Laudholm News

York County’s worst ice storm in decades knocked out power for 4 days at the Wells Reserve. No significant damage occurred to the Laudholm buildings. Surely some branches and trees fell, but trails are all open and the new fallen snow has already inspired at least one cross-country skier.

The Wells Reserve is home to a core population of the New England cottontail, a rabbit being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act. We’ve reported before on the Reserve’s efforts to improve habitat for the rare bunnies, and now the Environmental Defense Fund has issued A Landowner’s Guide to New England Cottontail Habitat Management. If you are interested in making an impact on the survival of New England cottontails, you can start by following guidelines in the new publication, which is available as a downloadable PDF from the EDF website.

The Wells Reserve will soon have a new information kiosk near the parking lot. The one that has served well for more than 15 years is being dismantled and removed. The new kiosk is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

Maintenance manager Charles Lord and stalwart volunteer Frank Heller removed the old roof, section by section, yesterday. Then they cut away two of the supporting legs. That makes enough room for construction to begin on the new structure while the old kiosk stays in place to provide key information for visitors.

Watch this space as we progress on the project.

The “interim” label has been removed; Diana Joyner is the new president of Laudholm Trust.

Tim Dietz, chairman of Laudholm’s board of directors said:

Diana’s energy, enthusiasm, and proven organizational skills will play a significant role in taking the Laudholm Trust and the Wells Reserve to the next level of growth. We are delighted Diana has accepted this position.

Diana is familiar to many as the chair of the committee for Punkinfiddle, A National Estuaries Day Celebration, one of our signature events. She has also served on the board of directors, where she led the strategic planning effort.

As president, Diana will be responsible for completing and implementing the strategic plan, building community, budgeting, and fund raising. She will also provide leadership and direction to the Wells Reserve as chair of its governing body, the Reserve Management Authority.

Joyner is the fifth president in Laudholm Trust’s 26-year history. The Trust was formed in 1982 to protect and preserve Laudholm Farm, but soon became a driving force for the creation of Maine’s only estuarine reserve. With the support of its members, Laudholm Trust has contributed millions of dollars to the Wells Reserve, its close partner in research, education, stewardship, and preservation.

Congratulations to Brad Edmondson and Jim Kersting, who completed their Coast To Coast for Conservation bicycle trek in Wells on Wednesday afternoon, day 73 of their travels.

Jim, Brad, and their logistics coordinator Sara stopped by the Laudholm farmhouse to visit and get a brief tour before making the final leg of their journey to the beach for a ceremonial “tire dip.” Thirty-seven hundred miles in 73 days, all in the name of environmental stewardship—now that’s dedication!

At a Wells Reserve Lunch n Learn not too long ago, Bob Joyner talked about the Ogunquit Conservation Commission’s effort to make Ogunquit the first “Green Town” in Maine. The commission touted a self-certification program to encourage businesses, government services, residents, and (eventually) visitors to go green and save money by making simple changes. Here’s their top ten:

1. Recycle
2. Adjust your thermostat
3. Change to energy efficient light bulbs
4. Unplug
5. Give up plastic for shopping
6. Practice green yardscaping
7. Drive less and slower
8. Conserve water
9. Buy local and curtail buying bottled water
10. Reduce use of chemical products

Ogunquit citizens who pledge to take at least 8 of these actions qualify as “green leaders” and are encouraged to tie a green ribbon around a tree to demonstrate their leadership.

If you’re a Laudholm supporter* you probably do some or all of these things already. But they bear repeating because they provide a foundation for day to day conservation actions.

So this is just a reminder to enhance (or begin) what you do to protect natural resources and keep our communities healthy.

*Not a member of Laudholm Trust? Support us and you support the Wells Reserve. Together we act locally for regional and international impact.

Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) recently released a Call to Action for the new Administration and Congress. The organization invites people to sign on at thepetitionsite.com.

The purpose of the Call to Action is to unite the habitat restoration community to speak with one voice for the need to make habitat restoration a national priority and to increase the scale and pace of restoring our nation’s coastal and estuarine habitats.

According to RAE:

Our nation’s coasts and estuaries are in serious trouble. The United States has lost 55 million acres of coastal and estuarine habitat along its coastline due to development, pollution, and other human-made and natural causes, and its coastal habitat continues to disappear at a rate of between 1.2 percent and 9 percent a year.

The full petition text is available at thepetitionsite.

Setup for our National Estuaries Day Celebration is nearly done, with more than a dozen volunteers putting everything in its place. It’s a beautiful early fall day, perfect weather for the event.

But the event isn’t today, it’s Saturday, and the forecast isn’t bright. Just the same, the spirits of the Punkinfiddle crew are high. They know that rain or shine this will be a fun family day for those who laugh off the weather, come to the Wells Reserve, and enjoy it.

We’ve got tents for the children’s activities, music, apple pressing, and the Farmers Market. Artisans will be in the barn, along with scarecrows and Master Gardeners. Food will be in the auditorium. So you see why rainy days don’t get us down.

Hey, did you see the article on Hope Hoffman in the Portland Press Herald? She’ll be fiddling at Punkinfiddle. Just one of many reasons to come out on Saturday.

Coastal Fish of Southern Maine & New Hampshire describes 43 fish species that live all or part of their lives along the immediate coast of our region. It provides an easily accessible and reliable reference to a fascinating, important, and often vulnerable coastal fish community.

This book combines results from local research and monitoring with information gleaned from technical journals, books, unpublished reports, and interviews and correspondence with scientists and fishermen. The result is a complete and convenient resource for curious naturalists and fish enthusiasts, a handy reference for the home, the classroom, or the field.

We are working on making the book available throughout the region and will keep updating our list of distributors.

Where to Buy the Coastal Fish Book (listed from north to south)

• The Book Review, Falmouth Shopping Center (US 1), Falmouth ME
• Maine Audubon Society Store, Falmouth ME
• Borders Books, South Portland ME
• Wiggle Weigle’s Books, Alfred St (Rte. 111), Biddeford ME
• Daytrip Society, Dock Square, Kennebunkport ME
• Laudholm Gift Shop and Book Nook, Wells Reserve
• RiverRun Bookstore, Congress St, Portsmouth NH
• and the Laudholm Trust website

Chloe Johnson of The Wire introduces the book here.

Robyn Burnham’s Journal Tribune story on September 30, ”’M’ is for Mackerel,” was featured on the front page above the fold!

Keep your copy up to date: Download the errata (4 Sept 08).

Today we welcome Suzanne Kahn Eder to the Wells Reserve. She is the new Education Director.

Reserve Director Paul Dest sums up why she was selected from a strong field of candidates:

Suzanne has the right blend of skills, knowledge, personality, interests, thoroughness, and patience this position requires. Her education and past work experiences point her exactly in the direction of this position. She has an undergraduate degree in environmental studies and biology from Dickinson College, and will complete her master’s at Lesley University in ecological teaching and learning this coming January. She was most recently the Science Coordinator at the Children’s Museum of Maine; before that she was a National Park Service Environmental Educator at Acadia National Park. She is committed to environmental conservation, as a professional and as a volunteer.