers have joined our Board of Direc-tors, which will help with the transition.Meanwhile, we are delighted to welcomeTCT’s former members as new BHHTmembers.

Blue Hill Heritage TrustP.O. Box 222Blue Hill, ME 04614

NONPROFITPRESORT

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

Farmington, MEPermit No. 30

One Land Trust Now Serves the Entire Blue Hill Peninsula

BLUE HILL / BROOKLIN / BROOKSVILLE / CASTINE / PENOBSCOT / SEDGWICK / SURRY SUMMER 2014

Weinland Nature Study Area, Penobscot

Ferry Landing, on the Bagaduce, Brooksville

Greenbie Natural Area, Castine

Hatch Cove, Castine

2014 Annual MeetingMoves to CastineWe will be celebrating The Conserva-tion Trust’s conservation achieve-ments over the last 35 years, andhonoring the people who made ithappen, at our 2014 Annual Mem-bership Meeting on Thursday, August14 from 5:30 to 7 pm at the CastineHistorical Society. It’s always an en-joyable event. Please plan on joiningus!

Fifteen propertiescame to our Trust aspart of the mergers;some are shown onthis page.

BLUE HILL HERITAGE TRUST . 207-374-5118 . P.O. BOX 222, 258 Mountain Road, Blue Hill, ME 04614 . www.BlueHillHeritageTrust.org

Another 141 acres of land at the north end of WightPond in Penobscot is now conservation land. This

land is adjacent to and complements other conservationlands protected by our Trust over the last few years.

Wight Pond and McCaslin Stream, a large water-course that flows into the pond at its northern end, arewildlife rich areas that are important parts of the Baga-duce watershed. The extensive wetlands associated withthe new conservation land support a variety of water-fowl, as well as eagles, wading birds and many other an-imal and bird species. This land is also a place of quiet,natural beauty.

This acquisition was made possible by the North

American Wetlands Conservation Act grant awardedto our Bagaduce River Watershed Project partnershipwith Maine Coast Heritage Trust. It includes 35 acresalong the shore of the pond that remain in private own-ership but are now protected with a conservation ease-ment held by our Trust that prevents future develop-ment. It also includes 106 acres along the western shoreof McCaslin Stream that our Trust now owns. Althoughthe primary purpose of this conservation purchase ac-quisition was to protect valuable wildlife habitat, theland holds the potential for an interesting walking trail,which we are planning to create to add to the collectionof trails that we offer our community.

� OUR BAGADUCE WATERSHED PROJECT, a partnershipwith Maine Coast Heritage Trust, protected the lands shownin light green on the map above with funding from theNorth American Wetland Conservation Act program.

A Planned Giftfrom an Old Friend

We were recently honored to receive thenews that one of our earliest members named usas a beneficiary in his will. Jerry Nickerson wasa long-time summer resident of Brooksvillewhose first wife, Jean, was the foundingPresident of Blue Hill Heritage Trust. ThoughJean died tragically in a car accident in 1991,Jerry remained a steady supporter of our workuntil his death in 2011. By the terms of his will,after the death of his second wife, which recent-ly occurred, we are to receive a percentage ofhis estate. This unrestricted bequest will beadded to our Stewardship Fund to help supportthe long-term care of our conservation proper-ties. We are very grateful for Jerry’s commit-ment and generosity.

CONSIDER NAMING US IN YOUR WILLIf you share Jerry’s deep connection to our Peninsulaand his appreciation for conserving its most significantlands, please consider following his lead and namingBlue Hill Heritage Trust in your will. Contact our officefor more information about bequests or other plannedgiving options.

Bagaduce Watershed141 Acres of Protected Land in Penobscot

Did you know that the arrival in Maine of the inva-sive emerald ash borer, which decimates ash trees,

is imminent? Or that we still do not understand the rea-son for the collapse of bee colonies that are essential tothe pollination of plants? Or that common loons are ex-cellent indicators of water quality, as they require crys-tal-clear water (which makes it easier for them to seeprey underwater) with abundant populations of smallfish?

You would have learned this and lots more, if youwere one of the many people who attended our thirdannual Spring Conservation Lecture Series, organizedin partnership with Downeast Audubon. These talksonce again brought to our community expert informa-tion about some of the things happening in the naturalworld around us.Many thanks toour presenters: Dr.John Daigle (Uni-versity of Maine),Jennifer Neptune(Penobscot Na-tion), Susan Gallo (Maine Audubon), and Dr. FrankDrummond (University of Maine).

On the lookout for the emerald ash borerFollowing the program on the threat to ash trees in our communi-ty posed by the invasive emerald ash borer insect, we offered to hosta “trap tree” on our office property, part of an early detection effortcoordinated by the Maine Forest Service (MFS). According to theMFS, the appearance of the insect in Maine is inevitable, but it isnot inevitable that all ash trees will die; we can slow down the rateit spreads and, with time, biological controls may develop. (Visitour website for more information on the emerald ash borer.)

We are offering ourPassport to the Trailsprogram for children andtheir families again thisyear. Find the letterboxeson 12 of our trails, stampyour passport, and bringit in for a prize. Enjoythe outdoors together!

On Ash Borers,Loons and Bees

� COLLEGE STUDENTS PITCH IN. This group of college students and staff from Plymouth State University recentlyconducted an inventory of tree species at our popular Hundred Acre Wood property as part of an educational project that weare planning for that property.

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Heritage SocietyOur Heritage Society is growing! Special thanks to thesemembers whose major financial support provided coreoperating funds.Norman C. and Maryann

F. AltKate and Gene BarnesMary Barnes and Peter

NeillBecton Family

FoundationPaul G. BirdsallBlue Hill HydraulicsLeonard and Elizabeth

BuckMr. and Mrs. Oliver CarrPeter and Sandy ClappClements Family

Charitable TrustDoug and Posie CowanJoan and Jim DarbyBlaise deSibour and Leslie

ClappJames W. DowJohn F. EdwardsJohn and Janan EppigLaurence B. Flood and

M. Tyler KnowlesFrancis and Louise

Nichols FoundationJohn and Janet FullerMrs. Eugene FurthTerry and Sally GrayPhilip Gwynn and Sarah

PattenHartfield FoundationMrs. Francis W. HatchPeggy and Jon HopkinsNancy and Chalrie

HoppinHans A. HuberEdward L. and Anne

JohnsonEric and Carol JudsonJim and Marsha KannryJeff and Kathy KlofftNicole LawtonSarah Lupfer

James and Diane LyonMacauley and Helen

Dow WhitingFoundation

John and CarolMerrifield

Henrietta N. MeyerSally Mitchell and

Crispin SpencerW. Tabb and Rosaline

MooreTerry and Bebe MoultonJohn H. MurphyJim and Karen NeelKatrina R. ParsonBurton W. Pearl and

Linda M. ElderPrior Family FoundationPatricia QuirkTeresa RankinSusan RichardsonMr. and Mrs. Thomas F.

RichardsonAndrew Rosenthal and

Shari LevineMary Allison RylandsSasco FoundationSusan D. Shaw and

Cynthia StroudThurmond SmithgallRichard R. Storck and

Aletha LanghamEdward Swain, IIIWilliam and Phyllis

TaylorPatrick and Laurie

WardellAnonymous (2)

Thanks to you, our members, 2013 was a re-markable year for our Trust, one rich in ac-

complishment. It’s a hard act to follow, but we arenot going to rest on our laurels.

The merger with The Conservation Trust thatwas legally completed in March, and is reported onelsewhere in this newsletter, will require much at-tention as we work to integrate TCT’s land and op-erations into ours. We will also be completing thefinal land projects that are part of the NAWCABagaduce Watershed Project that we undertookwith Maine Coast Heritage Trust, as well as othernew land projects currently in the works.

As usual there is lots of stewardship to be done,with the workload increased by the 15 propertiesthat came to us as a part of the merger, as well asthe eight new properties we protected last year.Lots of trail work, too, as we care for over twentymiles of trails and plan new trails. We are also onceagain offering a wide diversity of programs thathighlight the wonders of our Peninsula.

Beyond “business as usual,” later this year we aregoing to begin some in-depth planning for the fu-ture. As our Trust approaches its 30th anniversary,we will be taking a hard look at the external envi-ronment in which we operate—community needs,demographics, philanthropic trends, climatechange, to name but a few—as well as our own ac-complishments, structure and capacity. This willlead to some strategic decisions about how ourTrust should move forward over the next 5 to 10years. It is timely and exciting. We will certainlybe asking for our mem-bers’ perspectives. Staytuned! Meanwhile, besure to take time to en-joy the wonderful arrayof conservation landsthat you have helpedmake possible.

What’s Next?Executive Director’s Column – Jim Dow

NewMembersThank you to the following new members for making gifts to our Trust in 2013/2014.

BusinessMembersPlease consider supporting thesebusinesses who generously supportour work.American Sun Electric/Wessel

ElectricArborvine/Deep Water BreweryBar Harbor Bank & TrustBarncastle Inn and RestaurantBlue Hill BooksBlue Hill Co-op Community

Market & CafeBlue Hill Hydraulics, Inc.Blue Hill InnBlue Hill Wine ShopBlue-Zee FarmCadillac Mountain SportsCarl Gilley Landscape DesignDowneast Chapter of Maine

Audubon SocietyEllen S. Best, Attorney at LawElliott & Elliott ArchitectureEBS/Ellsworth Builders Supply,

Inc.Hawkes & QuirkHealing and Expressive Arts

Retreats of MaineHorsepower FarmHouse and Sun, Inc.Hydro-Photon/SteriPENKing Hill FarmKnight Associates, ArchitectsMaiden EnterprisesMainescape Garden ShopMendlowitz PhotographyPanache Interior DesignPyramid StudiosRooster BrotherSeal Cove Boat Yard, Inc.The Borealis Press, Inc.The FirstTradeWindsWanamaker/Raphael Architecture

David and Elise AdamsAnthony Aman and Catherine MorseJohn E. and Lynn S. BakerSi and Lila BalchRainette BannonPhoebe BarnesDiane Bartholomew and James

DoughertyKristina BealFred and Linda BeckAlan and Jane BirkDorothea BlackChristienne BoisvertTom Bolmer and Ellyn MontgomeryRich and Cheryl BouletLindsey and Teo CaninoJoan Carey and Andrew J. BaronPier CarrosTa-Pei and Leslie ChengGertrude and Homer ChisholmJulia Cluett and Bob ShepleyEben and Tara ColbyKathy Crawford and Gene SpinazolaChris Crowley and Hilary CooperJohn D. Curtin, Jr.Estelina Dallett and Alan CohenRick DeckerVicki DietzCastine DowDoug DrownMichael and Gerda DuffyEdward Dufresne and Elizabeth LastaitiWade and Virginia DuymQueene Hooper FosterGinny GerschBenjamin GiffordRichard Goldsby and Barbara OsborneCarol GregorDavid GuarenteDan and Phyllis GueretteTania HannonBente HartmannJonathan HarvellDavid and Susan HatchHewitt and Laura HeisermanEllen LehtoDana and Gigi LeonardLinda Loretto and Larry Schwenk

Kendall LutkinsMargie LutzMeg and Miles MaidenPhillip and Sherry ManionJoan and David MaxwellWilliam McCollumMarcia McKeague and Chris AustinLindsay and Stuart McLeanMr. and Mrs. Kimball McMullinJane McNichol and James ConboyAndrew Miller and Kathryn LordSally Mitchell and Crispin SpencerBurr and Robin O'ConnorSarah O'MalleyKate O'RourkeDick OsgoodDiana Page and Oscar RuizParker-Holtz FamilyMichael Percy and Susan SniderMcKim C. and Linda PetersonBen PfohlDonald and Janet PierceTimothy and Barbara PooleNeal and Jane RechtmanFlo ReedJean SandeckiMartin SavalchakDavid SedgwickWendy ShermanDonald and Shelley SmallAmanda and Bill StantonAmy Steffen and Linda SternCandace and Richard SternTim and Bev StoneRobert and Emily Blair StriblingKaren Swann and Sandy BushPaul SwansonMarie Taylor and Dick TeneyckMr. and Mrs. Lowell S. Thomas, Jr.Trudi ThomasKirk TrabantTim and Gita TreleaseElizabeth and Mikayla TrueCourtney and Greg WeaverWilliams Family FoundationGail Winkler and Roger MossArlene WithamDavid and Rosemary Wyman

Thank You!

George Fields Joins Staffas Associate Director

We are pleased to welcome George Fields to ourstaff as our Associate Director. He has assumed pri-mary responsibility for the management of the con-servation lands that the Trust owns and the conser-vation easements that we hold on privately ownedlands.

A professional geologistwith degrees from SouthernIllinois University andNorth Carolina State Uni-versity, George brings us avariety of skills and experi-ence in the land conserva-tion business. He also bringsknowledge of the local com-

munity and landscape, having lived and worked inthe Blue Hill Peninsula area for the last decade. Wehad applicants from all over the country but werepleased that the best candidate was already livingright here.

80 Species, 17 Hours,17 BHHT Properties

The Jonathan Kingfishers, a hearty team of localbirders, visited seventeen of our conservation proper-ties and identified 80 different bird species during theannual Downeast Audubon Birdathon on May 24.Their day began at 2:30 am on Blue Hill Mountainwith an oven bird and seventeen hours later, after vis-its to Trust properties in Sedgwick, Brooklin, Surry,Castine, Penobscot and Brooksville, ended with awinter wren on Caterpillar Hill. We are grateful forthis confirmation that our lands are great places forbirds (and birders!).

Birdathon:

E-newsReceives Rave Reviews

Are you missing out on the latest exciting news ofland projects, trails, and programs we offer? Stay in-formed by signing up for our monthly e-newsletter.Sign up on our website or send an e-mail toeileen@bluehillheritagetrust.org with your name andcurrent e-mail address.

If you have previously signed up for BHHT’s e-news but are not finding them in your inbox, it maybe because they are being filtered and placed in yourspam or junk folder—or in your “Social” or “Promo-tions” folder in Gmail. Tip: Choose “All Mail” inGmail to see everything that’s been sent to you.

And remember to also check out our Facebookpage for current photos, news and resources of the en-vironment we live in.

BLUE HILL HERITAGE TRUST . 207-374-5118 . P.O. BOX 222, 258 Mountain Road, Blue Hill, ME 04614

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� GSA STUDENTS HELP. George Fields (above) and Membership Coordinator EileenMielenhausen met with GSA students to sign up volunteers for our Trust at the school’s secondannual community service fair.

For details, visit our website or callus. Most events are free and opento everyone. Please contact us topre-register.

Events New Conserved Land on Northern Bay

July 7 � Children’s programGuided Walkwith Charlotte Clews, WeinlandNature Area, Penobscot

July 12Full Moon Hikeon Blue Hill Mountain

July 18Quill’s End Farm Tour,Penobscot

July 19 � Children’s programTide Pool Walkwith Paula Mrozicki,Carter Nature Preserve, Surry

August 2 � Children’s programExploring Bugs with LynnHavsall, Blue Hill Mountain

August 6 � Children’s programStory Walk with Quatie BryanKingdom Woods, Blue Hill

August 9Natural Resources Walk & Talkwith Cathy Rees, Hundred AcreWood, Brooklin

August 12 � Children’s programEarth Science/Nature Walkwith Sarah O’Malley,Snow Natural Area, Brooksville

August 18 � Children’s programUsing All 5 Senses Walkwith Amy Bebell, Snow's Cove,Sedgwick

August 23Horsepower Farm Tour,Penobscot

August 25Stargazingwith Charlotte Clews,Caterpillar Hill, Sedgwick

September 27 � Members only!Mushroom ID Workshopwith David Porter, Blue Hill

September 28Mushroom Walk & Talkwith David Porter, GreenbieNatural Area, Castine

Deep affection for a parcel ofland often leads a landowner to

its permanent protection. That wascertainly true for Carroll Connard,who recently donated a conserva-tion easement to our Trust on histwenty-five acre shorefront propertyon Northern Bay in Penobscot.

The property, where Carroll livesand on which he raises sheep, in-cludes extensive intertidal wet-lands. This section of the BagaduceRiver is noteworthy for its impor-tance to wildlife. Waterfowl, shore-birds, shellfish, seals, osprey, eaglesall abound there, as do a variety ofother creatures along its uplandedges. The property also is remark-ably scenic, with fields running fromthe public road to a border of largeoak and aspen trees along the shore-front.

Placing a conservation easementon the land was something that Car-roll had been planning to do for along time. He had witnessed howownership changes of other nearbyland had led to residential subdivi-sions and knew that he did not wantthat to be the fate of his property.The conservation easement that hegranted prevents future develop-ment yet allows farm-related uses tocontinue.

From our perspective, Carroll’stiming could not have been better.His gift fit in nicely with our Baga-duce Watershed Project partnershipwith Maine Coast Heritage Trust,providing important matching val-ue for the North American Wet-lands Conservation Act grant fundsthat has allowed us to conserveother properties in the watershed.

Blue HillHeritage Trust

We are pleased to report that 100%of our current Board of Directorssupport our work with their finan-cial donations, along with con-tributing many hours of time on ourvolunteer board and committees.

Board of Directors

Mary Barnes, PresidentNorman Alt, Vice-PresidentPamela Johnson, Vice-PresidentTerry Moulton, TreasurerPhyllis Taylor, Secretary

Mitchell Baum, Peter Clapp, Bonnie Copper,Maynard Forbes, Jon Hopkins, Jim Kannry,

John Merrifield, Tricia Quirk,Marjory Read, Joy Richardson

Staff

James W. Dow, Executive DirectorGeorge Fields, Associate Director

Eileen Mielenhausen,Membership Coordinator

Mission Statement

The mission of the Blue Hill HeritageTrust is to conserve land and water ofspecial ecological, natural, agricultural,scenic, cultural and recreational signif-icance in Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooks-ville, Penobscot, Sedgwick and Surry,and to increase public understanding ofthe importance of land and water con-servation.

� DOUBLE PROTECTION. In May we conducted our annual monitoring flight to view our conservations lands, including HuckleberryIsland (shown above) in the Bagaduce River. We recently accepted a conservation easement on this nine-acre island from Maine Coast HeritageTrust as a second layer of protection, an increasingly common arrangement in the land conservation business.

Huckleberry Island

Your contributions make our work possible.

Heritage Society ....$1,000 and upBenefactor ................$500 – $999Conservator ..............$250 – $499Sustainer ...................$100 – $249Supporter .....................$50 – $99Contributor ..................$35 – $49

Please make your check payable to:

BLUE HILL HERITAGE TRUSTP. O. Box 222

Blue Hill, ME 04614

�� Please find enclosed my /our tax-deductible gift of $ ________________

�� I have named the trust in my will.�� Please contact me about bequests and

other planned giving opportunities.�� I / We prefer to remain anonymous.

Name: _______________________________________

Address: _____________________________________

City/State/Zip: ________________________________

Phone: _______________________________________

E-mail: ______________________________________

Stewardship

If you haven’t picked up one ofour new Trail Guides, please do.A wonderful collection of 27places to explore.