Farmland Conservation in Washington County
Protecting existing farms and creating opportunities for new farmers to continue stewarding this land is a key factor in expanding Washington County's capacity for a sustainable, local foods system.
Washington County Food Alliance presents:
Farmland Conservation in Washington County
Protecting existing farms and creating opportunities for new farmers to continue stewarding this land is a key factor in expanding Washington County’s capacity for a sustainable, local foods system.Speaker John Piotti from Maine Farmland Trust will present on this subject. Please join us in this opportunity to gather resources, get to know our farming community, re-energize, re-inspire, and participate in an important discussion.
What: An Evening Discussion and Presentation
When: March 7th, 2012
Where: Princeton Grange #293
596 West Street
Princeton, Maine
Time: 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Who: Food concerns everyone- please come! Table space for brochures and product display will be available. Homemade local snacks are always welcome too!
For more information, please contact Dana Stevens at dana.stevens@foodcorps.org, 603.809.9231
American Bald Eagle
Saturday, February 18, 2012 (Map 45, Washington County)
I turned around after watching my 11 year old friend Victoria pull her 19″ small mouth bass out of the ice to see Tammy pointing. “Oh my God, look!” This American bald eagle had landed on the ice only 100′ behind us. It slowly made its way over to the pickerel. We were happy to let it have the fish.Tammy gathered the rest of our fish and hid them under a JetSled.
An American bald eagle stole a pickerel from ice fishermen.
It seems someone has been feeding the eagles on a regular basis. I’ve never been near eagles that were as comfortable with people as two of the four we saw. I had my camera in hand already so, in jeans and long johns, no ski pants because it was a warm day, I stretched out on the ice taking photos for 10 to 15 minutes. It was worth being wet and cold for a few hours.
The bald eagles stayed on the ice with us much of the day.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Balsam Fir
Witches broom in summer.
I’m pretty lukewarm on my feelings for Balsam Fir, Abies balsamea. Even though I like all plants and Balsam Fir is our only native fir here in the Quoddy region and it is the provincial tree of New Brunswick, I don’t rate it as high as, say, White Pine, Beech or Red Oak. Fir is sort of a sticky forestry weed, clogging up my trails even under the heaviest overstory. I consider it higher than skunk currant or poison ivy, but fir is not a big part of my scheme of things, as it makes poor firewood and seldom grows big enough to be useful saw logs. I do appreciate our fir a little more after researching it, and for a puny, pesty tree it has a significant economic impact on the area. The big use is during the Christmas season, when the pleasant scented branch tips are collected for wreaths. There are several ‘large’ companies and many small organizations and households that handle a tremendous amount of brush to do this; for example, one local company, “Whitney Originals”, buys upwards of 1,000,000 pounds a year. Balsam fir is pretty shade tolerant, but the best tips are found on a tree with good sun. The lower branches often take root, and I’ve not noticed any other conifers that do this.
The sap of Balsam fir had been used in the past for making microscope slides, as the stuff is a preservative and has a coefficient of refraction similar to glass. Wildlife often inhabit the dense stands of fir that appear in some sections of older forest for winter cover. Deer, bear, moose, hares and grouse may browse firs, but it is not a sought after food. Birds like Chickadees and Crossbills and Red squirrels do seek out the cones for winter food. Native Americans used the sap of Balsam fir for glue and sealant, and also for cuts and bruises. They made a tea from the inner bark and twigs, and also used the twigs on the hot rocks of their sweat lodges, and in all cases this was thought to be beneficial for the lungs. Early European colonists used Balsam fir twigs as stuffing for pillows and mattresses, and prepared a mixture of about 20% fir pitch and 80% bear grease to use as an ointment for joints and muscular aches. Backpackers know that Balsam fir twigs make a much better sleeping mat than even the least prickly Black spruce. Apparently, in the Province of Quebec the properties of Balsam fir are used more frequently, and the pitch is harvested in the summer by woodsmen called ‘piquers’ who collect the sap in a little special bucket called a ‘picou’. The fir pitch is made into many medicinal items and used in soaps and perfumes.
Witch's broom in winter. The needles have fallen off but the twigs are still alive, and will grow new needles in a few months.
The Balsam fir is attacked by the spruce budworm, the balsam wooly adelgid, and a host of other insects and diseases. An interesting malevolence is the ‘witch’s broom’; a rust fungus Melampsorella caryophyllacearum. This causes a rampant growth of twigs resulting in greenish-yellow blob of needles in the summer that drop off in the winter. The alternate host for this rust is Chickweed. The Balsam fir also is an alternate host for the rust Pucciniastrum goeppertianum. This rust attacks highbush blueberries, and there is no cure or remedy for this once the berry bush becomes infected. The ‘Rancocas’ type of berry is somewhat resistant to the rust, but planting highbush blueberries within a thousand feet of any Balsam fir is not recommended.
I always wondered what was happening to my highbush blueberry patch. I have it all fenced in to protect it from the rabbits in the winter and arrangements for netting in the summer to keep out the birds. Let’s see. If I dig up all my present plants I’ll probably need almost a quart of soothing ointment for my joints and muscular aches. I guess I will need about 6 ounces of Balsam fir pitch and mix that with 25 ounces of bear grease. Hmm. Maybe I’ll use Olive oil instead.
Coyote~America’s Songdog – Stanton Bird Club
CONTACT Kathleen Demers, Stanton Bird Club, 783-1904
Is it possible for human beings to coexist with carnivores—with coyotes in particular?
Conservation Biologist, Geri Vistein, whose work in Maine focuses on carnivores and our relationship with them, plans to offer a forum where people can learn that living with coyotes is not only possible, but also vital to maintaining the biodiversity of our planet.
Photo courtesy of www.ellisonphotography.com. “Coyote~America’s Songdog” is the title of a presentation by Conservation Biologist, Geri Vistein, which will be sponsored by the Stanton Bird Club, on March 5, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Auburn Public Library. The public is invited to attend.
The Stanton Bird Club has invited Vistein to speak to club members and to the public on Monday, March 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Auburn Public Library, 49 Spring Street. She will present the PowerPoint program, “Coyote~America’s Songdog,” during which she will share her knowledge and wisdom about this often maligned animal, and listeners will be invited to share perceptions about and experiences with coyotes.
Vistein received her undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana, and a Master’s degree in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont. While living in Montana, she participated in research projects concerning carnivores: The Grizzly Bear DNA Study in and around Glacier National Park, The Elk Calf Mortality Study (determining the carnivores that caused their deaths) in the Blackfoot Valley of Montana, and a Snowshoe Hare Study (in reference to an ongoing Lynx study) in Yellowstone National Park. Prior to pursuing her Wildlife Degree, she had earned a Master’s degree in Education. She has educated children in the mainstream classroom, as well as given presentations to diverse audiences throughout Maine on behalf of Living Earth Programs of Boston, focused on environmental issues and endangered species.
Vistein’s presentation comes from a positive place, bringing in Anthropology, Archaeology, Native American life, poetry, Human Psychology, Wildlife Science, and Animal Husbandry. It centers on perceptions and relationships—coyote with Native Americans and European Americans, and with other wildlife and the ecosystem. She is known to have deep respect for the coyote, and to listen with empathy to people’s conflicting feelings about co-existing with it.
All are welcome to attend this free presentation, that they may be enlightened about the ways citizens can play an important role in including the coyote in the protection of a rich biodiversity in the state of Maine.
The Stanton Bird Club is a conservation organization offering monthly natural history programs, and field trips throughout the state of Maine free of charge. We welcome new members whose dues help to support land stewardship at three sanctuaries totaling 782 acres in Lewiston and Monmouth. For more information, please visit us on the web at www.stantonbirdclub.org.
Love in the Wild
In honor of Valentine’s Day, Nature Gone Wild! Little Brown bats live here in Maine.
Burying beetles not only mate for life but also raise their children together. Expectant parents bury dead birds or mice and lay eggs nearby. Photo courtesy of Brett Cortesi, Roger Williams Park Zoo
Nature Gone Wild!
The Nature Conservancy ranks the top 10 strangest ways nature finds love.
So you think you’ve had some strange dates? This Valentine’s Day, The Nature Conservancy compiled the top 10 most bizarre examples of love in the wild.
“Nature can get pretty wild, especially when love is in the air,” said Mike Tetreault, Director of The Nature Conservancy in Maine.
Unfortunately, many of these creatures are at risk of disappearing forever because of habitat loss, climate change, and other threats. To make sure these incredible animals survive in the future, The Nature Conservancy is working to protect the grasslands, forests and waters around the world where they raise their young.
“Nature is powerful, but for many animals their future now depends not only on their mating prowess, but on what help we give them,” Tetreault said. “If we don’t act now to protect the lands and water these creatures call home, they may not be around for future generations.”
Learn more at www.nature.org/wildlove
Do these wild lovers remind you of anyone?
1) Deep sea angler fish: “Losing yourself in love”
Male anglerfish bite their mates and permanently fuse to their bodies. Over time, the male’s brain, eyes and organs dissolve until he turns into a small lump, releasing sperm whenever the female is ready to lay eggs. Scientists first thought the lumps were fins before discovering they were the males.
2) Prairie Chickens: “Strut Your Stuff”
Male prairie chickens attract females with loud “booming” noises that can be heard miles away. They also perform an elaborate dance — lowering their heads, erecting their neck feathers, inflating orange air sacks, dropping their wings and pointing their tails, all while frantically stamping their feet.
3) Burying Beetle: “Family Oriented”
Burying beetles not only mate for life but also raise their children together. Expectant parents bury dead birds or mice and lay eggs nearby. The parents lie on their backs and use their legs like a conveyor belt to move carcasses up to 200 times their own weight. Once hatched, larvae feed on the carcass or the parents rub their wings together to call the larvae and regurgitate meat into their mouths.
4) Freshwater mussels: “The bait and switch”
Male mussels release sperm into the water, which females capture downstream. Larvae hatch inside the females’ shells but must then attach to a fish to grow. To lure fish, mother mussels wave appendages that look like worms, crayfish or other bait. Some emit a smell of rotting flesh to attract scavenger fish. When fish approach, the mussels shoot the larvae onto the fish.
5) Prairie Vole: “Born to be Faithful”
Unlike most rodents, prairie voles are monogamous. Scientists have discovered that prairie vole faithfulness is caused by hormone receptors located in their brain’s reward centers, giving them the sense of pleasure from monogamy.
6) Bower birds: “Bachelor Pads”
Male bowers of Australia and New Guinea build large and elaborate bachelor pads on forest floors, decorated with flowers, leaves, shells and even stolen coins – anything they think will attract a mate. Some paint the walls with chewed berries, others build lawns of moss. Drab males build the flashiest pads to compensate for their dull colors.
7) Lions: “One Track Mind”
When lions mate, the coupling usually lasts only about 20 seconds. But the pair will repeat the act every 20 minutes or so – sometimes up to 40 times a day. This will continue for three to seven days straight, with the male and female neglecting to hunt or eat during the entire time.
Tree crickets: “Smooth talker”
Male crickets bite holes in leafs to amplifier their love songs and attract females. Once they mate, however, male sperm packets don’t fit inside the females’ bodies so a portion hangs out. The ever-ravenous females try to eat the packet before fertilization can occur. To distract her, the male sings and secretes a tasty goo from his back, feeding her until the eggs are fertilized.
9) Day Octopus: “Keep Your Distance”
Female day octopi are known to eat their partners after mating, so the males keep their distance. When a male finds a female, he extends one arm and waves. If she responds, he uses his arm to place a sperm packet under the female’s body covering. The octopi stay at an arm’s length – appearing as though they are holding hands.
10) Little Brown Bats: “Waiting for the Right Time”
Because these bats mate in the autumn — but hibernate during winter – females store sperm for seven months to delay pregnancy until springtime. While bats normally hang upside down, females stand upright to give birth and catch their babies in a membrane between their legs. Newborns cling to their mothers even during nighttime flights as they search for food.
Bird Watching Field Trip, Stanton Bird Club
February 7, 2012
CONTACT Kathleen Demers, Stanton Bird Club, 783-1904, fivefromthesea@myfairpoint.net
There will be a bird watching field trip with the Stanton Bird Club on Saturday, February 11, 8 a.m. to noon. Destination this month is “Leader’s Choice.” Meet at Staples, Promenade Mall, Lisbon St., Lewiston at 7:50 a.m.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Woodchucks
With the recent ‘celebration’ of Groundhog Day, it might be applicable to look at this critter after its day of prominence. I mean, the beginning of February, during the winter doldrums, is a good time for a little festivity, but this could be Skunk Day, or Snapping turtle Day, and any one of these would be just as applicable here in the Quoddy Region. Our grumpy woodchucks, the few that we have here, are still too busy hibernating to participate in such foolishness.
A woodchuck meets up with a crow. (Archive photo.)
The Woodchuck, Marmota monax, (or Munimqehs in my Passamaquoddy reference book) is a large ground squirrel that is native to Northern and Eastern North America. It is a solitary animal and does not form a social group like other ground squirrels. The woodchuck is also pretty aggressive, and critters like the laid back Punxsutawney Phil are the exception to woodchuck society. When I was a youngster we once found a baby woodchuck that was the exception. Its mother or siblings must have kicked him out of the burrow because of this failing and we brought this relatively docile animal home. He was an interesting little critter and didn’t mind being handled, and went about his business of eating grass and other plants, until one day he wandered into the vegetable garden and ate some beans. Unfortunately, my father had just doused the beans with the latest and most toxic Japanese beetle spray, and this proved fatal to the poor woodchuck. We felt sad about our little pet, and a few days after a proper funeral, we saw an opportunity for a replacement, as we spotted a young woodchuck high up in a red maple near the edge of the woods. Our plans were immediate; I would shinny up the tree and shake the woodchuck down and my brother would catch him with a fishnet on the ground and we would positively keep him in a cage. Up the tree I went, down came the woodchuck and my brother expertly caught him, which precipitated a violent reaction of chewing and biting and scratching by the woodchuck. A few seconds later when I got down my brother was holding a badly mangled fishnet, and the woodchuck had left. Another lesson learned.
In my youth the owners of the small farms of rural Massachusetts welcomed my efforts at eliminating the pesty marmots, and it was an interesting challenge with either .22 or archery. I have long since graduated to Nikon, but woodchucks are not much of a quarry here. I have heard that there are woodchucks in Pembroke, but I have never seen one. I have seen some away from the coast, but not reliably along the highway until Bangor and further south. Woodchucks need a lot of food to fatten up during the summer and are almost exclusively herbivores, although some insects and even poultry have been reported in their diet. True hibernators, their body temperature drops to about 47 Deg F during their winter nap, but males may awaken in late winter and venture out in the snow before returning to hibernation. A very fastidious animal, it may build a separate chamber in its burrow system for a toilet, or bury its scat outdoors. The Native Americans prized the pelt of a woodchuck for making mittens, as apparently it makes a soft leather. The woodchucks prized the beans grown by the Native Americans, and the Indians trained their dogs to guard their gardens. With the coming of the European colonists the landscape was opened up for fields and gardens, and as more prime habitat became available, the woodchuck population increased, and its present population density seems to peak around Ohio.
I have never eaten woodchuck, although it apparently is a good flavored meat, but I have eaten and enjoyed other squirrels. On Groundhog Day I guess it wouldn’t be right to have the guest of honor on the menu. The cranky old woodchuck probably wouldn’t show up at all, and we would have winter all year round.
Lisbon Falls (Map 6)
February 1. 2012 Lisbon Falls Map 6
Well the den site that had fox tracks near it one day and on another day fishers tracks proved to be that of a skunk. Very odd to see a skunk active this time of year. SY
What’s Eating The Pumpkins?
Last fall’s cornstalks, pumpkins and squash were loaded into the tractor’s bucket and hauled off to the edge of the woods. I’ve been waiting to see what might grow this summer. Yesterday afternoon I discovered this 2.5″ hole through the snow, into the pile. Something has been enjoying the pumpkins, probably the seeds. I suspect it’s a red squirrel. There are no tracks in the snow today. I’ll go back after the next snow fall to look again.
