Pier 1 in Boothbay Harbor is now illuminated with the town’s first large-scale Christmas buoy tree. The 20-foot wooden structure weighs in at 3,000 pounds and is outfitted with 800 lobster-pot buoys, 1,000 lights and is topped by a giant metal lobster. Over 20 businesses and people pitched in with money, manpower and materials.

Windjammer Emporium owner Mark Gimbel organized the construction procuring buoys from Bangor-based Mainely Buoys and ordering lights, Knickerbocker Group engineered and constructed the base, and Marden Builders owner Eric Marden used his bin lift to cover the high spots.

“I got called in to run the bin lift. I started right at the top working my way down with the pot buoys, Eric Gimbel and I … Once we got it down where the man-lift could go away, then others jumped in to help and then I came back and helped finish.”

Marden said the tree is an experiment like all first-time projects are, but putting his home-building hat on for something different was fulfilling. “It was cool. I used some of my experience and knowledge and got started with what made sense and it seemed to work out fine.”

Dianne Gimbel said the project came together thanks to the generosity and cohesiveness of the business community and willingness of community members to donate about a week’s time. “I think it's really beautiful. We can actually see it from our apartment off of our deck. It is really quite lovely and it's lovely when the community comes together to do something spectacular.”

Janson’s Clothing Store owner Betty Maddocks said the tree is nearly visible from the store, but a step out onto the sidewalk provides a full view of the tree. “It's gorgeous, it's a beautiful addition and I love it just as well during the day as at night. It's just beautiful.”

Mark Gimbel said the tree does not belong to just Pier 1 or the businesses on the pier, it belongs to the whole town because a strong core of the community made it possible. The tree has become such a fixture, already some are asking if it could stay up indefinitely.

Said Mark, “We've had 50-60 people say, 'This is so cool, why don't you leave it up year round?' It's representative of our lobstering heritage, but maybe it doesn't just have to be for the Christmas holiday … I feel like we have to keep pushing forward and coming up with cool stuff for Boothbay. This is one more attraction to put us on the map.”

The tree’s sponsors were Gimbel and Sons Country Store, Log Cabin Shoes, Boothbay Harbor Country Club, Marden Builders, Janson's Clothing Store, Sherman's Books and Stationery, Boothbay Harbor Apparel, Knickerbocker Group, Boothbay Harbor Mart, sweet bay; Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, Windjammer Emporium, Hennessey Marine, Rich and Elisha Elliott, Lori and Bill Bailey, Taka, Hawke Motors, J. Edward Knight, Boat House Bistro, Linekin Home, Pier One Pizza, and Downeast Candies.

Alna selectmen said Dec. 17, they might give voters a second option to change shoreland rules. Ralph Hilton’s proposal via his petition this fall will be on the March town meeting warrant, and so might another article, Second Selectman Doug Baston said.

Selectmen voted to hold the petitioned article over to the annual town meeting, planned for March 26 for elections, and March 27 for the open meeting, if pandemic conditions allow one then. “We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there,” Third Selectman Greg Shute said in the Zoom meeting.

Hilton reiterated Jeff Spinney, who has had losing and winning project proposals with the planning board this year, is not petitioning for the shoreland ordinance change. “Ralph Hilton is, just like he put in the one to change the funding formula for (Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit 12), just like he did the petition to alter the school choice plan. And this (ordinance) is one that needs to be straightened out.”

Hilton also reiterated, the petition’s point is to make two parts of the ordinance consistent with each other and make it clear the planning board can consider projects involving permanent structures “for functionally water-dependent uses.”

Baston said the open town meeting Hilton’s petition sought is “clearly” not possible now, so instead of a special town meeting, the annual one will decide it. Baston added, he wants to get some longtime planning board members’ take on the proposal. “This gives them time to review this and if it’s not an appropriate solution, make recommendations” for one that is. And he said no one is going to put anything in the river this time of year, so “there is no urgency.”

Shute agreed waiting for town meeting is “the right approach” and, he noted, Baston ran it by Maine Municipal Association.

Responding to a question from Hilton, Baston said Hilton’s question will be on the warrant. “But we could also, if it was felt it needed fine tuning ... the selectmen could propose an alternative warrant article ... I think what we all want is a good result.”

Also Dec. 17, Shute said due to a confidentiality agreement he signed on the town’s behalf, the only update he could give on the Dec. 16 mediation in Spinney’s appeal is that the session happened. “I will report more when I am able to.” The mediation stems from the town’s rejection of one of Spinney’s shoreland requests.

First Selectman Melissa Spinney said response to the town’s giving tree was wonderful, and people are asking what else they can do. She suggested they donate to the fuel assistance fund, food pantry, or general assistance.

As for the food pantry, due to its growth with donations and residents’ need, the board approved moving it from an upstairs closet to a bigger, unfinished space downstairs. Spinney said the space will be finished with no tax dollars, only donations, including a $2,085 state grant she sought. “Eight days later, we got a check for $2,085 ... so that was great.”

The space the pantry vacates will become storage for election and other town files that need to be under lock, officials said. Shute praised Spinney’s work on the pantry. He concurred “there is a definite community need” and the pantry has outgrown its space.

The town office is getting an automatic defibrillator (AED). Spinney said it will cost a couple hundred dollars. Town Clerk Sheila McCarty said if a customer has a heart attack, the device could help someone help the person until help arrives. AED’s are growing common in public buildings, she said.

The first major storm with the town’s new plowing contractor, Holbrook Excavating of Woolwich, had “a couple of wrinkles,” Baston said. He said the town told the firm to plow the town office again, add to the sand on Head Tide Hill and plow Colpit Road and a missed part of Dock Road. The firm’s owner, Evan Holbrook, was very responsive, Shute said. Baston said the firm had been unaware of Colpit Road.

Ed Pentaleri told the board he saw four vehicles trying to take Head Tide Hill roll back down it.

The citizens of Woolwich have spoken. Dennis and Vicki Mosier of 652 Old Stage Road are winners of the community’s first home holiday lighting contest. Votes were cast at the municipal building Saturday evening, Dec. 19 when donations for Bath Area Food Bank were also accepted.

The Mosiers were among the first to sign on for the event held after town officials were forced to cancel the traditional Tree Lighting and Yule Sing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They surrounded their home with a twinkling array of red, yellow, green, blue and white Christmas lights and dozens of holiday displays.

Second place went to Elisha and Joann Wallace for their beautifully decorated home at 338 Meadow Road. Finishing third was Vanessa Gardner at 928 Old Stage Road; she spelled out “BAH HUMBUG” with holiday lights on her fence.

Residents were asked to drive by eight participating homes, pick the one they liked best and share their choice with members of Woolwich Historical Society who were on hand at the municipal building. The winners each received a cash prize donated by Jack A. Shaw and Sons Construction.

Donations of non-perishable food for Bath Area Food Bank were gratefully accepted. In keeping with pandemic protocols, people were asked to remain in their vehicles.

Braving the 17F weather were selectmen Allison Hepler and Jason Shaw. Also on hand were Debbie Locke and Tammy Given of the historical society along with Santa Claus, who brought with him a bag of sweet Christmas treats to give away.

Afterward, Hepler said she and the other event organizers were grateful to all those who took part by decorating their homes to help brighten the community’s holiday season.

People are welcome to continue driving past homes that participated. The others are at 21 Circle Drive (off Walker Road, but can be seen from Walker Road), 246 Old Stage Road, 40 Mountain Road, 62 Mountain Road and 45 Montsweag Road (permission has been given for visitors there to enter the driveway –there is plenty of room to turn around).

Locke noted in an email to Wiscasset Newspaper, two homes not in the contest received write-in votes. They are on Route 1 just north of Bath Subaru and at 127 River Road.

If you go see the decorated homes, please be respectful of the homeowners’ property and please remain in your vehicle.

Ski, bike and snowshoe rentals are available at Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley this winter! Outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to try out Nordic Skiing, Fat Tire Biking, or Snowshoeing at Hidden Valley in Jefferson. Midcoast Conservancy will be offering affordable rentals and will have the sizes to outfit the whole family. Spending a few hours on Nordic skis or a Fat Bike at Hidden Valley is a great way to explore and enjoy the 25+ miles of groomed trails there. Renting gear is also a great way to try out a new sport before buying gear. This is the perfect way to break free of cabin fever and enjoy the abundance of Midcoast Maine’s outdoor wonders.

The rental schedule is as follows: Saturdays and Sundays, Jan. 23 through Feb. 28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rentals will also be available every day during the Presidents’ Week vacation, Feb. 13-21, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. No reservations are necessary. All participants are asked to stay masked during the rental transaction, and observe physical-distancing guidelines on the trails.

The price range for adult bikes and skis is $25/2 hours or $35/5 hours. Overnight rentals (for Hidden Valley campers only) are available Friday and Saturday, $50 a night. Junior rates are $15, $20 and $40, respectively. Snowshoe rentals for adults are $20/2 hours, $30/5 hours, or overnight for $35 a night. Junior prices are $10, $15 and $20.

Midcoast Conservancy members enjoy a 40% discount on all cabins and yurts at Hidden Valley. For more information on membership, rentals and overnight reservations, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/

Jeff Spinney will lay no mat over the fresh layer of washed stone he applied to his boat ramp on the Sheepscot River, according to Spinney and his proposed deal with Alna. Selectmen have anticipated they will approve the agreement Wednesday night, Jan. 6. In new, separate interviews, Spinney and Second Selectman Doug Baston said they hoped the deal ends months of local upset.

The town released the proposed settlement Tuesday in an email with selectmen’s 6 p.m. Zoom meeting agenda. The planned deal confines the ramp’s use to Spinney’s “bona fide friends, family and guests” for motor boats and Golden Ridge Sportsman’s Club members, for non-motorized boats; the club can have at most 10 members and would be dissolved if Maine Department of Environmental Protection no longer requires the club for the DEP permit.

Or, if the DEP considers the limits on the club a violation of the DEP’s condition of approval, “the planning board shall replace it with another condition that places reasonable restrictions on use by the club to prevent overburdening of the facilities and undue adverse impacts on the river,” the proposed deal states.

The planned deal stems from mediation Spinney requested through Lincoln County Superior Court after the town’s appeals board upheld a planning board decision on an earlier proposal. He did the earthwork after the board OK’d the work on the condition Spinney get approval from all the agencies needed.

Some residents who opposed his prior request also opposed the one that passed. They have voiced concern the mat and other aspects of the project, including possible usage of the site, would impact the river. 

Wiscasset Newspaper is seeking comment from several of Spinney’s neighbors whose names the proposed agreement lists with places to sign. Cathy Johnson said she has asked repeatedly to be removed from it, will not sign it and considers it an illegal settlement, in part due to Spinney’s having done the work when he did, which, she said in her email reply, “scuttled any chance for settlement.”

Johnson also continued to argue the project does not meet the town’s shoreland zoning ordinance. “We negotiated in good faith,” Johnson said.

In a Dec. 30 email Baston forwarded at Wiscasset Newspaper’s request, Spinney’s attorney Kristin Collins stated Spinney has made clear, the work would match the description in the DEP permit. 

Baston said, to him, a “critical” piece of the agreement selectmen are set to be take up Wednesday night is, the level of use of the river there will not increase. “That to me was the whole conflict in one sentence,” because there were concerns there would be overuse, including with club members using power boats, he said. “There’s no reason for the town not to sign this and move forward.” If other people named in the agreement do not sign, the town would still consider the agreement binding on the town when the board has approved it, Baston said.

Baston estimated that together, the legal costs the town and Spinney have incurred equal about $10,000 or more for every foot of the ramp’s width, which Spinney put at about 12 feet. “That's more than land in Pemaquid costs,” Baston said.

Baston said the time and money spent are “infuriating,” given the life-changing hardships some residents are having as he said is evidenced by general assistance requests and pending foreclosures. He hopes now “life will go back to some form of normal and people will get a perspective in their life, focus on something positive.”

Under the deal, Spinney would forgo a court appeal. “I don’t need to (appeal. The work is) all done,” Spinney said. “I don’t have to sign this agreement. I’m doing it to be conciliatory to some of the concerns.

“I’d like to just have this be over. This is ridiculous,” Spinney said. “It should have just been approved to begin with.”

The meeting will be at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84759990979?pwd=RTBta1FYME9QekVTVmV1NjV2Yk8rZz09, passcode 100587

Alna planning board member Laurie Hiestand asked Jan. 5, why Jeff Spinney’s abutters do not have to sign Jeff Spinney’s proposed boat launch deal with the town. “I don’t know, Laurie, none of us have legal expertise,” Chair Jim Amaral said. “I believe (selectmen’s and Spinney’s approval) provides some protection to the town.”

Neighbor Cathy Johnson reiterated she has asked that her name be removed from the document. She said she plans to ask selectmen Jan. 6.

At first Tuesday night, the planning board declined Third Selectman Greg Shute’s request it include part of the agreement in its facts about its Dec. 10 passage of Spinney’s shoreland proposal. The Zoom meeting came a day before selectmen are set to take up the agreement. Hiestand wondered how the planning board could incorporate part of a document that was still a proposal.

Members also wanted to base their facts document on their Dec. 10 meeting, not the proposed deal which stems from mediation over Spinney’s prior application the board rejected 2-2. And they said having Shute’s comments in the minutes will show the board is aware of the proposed deal.

“I think you ought to talk to Greg (again) because you are now putting a settlement agreement with the town in jeopardy, by not addressing it properly,” Spinney said. “If you need to ... sort this out with the selectmen, do that. But I think this is an important thing to not screw up.”

Shute stressed the selectmen still needed to discuss the agreement in public. He called it a “very comprehensive document” that bars Spinney from using a rollout mat and bars Golden Ridge Sportsman’s Club members from launching motor boats at the site. “I guess I would like to see it somehow as part of the finding of fact, that this is going to take place,” he said when Hiestand asked if the planning board could do it at its next meeting, after selectmen have acted.

“The settlement agreement could change tomorrow night. It could be renegotiated ...,” she said. “This is a proposal at this point.”

“Well, I think I’ve shared what I’d like and I think it’s up to you to decide,” Shute said. “I don’t have an attorney sitting beside me right now, so I’m doing this in good faith,” he added.

Planning board member Beth Whitney proposed the board “acknowledge that the settlement agreement which may be signed by the selectmen tomorrow night could change many of the conditions of Jeff Spinney’s permit approval. We concur with the proposal as presented to us tonight.” After a break, Shute asked the board to add to its findings, “the planning board will approve changes subject to ... the select board  approval of the settlement tomorrow night.”

Were any changes to the agreement likely, Whitney asked.

“No,” Shute said. He added later in the meeting, the deal addresses many of the concerns about the project and “really does, I believe, help the town to draw the line in the sand and then start to move forward from this whole project.”

Spinney, too, said the agreement will be as-is, “a one-time offer of good will.” He does not need it, as he had all the permits he needed, he said. 

Abutter Allen Philbrick said the wording Shute proposed did not belong in the facts about the Dec. 10 meeting, and the agreement was “just paper at this point,” unsigned, he said.

Spinney’s lawyer Kristin Collins said, after the board decides the finding of facts, there will be no way to change it without “reopening the whole thing, which I’m sure you don’t want to have to do.”

“No, we don’t,” Amaral said. Collins suggested the finding of facts document list items from the agreement and note those items depend on the agreement’s approval. The board agreed 4-0-1; Hiestand abstained.

Also Jan. 5, the board kept Amaral as chair, Taylor McGraw vice chair and Hiestand secretary, mulled hiring a scribe and put off until its 6:30 p.m. Feb. 2 meeting a review of the shoreland zoning ordinance.

One of Jeff Spinney’s neighbors after another on Zoom Wednesday night criticized his and the town’s shoreland deal. Selectmen signed the agreement they said Spinney, of Golden Ridge Road, also signed and abutters declined to sign. Board members called the agreement a compromise that was in the town’s best interest.

“What the hell is going on,” neighbor Mark DesMueles said. He and other speakers took issue with the process and the pact, including its naming of people not in the mediation talks. 

Second Selectman Doug Baston said the names are on there if people took part or signed a confidentiality agreement so they could be consulted. 

“I believe you guys are knuckling under ...,” Jon Luoma said. Ona Brazwell said it was “borderline reckless” for selectmen to consider signing the agreement she said risks more legal action due to the names issue, the project’s already being done, and Spinney’s lawyer’s involvement in the planning board’s work on its findings of fact.

Allen Philbrick said he and fellow abutters understand they have no control over what selectmen do, he respected the selectboard’s position and hoped the board respected theirs. He said the agreement does not resolve every issue and has several provisions he, as a lawyer, would not agree to “in any agreement,” on procedural, not substantive, grounds.

“This has been an incredibly difficult journey that we’ve been on,” Third Selectman Greg Shute said. “And I’m hopeful that we can bring this to an end. The Sheepscot is a natural resource that really defines our town ... and I enter into the important work of signing this settlement agreement with my own deep connection to the river,” he said. He lives on it.

He said he and Baston have spent hours reading all the information available. “And I take the responsibilities of being a selectman seriously. And my guiding star in considering this settlement agreement is to do what I honestly feel is in the best interest of the town. Not what’s best for me, not what’s best for Jeff, not what’s best for the abutters, even. It’s really (about) the greatest, best interest of the town.”

The agreement was the only way to get restrictions, including no increase in the site’s use and no aluminum rollout mat over the earthwork, Shute said. He knew signing it would disappoint some, but it was for the greater good, he said.

Baston told the agreement’s critics, a good chunk of town feels “there is nothing wrong with what Mr. Spinney is doing.” He continued, coming to the agreement “I don’t think makes us evil people (or) corrupt ... That’s what I think we’re seeing playing out nationally tonight (at the Capitol incident), the fact that people can’t accept differences of opinion. They can’t compromise. They can’t say, ‘You know what, this is an imperfect agreement, but we all got a little bit and ... gave a little bit, and we all need to move on.

“And folks, that’s what this town needs to do. It needs to move on. Let this go.”

Spinney said, contrary the claims of some, he is doing nothing illegal at the site. He said he is happy with the agreement and thinks it is fair. 

Johnson and fellow resident Ed Pentaleri are appealing to the town’s appeals board the Dec. 10 planning board decision, according to the Jan. 6 appeal notice.

Also Jan. 6, selectmen said they sent 7-year-old Grace Walker of Bailey Road a belated reply to her November letter about people dumping items on that road. Selectmen said they thanked her for involving herself in the town, and apologized for not getting back to her.

“I just feel bad,” Baston said. He said Walker’s letter was lost for a month and half “because of all the other crap we’ve been doing.” 

Noting the town owns land on Pinkham Pond, Baston said the board will have the recreation committee look at putting up a “No dumping” sign and maybe a game camera; meeting participants then pondered a town-wide, roadside cleanup day, an idea Maria Jenness said she has raised to the committee.

Near the meeting’s close, Town Clerk Sheila McCarty praised the dedication of First Selectman Melissa Spinney, absent due to illness, and the other selectmen in helping residents; the officials wished Melissa Spinney a speedy recovery; and Shute looked forward to when people are vaccinated for COVID-19, meetings are in-person again and people can go out and talk afterward about their families and work, “the really important things ... that’s what’s been missing.”

David Pope said rediscovering the solitude of the outdoors is one of the best things about hiking a network of trails behind Wiscasset Community Center and Morris Farm. Visitors to the vast land preserve minutes from Route 1 can see majestic white pines, flourishing hemlock groves, cascading streams, unusual glacial erratics, tranquil ponds and more. There are just a few problems. Parts of the trail system have become overgrown, trail markers are missing and a map needs updating.

“It’s a wonderful natural resource to have in our community but it does need some attention,” Pope explained to Wiscasset Newspaper outside the Federal Street cape where he and wife Linda live.

“A lot of the paths intersect with one another making it a bit challenging to navigate,” added Linda.

The trail system runs several miles crossing three preserves: Sortwell Memorial Forrest, managed by New England Forestry Foundation; The Morris Farm, maintained by the Morris Farm Trust; and a sizable area of town-owned property behind WCC and managed byWiscasset Parks and Recreation.

“I’ve been involved directly with the Morris Farm Trail,” said Pope. A path leading into the woods runs along the farm’s western property line and eventually branches off – one path leading to WCC; the other, to Sortwell Memorial Forest. One problem is the intersecting trails have different names depending on which map you refer to. “The name thing is emblematic of the need to bring all the players together to come up with an up-to-date accurate map that serves all users,” explained Pope.

The wooded preserve includes a popular snowmobile route maintained by the Rt. 66 Snowmobile Club and several trails are used by mountain bikers. Pope said he has put new trail markings on the Morris Farm property along its Black Trail, so called due to the black markings, or blazing, used to mark the path. “Over the past few years I’ve rerouted the Black Trail around several boggy areas where bridges had failed, and away from the Morris Farm’s yurt,” he said. Erected years ago, the canvas yurt is now in disrepair. Other trails need directional arrows and blazing.

Help may soon be on the way. Last summer, continued Pope, the Morris Farm was fortunate to have Sam Kitfield-Vernon, a student at the University of New Hampshire, volunteer to upgrade the trail system map using GIS technology.

“He’s putting the finishing touches to a new map that will have a QR code posted at kiosks and other major entry points. This will enable cell phone users to quickly upload the new trail map once it’s completed,” said Pope. Hard copies of the trail map will be available at trail heads and will be downloadable from WCC’s website. Pope added, a draft of the new map could be ready this month after which comments will be sought from the groups managing the land preserves, and from Dan Sortwell and Seaver Leslie, two adjoining landowners.

“We spent a fair amount of time on the trails, cleaning this past spring and early summer,” Wiscasset Parks and Recreation Director Duane Goud stated in an email copied to Wiscasset Newspaper. “We are looking to update our numbers, signage and trail markings as there were some missing or broken. I look forward to seeing the draft copy of the new trail map; this will help us with the replacement of signs and updating of new markers,” wrote Goud.

Pope noted Sortwell has made a generous pledge to help pay for signage upgrades.

“Now would be a good time to establish a trail system oversight committee that could keep the map up to date and oversee maintenance of the trails,” Pope said. He is glad Parks and Recreation is involved. Volunteers to help maintain the walking trails would be welcome, he added.

This January’s winter tale at Oak Point Farm is truly one to stir the imagination of every child, no matter how old.

In Kate Messner’s story, “Over and Under the Snow,” winter is explored above and below the ground. As a young girl and her father spend a day cross-country skiing through a forest, he tells his daughter about the different critters sleeping below the snow, under ground.

From the book: “Under the snow is a whole secret kingdom …” Imagine being the daughter learning this as she glides across the snow. What might be under her feet as she skis over them?

Readers along Boothbay Region Land Trust’s (BRLT) Story Trail are sharing the same experience as the book characters simultaneously. And that is very cool.

As I walked along the trail reading the story aloud (for the winter animals and tree spirits) imagining what critter was below my feet, deep below, I imagined local families on this trail, little ones looking down on the leaf-covered trail (no snow when I was there) wondering if there was a bullfrog or a squirrel …

Father tells his daughter that animal tracks always tell a story.  Animal hoof and/or paw prints are so much easier to spot in snow; on days without that blanket of white, the imagination has to kick in … not that that’s a problem! Maybe at some point along the trail, between pages, parents or accompanying adults could ask the child/children to look for signs an animal was (or is!) about.

Christopher Silas Neal’s illustrations are a delight, sometimes black and white alone, other pages are accented with color too – sometimes it’s just a whisper, other illustrations call for bolder colors. And, some colors, well some colors are blended in the imagination and cannot be described here.

The trail is lined with the stories of standing and fallen trees, nature’s shadows on the trail made by the sun, and the rocks bordering Hodgdon Cove. There are a few benches along the way for breaks or a little book talk. Winding around the Oak Point Farm property, the trail is approximately one mile.

Remember to bring a thermos of hot chocolate or bottle of water. If you’re bringing your canine family member, don’t forget his leash (dogs aren’t permitted to run free) ... and a few waste bags would be a good idea, too.

If there’s snow when you go, bring your sleds, saucers or inflatable tubes for sledding in front of the seasonal cottage not far from the parking lot. Or if skating is what you prefer, the two-acre freshwater pond is where you’ll be bound!

The January Story Trail featuring “Over and Under the Snow” will be up through Feb. 9.  If you’ve never been, Oak Point Farm is at 60 Samoset Road in Boothbay Harbor. For more information about BRLT, visit www.bbrlt.org

Anyone interested in local forestry is invited to attend a Forest Walk on Saturday, Feb. 27, from noon to 2 p.m. at Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature Center (HVNC).

Walk hosts include HVNC Forester Barrie Brusila, HVNC Co-Founder Tracy Moskovitz, and Midcoast Conservancy Forestry and Lands Manager Tim Libby; participants will join them for a walk during which the hosts will explain the Crop Tree Release projects at Hidden Valley and how they relate to forest health, wildlife and habitat, soil and water quality, trail layout, and low impact harvest techniques.

This is the second in a three-part series. The first walk looked at the Pre-crop Tree Release; this walk will address what goes on during the Crop Tree Release, and the final walk will look at what happens after crop tree release.

Participants should meet at the Barn; everyone should bring a mask and be prepared to maintain physical distancing protocols. The rain date for the event is Sunday, Feb. 28, same time. Registration for the free walk can be found at https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/forest-walk-at-hidden-valley-nature-center-2/

Contact Tim Libby with any questions at tim@midcoastconservancy.org

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spectators will not be allowed at games this winter. Several Mountain Valley Conference schools will be live streaming their basketball games this winter. Click on the links below to go to the game feed.

Buckfield Jr.-Sr. HS - NFHS

Boothbay Region HS -BRHS Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BRHSMAINE/; BRTV Website https://www.boothbaytv.com/live; BRTV Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/boothbaytv/; Cable Channel 7 and 1301 (locally)

Carrabec HS - NFHS

Dirigo HS - YouTube Live

Hall-Dale HS: Munzing Media

Lisbon HS - Facebook Live

Madison HS - In House

Monmouth HS - YouTube Live

Mount Abram HS - NFHS

Mountain Valley HS - NFHS

Oak Hill HS - In House • Facebook Live

Richmond HS - In House • Maybe YouTube

Winthrop HS - NFHS

University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H is partnering with the Maine Primitive Skills School and Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to offer a new monthly outdoor educational series for families with youth ages 7–18.

“Outdoor Family Adventures” is for those interested in learning more about Maine’s ecology, observing birds and their habitats, responsible fire building, and safely spending time in the Maine outdoors. Programs will be held from 3–5 p.m. Jan. 31, Feb. 28, March 28 and April 25 at 2273 North Belfast Ave., Augusta. Participants are responsible for bringing their own portable seating, water and snacks. Face coverings are required.

The series is free; registration is required. Register on the program webpage. Due to safety protocols, the program is limited to one adult and one youth per family. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Alisha Targonski, 207.622.7546; alisha.r.targonski@maine.edu

Allan Crocker, Boothbay Region High School athletic director, has announced that tonight’s basketball games at BRHS (girls) and at Winthrop (boys) have been postponed and have been rescheduled back to their original scheduled dates of Feb. 4.

The Camden Conference, Penobscot Marine Museum, and the Belfast Free Library will present Charles Lagerbom speaking on “Maine Whaling: To the Arctic and Beyond.” This event takes place on Thursday, Jan. 28 and will be open to all on Zoom. Please register at: belfastlibrary.org/virtual-programs

The history of American whaling is most frequently associated with Nantucket, New Bedford and Mystic. However, the state of Maine also played an integral part in the development and success of this important industry. The sons of Maine became whaling captains, whaling crews, inventors, investors and businessmen. Towns along the coast created community-wide whaling and sealing ventures, outfitted their own ships and crewed them with their own people. The state also supplied the growing industry with Maine-built ships, whale boats, oars and other maritime supplies. Bath built quite a few steam-bark whalers at the end of the 19th century that saw a lot of whaling in the Arctic Ocean beyond Point Barrow. For more than two hundred years, the state forged a strong and lasting connection with the American whaling industry.

Author and historian Charles Lagerbom reveals Maine-built whaling and sealing vessels with Arctic connections and why Maine should rightly take its place alongside its more well-known New England whaling neighbors.  Lagerbom received his BA in history from Kansas State University and MA in history and archaeology from University of Maine with work on an American Revolutionary War Truckhouse excavated on Penobscot River.

An avid scuba diver, Lagerbom organized underwater surveys of ship remains in Maine lakes as well as the 1779 Penobscot Expedition. He worked in Antarctica with glacial geology research teams from University of Maine Quaternary Institute, now Climate Change Institute. Lagerbom has frequently written, lectured and made presentations on cruise ships, sailing vessels and ashore about history, life, politics and science of Antarctica, Cape Horn and South Atlantic as well as New England maritime history and archaeology. He is author of The Fifth Man: The Life of H.R. Bowers (Caedmon Publishing) and Whaling in Maine (Arcadia Publishing).

Lagerbom is a Life member of American Polar Society and past President of the Antarctican Society, where he serves as current archivist. He teaches AP US History at Belfast Area High School and makes his home in Northport.

This event is presented in anticipation of the 34th Annual Camden Conference: “The Geopolitics of the Arctic: A Region in Peril,” filmed live from around the world, and presented via Livestream on Feb. 20-21.

The mission of the Camden Conference is to foster informed discourse on world issues. For more information, please visit www.camdenconference.org or call 207-236-1034.

The trails are alive with the sound of music: the laughter and delight of kids on skis! Midcoast Conservancy’s annual six-week Youth Cross Country Ski Clinic is under way at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson.

On the first day, 50 masked kids strapped on their skis and broke into five groups to work with instructors. The seasoned crew of teachers are all repeat leaders, and have as their primary goal to make learning to ski as fun as possible. The legions of families who return year after year are testament to the instructors’ success in keeping the smiles going all morning long.

As part of Midcoast Conservancy’s mission to get kids and families outside and loving the natural world, it offers a ski lease program every year. Participants get fitted for boots, skis and poles which are then theirs for the season to use as much as possible. Stories come back to staff about kids so excited to use their gear that they take advantage of any sprinkling of snow to turn their backyard into a practice course. One huge advantage of the program is that no family has to commit to buying gear that will be too small by the next ski season.

Midcoast Conservancy also has trailers of gear available to groups across the Midcoast for local programming led by volunteers in their communities. Training is provided for anyone wanting to facilitate an outdoor adventure program; available gear includes fat tire bikes and snowshoes in addition to cross-country skis. Anyone interested in learning more may contact Director of Community Programs Andy Bezon at andyb@midcoastconservancy.org or at 207-389-5156.

Hidden Valley, at 131 Egypt Road, is open 365 days a year to all. Midcoast Conservancy members are free while other visitors are asked to make a $5 day-use donation.

Trails are groomed in winter after any significant snowfall, and there is a trail for any skill level. Gear rentals of skis, snowshoes and fat tire bikes are available at Hidden Valley this winter on weekends from Jan. 23 to Feb. 28;  and for the entire Presidents’ Week school vacation, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Details can be found at www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/winter-gear-rentals-at-hidden-valley

If all the lawyers can make it, Alna’s appeals board plans to hear three appeals Feb. 11, all linked to Jeff Spinney’s recent shoreland project. Meeting over Zoom Wednesday night, Jan. 20, board members said two letters appeal the planning board’s Dec. 10 decision on the project at 126 Golden Ridge Road; a third letter appeals Code Enforcement Officer Tom McKenzie’s Dec. 17 decision, Chair Alex Pugh said. 

The appellants are abutters and other project opponents. Spinney removed earthen material he said was unstable, and replaced it with washed stone to stabilize a boat ramp. Opponents have claimed the town’s shoreland zoning barred the project.

The appeals board also set a second, tentative date of Feb. 16, if needed, to decide the appeals. Both meetings would start at 5 p.m.

The board kept Pugh as chair and Mary Bowers as secretary, and determined Pugh’s job with Maine Department of Environmental Protection does not give him a conflict of interest in the Spinney matter. Pugh said he was not involved in Spinney’s dealings with DEP.

Hikers are invited to enjoy the unique sounds of the woods in winter on a full moon hike at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson on Wednesday, Jan. 27, from 5 to 7 pm. Nature will light the trail as hikers take in the howls of distant coyotes, hooting owls and the rustle of creatures in the underbrush. Participants will meet at the parking lot of the nature center; the hike leader will guide a walk to Little Dyer Pond and back, for a total distance of about two and half miles.

If snow is on the ground, snowshoes are recommended; participants who don’t have their own snowshoes may borrow a pair from Midcoast Conservancy. Registration is required; participants who need snowshoes should arrive 15 minutes early. Hikers are asked to not bring dogs, as they may scare off wildlife along the way, and to bring a mask. Physical-distancing will be observed as needed.

To register, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/full-moon-owl-prowl-3/

Email any questions to info@midcoastconservancy.org

The 1000-acre Hidden Valley preserve is open 365 days a year to all; Midcoast Conservancy members are free while other visitors are asked to make a $5 day-use donation. Trails are groomed in winter after any significant snowfall; five huts and yurts are available for overnight camping. More information is on the website at https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/preserve/hidden-valley-nature-center/

The coronavirus pandemic may have impacted Ed Crocker’s life more than any other player, coach, or sports official. Crocker has refereed high school basketball for 26 years before deciding against officiating this season. Maine’s high school basketball season is underway as teams play a reduced schedule while players, coaches and officials don masks. This winter is not the first time the pandemic has impacted Crocker’s role in youth athletics.

Last fall, Crocker was ready to coach Boothbay Region’s football team before Maine Principals’ Association ended the season due to coronavirus concerns. Crocker also coaches Boothbay’s varsity baseball team and that season was the pandemic’s first high school sports victim. The MPA ended the spring season as teams were in early preparations. 

Even though Crocker is not refereeing, he is busy. In November, he led “Itty Bitty Motion” from 4 to 5 p.m. on Friday afternoons. Crocker leads an hour of gymnastics-based events with kids tumbling, summersaulting, doing flips and turns and running an obstacle course. “The Y wanted a gymnastics program, but I’m not a gymnast so we are doing a modified program.” The first session ends Jan. 29.

The youth program began in the field house before being moved to another room due to LincolnHealth using the field house for vaccinations. Crocker is also coaching two youth basketball programs. Last fall, he coached “Itty Bitty Basketball” for boys and girls in grades 1-3. This winter, he is coaching another youth co-ed basketball team for grades 4-6 on Tuesdays and Saturdays. “This is nothing new for me. I’ve coached teams at the Y since I was 18 years old,” Crocker said.

Crocker decided against refereeing this season due to uncertainties in high school basketball schedules and the pandemic. “I wanted to referee, but I couldn’t commit to a game and have it canceled,” he said. “I’m involved in too many things and just can’t commit to something that may change. Also, my work and family are important and I didn’t think it was worth the risk of getting sick.”

Crocker is looking forward to watching his daughter, Emilie, play for the Lady Seahawks this season even though he will not attend any games. When the Lady Seahawks traveled to Winthrop for a game, the coronavirus threw him another curveball. Crocker tried to watch the game on Winthrop’s online channel. “You had to purchase a season pass to watch one game, so we watched the boys’ game on BRTV (Boothbay Region Television) instead,” he said. “I’m glad Emilie is a junior this year because it’s harder on players in their senior year. The worst part was last baseball season because it was (son) Hunter’s senior year, and we lost the whole season.”

Last fall, the coronavirus also ended Maine’s college football season. This meant Crocker could not watch son Cameron play for the University of New England in Biddeford. Hunter, Crocker’s youngest son, is attending Thomas College in Waterville. He was one of the last freshmen cut from the Huskies’ baseball roster last fall. “UNE is going to have spring football, and a limited number will be allowed to watch games. So I’m looking forward to that,” Ed Crocker said. “Hunter is considering playing basketball next year or he may give baseball another shot. So that would be great, too.”

But next spring, Coach Crocker may be returning to the sidelines possibly coaching two sports. When the MPA canceled the high school football season last fall, the organization indicated a possible spring season could occur, followed by baseball. Crocker does not think Boothbay Region would play football this spring. “I don't see it happening. There is no way our field would be ready for football this spring,” he said.

Crocker is hopeful Boothbay will field a baseball team this spring. “Every year we are close on numbers. I don’t think COVID-19 will be a factor. I think the MPA will have a baseball season. What I don’t know is whether Boothbay will have enough players for a team,” he said.

A strong second half by the host Medomak Panthers gave them a 71-43 win over the Boothbay Region Seahawks in Waldoboro Tuesday night.

Medomak outscored Boothbay 40-18 in the second half to gain the victory.

Seahawk senior co-captain Glory Blethen led all scorers with 18 points (including two 3-pointers). Junior forward Jaelyn Crocker added 13 points for Boothbay (1-2).

Addison McCormick led the Panthers with 14 points, followed by Katherine McKenney with 11 and Abby Lash with 10.

The Medomak Valley Panthers took advantage of several unforced turnovers and a cold shooting night by the Boothbay Region Seahawks to improve to 3-0 on the season with a 54-33 win at Boothbay Region High School Tuesday night.

The Panthers outscored the Seahawks, 32-17, in the second half to bring home the victory.

Patrick McKinney and Trevor Brown led Medomak with 11 points each. J. Bickmore added 10 and F. Parmley added eight.

Senior Ben Pearce led Boothbay (1-2) with 12 points, followed by senior Sullivan Rice with six. Junior forward Nase Lawless scored five for the Seahawks.

Midcoast Conservancy is delighted to welcome Tim Trumbauer to its staff as senior watershed manager. Trumbauer will be responsible for protecting and improving water resources for human and ecological benefit within the Midcoast Conservancy service area. Trumbauer and other water team staff will work with community leaders on developing a watershed management plan in Damariscotta Lake and implement new opportunities for protecting water quality in the Medomak River watershed. He will work with municipalities and landowners within the shoreland zone to help mitigate harmful erosion, among other projects.

In addition to an honors degree in environmental science from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Trumbauer holds a certificate in not-for-profit leadership from the University of Delaware, and is a certified Master Naturalist. His 20 years of professional experience include water quality monitoring, environmental restoration, environmental policy, communications, community engagement, and organizational leadership.

Midcoast Conservancy’s Interim Executive Director Lissa Widoff says, “We are thrilled to have Tim joining our staff.  Midcoast Conservancy is working to restore and improve water and habitat quality throughout our three watersheds - Medomak River, Sheepscot River and Damariscotta Lake.  From our rivers to coastal shellfishing areas and popular recreational waters like Damariscotta Lake, we are excited to have the benefit of Tim's years of experience as a watershed manager in tidal and coastal waters.”

Originally from the Chesapeake Region, Trumbauer grew up on the banks of Rosin Creek fishing, sailing, and swamping his father's rowboat. With these formative experiences, he has dedicated his career to protecting and restoring natural waters. Before joining Midcoast Conservancy, Trumbauer served as a Riverkeeper and watershed manager on the Chester River; as a Riverkeeper, he led citizen science, water quality monitoring, restoration, advocacy, and outreach efforts for the 400-square mile Chester River watershed.  

Trumbauer says, “The mission and people of Midcoast Conservancy are a perfect fit for me personally and professionally - I am inspired by both the alluring local landscape and the diverse accomplishments of the organization throughout the service area. I am thrilled to be on the team!” Shri Verrill, Senior Watershed Restoration Manager, says, “Tim has been a good sport while we soaked him with the firehose, and threw him in the deep end while introducing him to the myriad details, deadlines, programs, partners, and volunteers that make our work possible. His sense of humor, quick wit, and impressive ability to assess and act proportionately make me confident that we made the right choice and he’s an excellent addition to our team.” Patricia Nease, Watershed Coordinator, adds, "Tim jumped in feet first to learn about our watersheds and programs. He very quickly became an essential and valued member of our team. I'm really looking forward to how his experience and expertise will benefit our watersheds!”

Learn more about Midcoast Conservancy at https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/

To contact Tim Trumbauer, email him at tim.t@midcoastconservancy.org

While the Maine woods are famous grounds for leaf peepers throughout the fall, many hikers who trek out in winter may be oblivious to the variety of trees surrounding them. The species that so captivate us in October with their vivid colors and variety can seem starkly monotonous to the untrained observer in winter. This is because we tend to rely on the distinct features of leaves to identify trees, noting their shapes, size and colors. However, winter is a perfect time to explore many of the other distinguishing traits which are present in all seasons and can be used for tree ID. Bark patterns and textures, leaf buds and scars, tree shapes, and habitat are just a few examples of the characteristics that can help a careful observer to positively identify a tree.

When encountering a tree that you are interested in identifying, start by taking in the tree in its entirety. Stand back a bit and examine the tree from top to bottom, noticing the overall shape of the tree and the pattern of the branches. Next, look at where the tree is growing. Is it found in an open clearing, along an edge, or deep in a forest? Is the area in which the tree is growing wet or is it on a rocky ledge? Once you have taken in the big picture of the tree, it is time to look at the smaller details.

Zoom in on the tree, taking time to examine the bark for texture and patterns. Examine the branches and the leaf buds, noticing the pattern in which they grow. Are the branches and leaf buds directly opposite of one another, or do they alternate in pattern? Other hints can be found by breaking a twig and smelling the tree or by looking for last summer’s leaves on the ground. Some deciduous trees retain their dried leaves in the winter, aiding in identification.

Also important is to recognize is that trees sometimes break patterns, making them tricky to identify. For example, some trees have different bark when the tree is younger versus when it is mature. Also, a tree that grows in deep shade may not have the same appearance as one that has grown in full sun. Sprouted branches arising from stumps may also look very different from the branches of a tree of the same species.

Taking all of these things into consideration, the best way to identify a tree with all of these characteristics is to use a field guide with a key. Lucky for us the Maine Forest Service has put out an amazing field guide to local trees that can be downloaded for free from their website or purchased as a hard copy.

Winter tree identification is a great way to slow down and observe the nature around you. Throughout the month of February, BRLT is offering a self-guided winter tree identification walk at Cross River Preserve. This walk offers a great opportunity for visitors to learn new ways of viewing trees in nature while also enjoying some fresh air and exercise. Visitors can pick up the winter tree identification pamphlet at the Cross River Preserve parking lot kiosk and then follow the trail to find the individually marked trees described within. So slow down, look closely, and see the forest for the trees.

The Boothbay Region High School boys and girls basketball teams will return to action tonight, Feb. 4, with the girls hosting the Winthrop Ramblers and the boys traveling to Winthrop. Both games start at 6 p.m. Following the girls game, a brief ceremony to celebrate this year’s senior members of the team, Glory Blethen and Kylie Brown, will be held. This will be the first home game of the season for the girls team as tonight’s game is a rescheduled game from Jan. 14, two other games were away (Winthrop and Medomak), and Tuesday’s scheduled home game against Hall-Dale was postponed due to the storm.

Due to the pandemic, fans cannot attend the games but can watch them via the internet or, locally, on the cable access channel, Channel 7 or 1301. Here are the local links:

BRHS Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BRHSMAINE/

BRTV Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/boothbaytv/

BRTV Website: https://www.boothbaytv.com/live

Winthrop provides its home games through NFHS.

Farmingdale’s Janet  Greeley was in Wiscasset recently with her mother and thought it looked like a good place to take a walk. So Sunday, Feb. 7 she returned with husband Greg and the couple’s goldendoodles Isabella and Max.

“This really is a beautiful place” and only a half hour’s drive from home, she said. Wiscasset Newspaper met the Greeleys on Water Street, then kept going to find more sights on the downtown street.

The snow white path leading into the forested area we know as Cross River Preserve lay before me. With my pamphlet for Boothbay Region Land Trust’s Self-Guided Winter Tree Identification Walk in my hand, my camera and water in a shoulder bag and mittens in my coat pockets, I was very excited to learn how to ID trees by their bark rather than their leaves – who knew? (That was a rhetorical question, thank you.)

The path is chopped and crunchy from other visitors. If you have some of those ice grippers for the bottom of your boots, bring them along. Better still, put them on! I slowly made my way toward the first of the 13 trees. You can’t miss them. There are signs and ribbons.

Each tree’s bark really is distinctive in its own look and feel. Yes, this is a visual, tactile and faintly olfactory experience. If you do go for the trio of senses on this walk, which took me about 90 minutes, try to remember to thank each tree after you touch them – I know – you all probably think I’m nuts ...

Some of the trail highlights for me: the chokecherry tree. Although its bark runs in a circular pattern, rather than a vertical one, around the trunk ... I could sense the energy slowly moving through what appeared to be a young tree near it. Very interesting. Moving on, and I’m not recalling these trees in order, the Northern red oak caught my fancy. Aren’t oak trees simply magnificent? And this variety has red-brown scales. And the crevices between the vertically running bark are arresting … deep, dark and kind of reminded me of pinstripes. There are three or four trees at Cross River with “red” in their names.

The balsam fir will draw you to it ... to get right up close moving your fingers over the extremely soft needles. The scent is fainter than I’d expected, but still lovely. I smiled as soon as I saw it.

If you’re like me, you enjoy checking out the swath of land around you as you walk … not so easy with all that chop and crunch! You’ll have to stop moving. Stop and take in the beauty of the woods in winter and see if you see the trees as sentinels, living columns old and wise, many high above the rest – 60’to 100’ depending on the tree.

The paper birch is one of my favorites and many of my friends and family love it, too. The white trunks … the dash marks pattern moving horizontally across those trunks and branches that light up in the moonlight ... It’s the kind of tree that makes you stop. Sigh. It’s very magical indeed.

The preserve was silent save for the sound of the wind, and that of the tall, youthful branches slowly and softly moving, and creaking far above. There was the occasional cry of a crow … the sound of the snow beneath my boots. And that is all. And it is enough.

And then there’s an Eastern hemlock that captured my attention for I don’t know how long. The bark on this tree is literally entrancing. No, really. The bark on these hemlocks looks like it’s been carved … there are shapes resembling feathers and circles. Looking skyward, the bark looks like a material used for house roofs in storybook designs, like the “Mushroom House.”

I was distracted from the path, drawn by the sight of two crossed young trunks in the shape of an “X.” I had to get a photo of that Elder Futhark rune “Gebo,” which means gift; it symbolizes the connection between nature, us and the gods. People out there who are into runes will see it right away … and several others.

Occasionally, as I moved slowly along the trail, animal tracks distracted me. Some looked like fox tracks, deer (or as my oldest daughter called them at 2 1/2, “deer holes”); and maybe moose or a stag made the larger, deeper tracks.

I don’t usually see other people when I go on these outings, but this time on the last leg of the walk I did. And Winston and Catherine Kipp brought along their ski poles to make their way across the snowy, rough terrain. They came out for this BRLT adventure because they were intrigued and had never done a walk like this one.

Thanks to BRLT, I discovered that sometimes you really can see the forest through the trees ...

Cross Point Preserve is diagonally across from Knickerbocker Group (headed toward Route 1). The parking lot was quite icy when I went last Saturday, so a pair of those ice grippers would be an excellent accessory! For more information on this preserve and others that are part of BRLT, visit www.bbrlt.org

All Dodge Point Public Land and trails on the east side of River Road and the Old Farm Trailhead/Parking Area are closed until further notice. The closure is effective immediately.

Limited access is available to Dodge Point Public Land west side of River Road trails via the River-Link Trailhead only.

Visitors are urged to observe all trail closure signs.

The temporary closure of Dodge Point Public Land trails is for public safety during scheduled timber harvests. Accessing recreational trails while heavy logging equipment is present is prohibited. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands apologizes if this closure inconveniences anyone and appreciates everyone's cooperation.

Alternate hiking locations may be found on www.mainetrailfinder.com, www.coastalrivers.org, www.ParksAndLands.com 

Hikers are invited to enjoy the unique sounds of the woods in winter on a full moon hike at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson on Friday, Feb. 26, from 6-8 p.m. Nature will light the trail as hikers take in the howls of distant coyotes, hooting owls and the rustle of creatures in the underbrush. Participants will meet at the parking lot of the nature center; the hike leader will guide a walk to Little Dyer Pond and back, for a total distance of about two and half miles.

If snow is on the ground, participants who don’t have their own snowshoes may borrow a pair from Midcoast Conservancy. Registration is required; participants who need snowshoes should arrive 15 minutes early. Hikers are asked to not bring dogs, as they may scare off wildlife along the way.

To register, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/full-moon-owl-prowl-4/. Email any questions to info@midcoastconservancy.org The 1000-acre Hidden Valley preserve is open 365 days a year to all; Midcoast Conservancy members are free while other visitors are asked to make a $5 day-use donation. Trails are groomed in winter after any significant snowfall; five huts and yurts are available for overnight camping. More information is on the website at https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/preserve/hidden-valley-nature-center/

Start the year by learning ways to focus on the present moment, reduce stress, and observe nature in a new way! The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) invites the public to an introduction to mindfulness in nature with Tim Blair of The Mindful Nonprofit on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. Tim will introduce participants to how mindfulness can help change their relationship to the stressors in their lives, and he will demonstrate how being in nature can provide wonderful opportunities to explore this practice.

Whether brand new or experienced with practicing mindfulness, this virtual session will give useful tools to start or expand your practice. Tim’s presentation will be held indoors over Zoom, however the exercises he will share can easily be practiced in the outdoors while hiking on a KELT trail, visiting a park, or walking in a backyard. The beauty of mindfulness is that with practice, it can be done by anyone, anywhere, at any time and can bring clarity to the mind, bring calm to the body, and help keep the attention focused even when life becomes difficult or challenging.

Registration is free and required in order to receive the Zoom link for the presentation. The Zoom link will be sent out to registrants before the event. For more information and to sign-up, visit KELT’s website at www.kennebecestuary.org/upcoming-events or call (207) 442-8400.

Tim Blair is the founder of Blair Nonprofit Advisors LLC which provides data and systems consulting services to nonprofit organizations. Tim is a certified teacher of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, and regularly brings the teachings and practice of mindfulness to the staff of nonprofit organizations through The Mindful Nonprofit Institute, an 8 week program geared for nonprofits, based on MBSR.

One board’s decision linked to another’s is figuring into a third board’s work. That issue and several others came up on Zoom Feb. 11 when Alna’s appeals board started hearing three appeals relating to Jeff Spinney’s recent shoreland project. Then Spinney’s lawyer Kristin Collins had to go into a meeting at Old Orchard Beach town hall. The board set a second session for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16.

Night one included participants speaking to the point of appealing the planning board’s decision in favor of the earthwork project at Spinney’s boat launch off Golden Ridge Road. Given that Spinney and selectmen reached a deal after mediation, the planning board’s decision incorporated part of that deal, and the appeals board lacks jurisdiction on the deal, appeals board member David Buczkowski said: “I’m not so sure that we have a path forward here.”

Attorney Gordon Smith, for appellants Carol Ervin, Allen Philbrick and William Weary, argued the deal between selectmen and Spinney is “open to challenge,” and opponents will need to challenge both it and, through the appeals board, the planning board decision. “That (deal) does not make this proceeding unnecessary because if either ... were to stand, then the abutters would have lost their rights.”

The deal followed mediation after Spinney’s prior proposal failed 2-2 with the planning board, another appellant, Ed Pentaleri, noted. The appeals board upheld that decision and now is handling appeals of the planning board’s decision in favor of Spinney’s subsequent, winning proposal and an appeal of a code enforcement decision.Talks Feb. 11 focused largely on the planning board part.

Also at issue in night one: Did Spinney have all the permits he needed? And could Pentaleri and one of the other appellants, Cathy Johnson, appeal the planning board’s decision, since their properties do not abut Spinney’s? 

Johnson said they have standing due to their nearness to, use of, and contributions to help, the Sheepscot River; their participation in meetings on the project from the outset; and Johnson’s nearness to Spinney. “We’re not just people who flew in from Boston and had no connection to this,” Johnson said. “We clearly have deep connections with this area and this project in particular.”

Collins said the two would have to show the matter they are appealing impacts them more than it does the general public. The board decided 2-1 there was standing.

Collins denied appellants’ claims of bias and influence in the planning board decision. She said Spinney’s project met the town’s shoreland zoning and his state permit. Spinney also said he had all the permits he needed for the work he did. Weary cited differences he said the work had from what Maine Department of Environmental Protection had nodded months earlier. “So there is a game being played ...,” Weary said.

Addressing the DEP issue earlier in the meeting. Collins said: “DEP has inspected this project as built and found that it is entirely in conformance with the permit that they issued.”

More than 200 high school and college students from around the world have signed up for the Feb. 20-21 Camden Conference, “The Geopolitics of the Arctic: A Region in Peril,” taking advantage of the organization’s decision to waive student ticket fees for this year’s virtual event.

Kimberly Scott, Executive Director of the Camden Conference, said “Recognizing this unique and challenging year we are offering the virtual conference free of charge to all students in Maine and around the world who would like to participate.”  Scott reports that, while the majority of students registered attend Maine high schools and universities, others will attend from multiple states and as far away as Alaska, the United Kingdom, and India.

In a normal year the conference takes place in the Camden Opera House, with live streaming to audiences in Rockland, Belfast, Portland, and Hanover, New Hampshire. Ordinarily, students from high schools and colleges in Maine are invited to attend if they are participating in the conference’s education program that supports courses related to that year’s topic, and they comprise 20% of the total audience.

This year’s conference will be entirely live streamed, allowing students world-wide to have a virtual seat at the event. "The Camden Conference treasures the community spirit generated at its conferences, and the interaction between students and other attendees," said Scott. "We are delighted to have such a wide range of students joining us to learn more about this critical region that impacts us all. Unlike Las Vegas, what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic.”

The Camden Conference is dedicated to “fostering informed discourse on world issues.” This year’s conference - the 34th annual - will present some of the world’s leading experts on the Arctic region and its changing conditions.  Keynote speaker will be former Iceland president Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, president and co-founder of The Arctic Council.  The conference moderator for the second consecutive year will be David Brancaccio, senior editor of American Public Media’s popular radio broadcast, The Marketplace Morning Report. 

For further information, visit www.camdenconference.org.

On and near Wiscasset’s waterfront Saturday, Feb. 13, the midday sun was brilliant and footprints in the snow showed people are getting out in the cold, including to some summertime spots.

Enjoy this look, free of the wind chill.

Another Lady Seahawk has soared in the Boothbay Region High School basketball scoring record books. Senior Glory Blethen scored her 1,000th career point on Feb. 15 on a 21-foot 3-pointer midway into the third quarter in her team’s 42-33 loss to Medomak Valley. Blethen scored 20 points and became the fifth Lady Seahawk and ninth Boothbay Region basketball player to score 1,000 points. Trailing 28-22, guard Kylie Brown found Blethen open her only successful 3-point shot of the game. “I thought it was great Kylie had an assist on it,” Blethen said. “I’m super excited and thankful to these girls (Brown and Jaelyn Crocker) because I wouldn’t been able to do it without them.”

Boothbay Region is now 2-5 in regional high school girls’ play and Medomak Valley improves to 6-1. Earlier in the season, the Panthers beat Boothbay by 20 points in Waldoboro. The Lady Seahawks used a strong first quarter in taking an early 10-6 lead before Medomak Valley’s defensive pressure took its toll. The Lady Seahawks only scored one point in the second quarter, a Blethen free throw, and trailed 18-11 at the half. Boothbay’s third quarter didn’t start any better as the team fell behind 22-11 before rallying to cut the deficit to three points after Blethen connected on her 1,000th point.

Crocker exerted her size in low post by scoring and rebounding to trigger a Boothbay rally. She scored 11 points and Brown added two. 

It was the Lady Seahawks’ fifth loss in seven games, but Coach Brian Blethen is seeing steady improvement in his young squad. On Jan. 26, Medomak Valley beat Boothbay Region in schoolgirl basketball, 73-41, in Waldoboro. In the rematch, Medomak was on the verge of another lopsided victory leading, 22-11, midway through the third quarter before the Boothbay offense found its groove. Senior Glory Blethen scored eight of her 20 points in the first quarter, but the Lady Seahawks struggled to score in the second quarter until midway through the third. Blethen connected on a long 3-pointer bringing the Lady Seahawks to within three points, but in the end, Medomak Valley’s experience and depth were too much. The Lady Panthers won a hard fought, 42-33, victory in Boothbay Harbor. 

Despite the loss, Coach Blethen praised his players for showing resilience against a strong Class A foe which improved to 6-1 this season. Blethen’s squad has three players who played on last year’s Class C South runners-up team: Seniors Glory Blethen and Kylie Brown and junior Jaelyn Crocker. Besides inexperience, Boothbay Region has a short bench with only three substitutes. 

“I’m so proud of these girls. They have improved so much, and faced overwhelming defensive pressure tonight, and responded with a great effort,” Blethen said. Despite the loss, Boothbay started strong as Glory Blethen scored eight of the team’s 10 first quarter points as the Lady Seahawks led early, 10-6. But Medomak Valley’s pressure on-ball defense wore the Lady Seahawks down. Boothbay only scored one point in the second quarter and trailed 18-11 at halftime. In the third quarter, Medomak expanded its lead to 22-11, and it looked like Boothbay Region was heading for another defeat. 

But Boothbay Region’s offense sparked as junior Jaelyn Crocker hit two mid-range jumpers and converted on a couple offensive rebounds. Crocker scored 11 points, but the rally’s big shot occurred when Blethen launched a long 3-pointer. She connected a 21-foot shot to bring the Lady Seahawks within three points. Crocker said the team struggled mostly due to Medomak’s on-ball pressure, but there was also something extra special about the Feb. 15 game. “When Glory hit the three, it was her 1,000th point. I think we all struggled a bit with the pressure, and once she made it, it helped us,” he said. 

Coach Blethen was also pleased to see Crocker exert herself on the offense end. “We want her to be as offensive minded as possible. That is our goal for the rest of the season,” he said. Coach Blethen also praised his point guard Brown who scored one point, but had the challenging assignment of directing the offense against a rugged defense. “Kylie does whatever we ask her,” he said. “She has done that all four years. I can’t say enough good things about her.”

Despite a losing record, Glory Blethen wasn’t surprised her team rallied against a tough foe. “I would go anywhere with these girls. Our offense wasn’t working for a while, but we pulled it together,” she said. The Lady Panthers were led in scoring by Abby Lash with 17 points, Autumn Ripley with eight and Addison McCormick with six.

The Midcoast Umpire Association of Maine will be providing training for interested new members, or individuals looking to learn more about the game of baseball or softball. 

The association — serving Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties since 1956 — assists with providing professional, quality officiating to local baseball and softball teams, grades 7 to 12, as well as to local youth amateur leagues, including Babe Ruth Baseball and Little League Baseball and Softball.

All interested individuals are encouraged to apply. Training and education are provided by veteran umpires using hands on, online, visual and written study resources.

New member separate sessions for baseball and softball training will begin in March.

Due to the pandemic, all training will be provided remotely.

Anyone interested in this challenging and rewarding opportunity are encouraged to register online at midcoastumpires.com under the “Join Us” section, or by contacting Chris Barstow at crbarstow@gmail.com.

Anyone interested in local forestry is invited to attend a Forest Walk on Saturday, Feb. 27, from noon to 2 p.m. at Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature Center (HVNC). Walk hosts include HVNC Forester Barrie Brusila, HVNC co-founder Tracy Moskovitz, and Midcoast Conservancy Forestry and Lands Manager Tim Libby; participants will join them for a walk during which the hosts will explain the Crop Tree Release projects at Hidden Valley and how they relate to forest health, wildlife and habitat, soil and water quality, trail layout, and low impact harvest techniques.

This is the second in a three-part series. The first walk looked at the Pre-crop Tree Release; this walk will address what goes on during the Crop Tree Release, and the final walk will look at what happens after crop tree release.

Participants should meet at the Barn; everyone should bring a mask and be prepared to maintain physical distancing protocols. The rain date for the event is Sunday, Feb. 28, from noon to 2 p.m. Registration for the free walk can be found at https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/forest-walk-at-hidden-valley-nature-center-2/

Contact Tim Libby with any questions at tim@midcoastconservancy.org

As a Maine high school basketball coach, I.J. Pinkham had a long list of accomplishments in his 49 years patrolling the hardwood. Pinkham’s teams won 659 games, more  than any other Maine high schoolboys’ basketball coach. His 2001, his Boothbay Seahawks won the Class C State championship. Another achievement arrived in 2016, when he was inducted to the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame.  On Feb. 25, Pinkham added another achievement to his lengthy list. Pinkham and 10 others were inducted to the Maine Principals’ Association “Hall of Excellence” via an online ceremony. 

The Hall of Excellence was established in 2014 to honor individuals who exemplified the highest standards of educational leadership, citizenship, ethical conduct and moral character in Maine high school athletics. The Hall of Excellence has five nomination categories: school administrators, athletes, coaches, officials, and contributors. The Class of 2020 was originally scheduled for induction last May, but was delayed due to the coronavirus.

Pinkham was unaware of the award and didn’t know who nominated him. But he was “humbled and honored” with the selection. During the ceremony, he thanked those who contributed in his development into a distinguished teacher and coach. Pinkham grew up in the Washington County town of Milbridge and credited his parents for “being supportive and involved in his academic and athletic development.” His high school principal Jack Sumner was also his math and science teacher who was a “huge” influence on Pinkham. “It was through his example I became a teacher,” Pinkham said during the online induction ceremony.

Pinkham attended Farmington State Teachers’ College, now the University of Maine at Farmington. He played on the basketball team, and his coach Len McPhee became a role model. Pinkham described his coach as “Low-key, never raised his voice, and had great knowledge of the game.” 

He also thanked the support of school administrators who allowed him to last nearly 50 years in coaching. In Buckfield, Jack Gaudette gave Pinkham his first coach opportunity and assisted him moving on to Boothbay. Pinkham coached the Seahawks for 43 seasons. He  credited the school’s administration for supporting him during his long tenure.

”It’s difficult to run a good program without people behind you,” he said. His family also provided steadfast support during his coaching career. Pinkham thanked his wife Peggy and two sons Tim and Matthew as he described the family winters as “revolving around basketball between all the games and practices,”

In receiving the award, Pinkham had one question. “Why am I receiving this? There are a lot of good coaches and teachers,” he asked himself during the ceremony. After reflection, Pinkham answered his own question. “People seemed to appreciate that I taught to the individual student with a great deal of caring and humor. As a coach, I was ‘old-school.’ People seemed to like I had standards, and stood behind them,” he said.

Pinkham and 10 others received induction to the Maine Principals’ Association “Hall of Excellence” via an online ceremony held Feb. 25. Pinkham coached boys’ basketball for 49 years starting in Buckfield, from 1970-76, and Boothbay, from 1976-2020. 

He was joined by Ralph Damren of Old Town who is a longtime high school football referee and baseball umpire, Don Atkinson, a Skowhegan High School graduate who coached girls’ basketball at Falmouth and Deering. He also was a long-time director of the MPA tennis tournaments, public address announcer for numerous state championship events. Atkinson also served as a board certified basketball and soccer official. 

The late Robert and late Gertrude Butler of Machias taught, coached and served as athletic administrators in southern Maine for decades. In 1950, the couple began collecting and tabulating tournament and seasonal interscholastic basketball records. The Western Maine Conference awards the “Robert E. Butler Award” to an outstanding male and female athlete each year. 

The late Jim DiFrederico of Millinocket was a star athlete at Stearns High school in the 1940s. In 1949, the Boston Red Sox drafted him and he played in the Red Sox and Chicago Cubs organizations. DiFrederico officiated high school and Division I college basketball and baseball for three decades.

Jack Hardy, of Livermore Falls, served as Greeley High School athletic director for 14 years. He earlier taught and coached for 13 years. Hardy served as Falmouth High School principal and North Yarmouth Academy athletic director. In 2004, he received  the  NFHS (National Federation of High School)  National Distinguished Service Award.

Barbara Krause won a Class C State championship for Freeport High School girls’ basketball team. She attended Bowdoin College for a year before transferring to Duke University. As a Blue Devil, she set a school record with 24 rebounds in a game. Krause received the NCAIAW Scholar-Athlete Award in 1980 and 1981 and named to the NAIAW Division All-Star team, and played professionally in Germany. 

This was the first season Pinkham wasn’t coaching a varsity team in 50 years. He hoped to spend more time watching his grandchildren play basketball this winter. “I expected to watch them play, but the season was cut short due to the virus,” Pinkham said.

The induction ceremony can be viewed at https://youtu.be/bYEhllrfIZA; Pinkham’s induction begins at the 1:05.24 mark of the video.

On March 3, the Maine McDonald’s High School Senior All-Star Basketball Games in partnership with the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches (MABC) announced the top three finalists for Mr. and Miss Maine Basketball. This award is presented to a senior boy and girl student-athlete who has exhibited outstanding skills throughout their basketball career, has made a significant impact on their team, has demonstrated respect for the game through leadership on and off the court, epitomized the values of sportsmanship, and has been a positive school and community citizen. The finalists are as follows: 

2021 Miss Maine Basketball Top 3:

Emily Archibald – Kennebunk

Camille Clement – Greely

Gemima Motema - Portland

 2021 Mr. Maine Basketball Top 3:

Parker Desjardins – Forest Hills

Payton Jones – Thornton Academy

Cash McClure - Maranacook

The winner of this prestigious award will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony to be streamed on Friday, March 19 at 6 p.m. These students are all being recognized not just as finalist but as All-Star team members at the 41^st annual Maine McDonald's All-Star Basketball Games. They join 105 other student athletes representing high schools from across Maine. In addition to recognizing the stellar accomplishments of these athletes, the All-Star Basketball Games benefit the families who need to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Bangor or Portland to be close to their seriously ill or injured children while they are receiving medical care.

More information about the Maine McDonald’s High School Senior All-Star Basketball Games is available at www.rmhcmaine.org/mcdonalds-basketball/

The 2021 All-Star Games mark locally owned Maine McDonald’s 33^rd consecutive year as lead sponsor of this event with net proceeds to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Bangor and the Ronald McDonald House Portland. Since 1983, RMHC Maine has been a place of comfort, care, compassion, and hope for thousands of families on the medical journey of their child’s illness. At the Ronald McDonald House families find a welcoming smile from a volunteer, a home-cooked meal to enjoy after a long day at the hospital, a good night’s sleep in a caring environment and the emotional support needed to endure a difficult time. The cost of a family’s one-night stay at the House is $75; however, families are asked to contribute only $10 per night towards their stay.  No family is turned away due to inability to pay, ever. More information is available at www.rmhcmaine.org.

After Alna’s appeals board decided a series of appeals March 4 on resident Jeff Spinney’s shoreland project, members said the matter will go back to the planning board that approved Spinney’s request.

“Now that the majority of the appeals board feels the boat ramp is a structure, doesn’t it now get remanded to the planning board,” appeals board secretary Mary Bowers asked.

“It does,” appeals board chair Alex Pugh said. Bowers had dissented on the structure issue. She described the project off Golden Ridge Road as earthwork for soil stabilization and erosion control.

The appeals board found as moot Code Enforcement Officer Tom McKenzie’s issuing of Spinney’s permit before the planning board issued its written decision.

Asked for comment via text later, Spinney said: “The decisions (the appeals board) made were so bizarre it’s hard to know what to think right now. They were citing things not in the record and stating some things that were flat out incorrect to begin with and again operated the meeting in a manner that didn't allow attorneys to object or intervene ... so it’s going to be appealed for a nunber of reasons.”

Resident Cathy Johnson, one of several appellants in the three latest appeals, commented via email: “We are pleased (the board) overturned the planning board decision ... The (appeals) board correctly determined that the boat launch constructed by Mr. Spinney constitutes a permanent structure, in violation of Alna’s shoreland zoning ordinance. The Sheepscot River is the winner in this decision.”

The appeals board determined it had seven days to issue its written report.

Been seeing lots of unusual finches this winter? Mid-Coast Audubon and Camden Public Library will host a free online Zoom presentation about our northern finch winter visitors on Thursday, March 18 at 6 p.m. To register for the event, please email Julia Pierce (jpierce@librarycamden.org) to request the Zoom login information.

Irruptions of these fascinating birds from the north inspired Matthew Young to launch the Finch Research Network (FiRN) in fall 2020. Matthew will discuss what an irruption is, and highlight Redpolls, Pine Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeaks, and the distribution and ecology of different Red Crossbill flight calls. Matt will also introduce FiRN and its citizen science opportunities.

Young has been observing and enjoying nature since a very young age, and received an M.S. in ornithology in 2003. He worked at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology where he was project lead on the first Finch Irruptive Bird Survey for Bird Source. He was the Collections Management Leader/Audio Engineer at the Macaulay Library for 12 years where he edited sounds for several Merlin packs around the world in addition to being the lead audio engineer on such guides as the Songs of the Warblers of North America, Audubon Society Voices of Hawaii’s Birds, and the Cornell Lab’s Guides to Bird Sounds.

Mid-Coast Audubon’s mission is to promote long-term, responsible use of natural resources through informed membership, education and community awareness. For listings of other free programs and field trips hosted by Mid-Coast Audubon, visit their website at https://midcoast.maineaudubon.org/events/

The Wiscasset municipal building grounds were showing signs of warmer weather Tuesday. From the mid-morning above freezing temperature on the electronic board to the receding snow along the veterans’ wall, the sights came ahead of this week’s weather predicted to approach 50F.

Also on the grounds Tuesday was a sight Wiscasset Administrative Assistant Kathleen Onorato said a recent windstorm caused: The public safety sign was missing from its pillars. Onorato told Wiscasset Newspaper, Public Works Director Ted Snowdon said the wind took down the sign and his department was working to secure it back in place.

Spring is coming and so is baseball/softball/T-ball season!

Boys and girls ages 4 to 12 in the following towns are eligible to play for Lincoln Little League: Damariscotta, Newcastle, Nobleboro, Bremen, Bristol, South Bristol, Jefferson, Wiscasset region, Edgecomb, Boothbay region.

Lincoln Little League offers T-ball (ages 4-5) Farm League baseball and softball (ages 6+) and Little League baseball and softball (ages 9-12). Typically, T-ball is played on Fridays, Farm League is played on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Little League is played on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays. This is subject to change. Opening Day is scheduled for May 1 with practices beginning sometime in April.

Registration and payment are online at our league website from now until April 3, lincolnlittleleague.squadfusion.com

Check out our Facebook page, Lincoln Little League Damariscotta.

Little League® baseball and softball is played in approximately 6,500 communities across more than 80 countries around the world, but regardless of where they are played, each of them share the same core mission. Little League believes in the power of youth baseball and softball to teach life lessons that build stronger individuals and communities.

Big Al’s owner Al Cohen thinks people will like the new Barters Island bridge. He liked what he saw of it March 10 when he was crossing the one-lane, temporary bridge.

“The new bridge opened next to me. (There were) a whole bunch of people watching. They were testing the gates. They were testing the lights. And they actually opened the bridge,” Cohen said in a phone interview afterward.

“I thought it’s very nice, and that you won’t have to wait for the traffic lights” when it opens, Cohen said. He observed, the lights at the temporary bridge take up islanders’ time. “They’re going to be very happy” with the new bridge, he said. Cohen shared with Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper a series of photos he took of the new bridge on the move.

Maine Department of Transportation spokesman Paul Merrill said in email responses March 11, “The openings to date have been to test the mechanical and electrical systems before the new bridge goes into full service. It's standard practice for movable bridges to be tested extensively to make sure they are operating correctly and safely. We're currently adjusting the bridge based on the test results.”

The bridge is now planned to open to traffic by mid-May, Merrill said. The project is set to be done, and the temporary bridge removed, in mid-July, he said.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources has published a series of printable informational documents that summarize 2021 regulations for your favorite saltwater gamefish species. Documents for striped bass, sea run species, groundfish, and smelt can all be found at https://www.maine.gov/dmr/recreational-fishing/regs-tips/index.html.

There is also information available on how to safely release an endangered Atlantic salmon if one is inadvertently caught while fishing for another species, and on the use of a circle hook for striped bass.

More information on saltwater recreational fishing in Maine can be found at https://www.maine.gov/dmr/recreational-fishing/index.html

WARREN — The Midcoast Sternmen, a newly formed semi-professional basketball team participating in the newly formed Professional Basketball Association, will be holding tryouts next month in Warren. 

Tryouts for the team will be held Saturday, April 3 at the Midcoast Athletic Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The fee for trying out is $75, to be paid at the door. The organization is looking for former college players or high school stars that want to play in a competitive league with a chance to get signed overseas, according to an advertisement shared to social media. 

The PBA is a 21-week spring-summer semi-pro league playing slated to play between May and August 2021. 

The league has teams across the country in states such as New York, Maine, Texas, Ohio, Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. 

To sign up for tryouts or for more information, visit the team on Facebook. 

Join Hildy Ellis, recently-retired coordinator at Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District, as she leads participants on a walk along the margins of the bog at Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature Center on Wednesday, May 5 from 10 a.m. to noon. A 220-foot boardwalk extends into the heart of the wetland, making it possible for visitors to interact with a fascinating, but incredibly delicate ecosystem, and to witness the spring explosion of plant life there.

The bog biome is an iconic piece of Maine’s natural landscape. These wetlands have been forming over millions of years in a completely unique fashion. Much of the flora and fauna found in the bog is distinct to this area and other places like it. The HVNC kettle hole bog is home to many beautiful flowering plants, including several varieties of orchids, and uncommon bird species like the yellow-bellied flycatcher.

Participants should meet at the HVNC gate promptly at 10 am for an easy 10-minute walk to the bog. They are encouraged to dress appropriately for possible buggy conditions, bring binoculars if desired, and leave dogs at home. A $5 donation is requested for non-members. Register at https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/guided-bog-walk-2/.

For more information, go to www.midcoastconservancy.org or call (207) 389-5150.

Planning is in the final stages for a federally funded $3 million runway project at Wiscasset Municipal Airport. The project will go out to bid by early April. David Nadeau, senior associate of Stantec, briefed airport advisory committee members on the project Wednesday, March 24 in the airport’s administration building at 96 Chewonki Neck Road.

Nadeau provided a set of project plans that await final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA requires the project be bid out before the grant process proceeds. Work would begin sometime this summer and take an estimated 49 days. “Until the FAA issues the grant, we don’t know when we can start work. Typically, they do this in mid-July,” said Nadeau.

The work includes recycling the current runway pavement and adding a new layer of asphalt to it. Aircraft taxi-ways will be widened to comply with FAA recommendations. Runway lighting will be replaced with LED fixtures; new signage and striping are also planned along with drainage improvements. Nadeau recommended the committee consider adding a protective surface sealant to the runway after the work is completed.

The project will result in about a two-month closure of the airport in the height of summer. Committee member Ervin Deck said the runway work was long overdue, having been put off for years. With federal stimulus dollars flowing into Maine, now was certainly the time to do the project, he told Wiscasset Newspaper.

Town Manager Dennis Simmons told the committee the select board would be adding a warrant article allowing for the lease of airport property for the planned Cenergy solar project.

Simmons said the project needed voter approval before selectmen could finalize it. He noted at the select board’s request Cenergy agreed to put up a decommission fee. If the project goes forward, Cenergy, of Carlsbad, California, would lease the land for $53,000 a year, the monies to be used to offset costs of the airport. The firm is proposing similar projects in Waterville and Augusta, said Simmons.

Airport Manager Rick Tetrev said February had been a busy month with test borings and a survey of the runway. The borings were needed to determine the depth of the excavation needed, he wrote in his monthly report. “They came at 6 in the morning and finished at sundown,” he wrote.

The airport office will remain open by appointment through April. The airport has been open to air traffic and self-service fuel throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The committee re-elected Steve Williams chairman. The other members are Deck, Pam Brackett and Ray Soule.  

After losing a member who said he made no secret he was not a Maine resident, Alna’s appeals board is set to regroup Tuesday night and take up shoreland owner Jeff Spinney’s request it reconsider its latest calls. Spinney’s lawyer Kristin Collins argues the board should have considered what the building code calls a structure, and not considered statements that pre-date Spinney’s winning proposal to the planning board.

Appellants of that planning board decision say the appeals board’s decision should stand.

Collins wrote the appeals board March 15; the appellants countered March 23. Their letter argues the appeals board does not have to reconsider its decision and, under shoreland rules, cannot.

The letter from Allen Philbrick, Carol Ervin, William Weary, Cathy Johnson and Edward Pentaleri also disputes Collins’ claim the appeals board should have let her speak the night of its votes when she had objections to raise. “While that may have made for a smoother meeting from the board’s perspective, it was in fact a violation of Mr. Spinney’s rights that can only be remedied through a full re-do of the decision-making process,” Collins wrote.

The appellants state the appeals board “fully heard” Spinney and Collins on other nights. “Mr. Spinney has had every bit of due process owed him.”

The March 30 meeting also follows the resignation of member David Buczkowski. According to an email thread, Maine Municipal Association advised Second Selectman Doug Baston March 19, municipal officers must be Maine residents. Baston then wrote Buczkowski, who responded: “As you no doubt remember, when you asked me to accept appointment to the Board of Appeals I immediately informed you that I was not a resident of Alna nor Maine for that matter. At that time it was my future intent to become a resident but that the decision would be made once I retired. I have not yet retired ... (To) spare you and the selectmen any further discomfort, I hereby tender my resignation ...”

Baston took blame for the issue. It “accidentally surfaced” when he spoke to a lawyer about selectmen’s settlement deal with Spinney, Baston wrote Buczkowski.

The appeals board meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday over Zoom, Webinar ID: 824 3825 6291, Passcode: 201914. According to the agenda released March 24, the board is set to acknowledge Buczkowski’s resignation, elect a chair and secretary and take up Collins’ letter.

Recreational boating statistics show that people who have taken boating safety courses are less likely to be involved in boating mishaps.

Become a better mariner. Learn from Auxiliarists who are experienced boaters, have trained with the Coast Guard, and conduct safety patrols to assist boaters.

Suddenly in Command, a two session Zoom webinar, will be held April 26 and 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. each night.

This course is intended to help you have a more enjoyable experience on coastal waters. Safe boating requires planning and preparation as well as careful operation. Steps to take to minimize boating problems and basic emergency procedures are covered. Topics include pre-underway planning, developing situational awareness, understanding how boats handle, VHF radio introduction including how to get help in an emergency, Coast Guard required safety equipment and regulations, and accident assessment and reporting.

To register, call 207-633-4748 (cell: 865-603-5106) or email davidbeastwood@gmail.com Registrations must be received by Monday, April 19 (corrected from previous posting) in order for materials to be sent to participants. Late registration is possible if you can make arrangements to pick up the reference materials in Boothbay Harbor. Cost of the the course is $25.

The WW&F Railway at 97 Cross Road, Alna will be running Springtime Eggspress Trains with SeaLyon Farm April 3 and 10. Much like the Easter Eggspress Trains the railway has run in years past, these trains will include an Easter Egg Hunt at the Railway’s Alna Center station.

New this year is a farmstand providing farm products and baked goods along with food by Grandpa’s Kitchen. Capacity of each train is 50 passengers, so get your tickets soon at wwfry.org

For the rest of spring, “You’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad” volunteer work sessions will be held each Saturday. The work sessions will cover all manner of railway work, from painting and cleaning to track maintenance and brush clearing. All are welcome to attend and those with no particular railway experience, but a keen interest, are especially welcome to come learn what it takes to keep a railway running. There is no charge to attend volunteer work sessions. Advance registration is requested for planning purposes. Register and learn more at wwfry.org