We had a great hike on the Perham Stream Birding Trail in Madrid Township on Saturday, May 23rd. The weather was a bit chilly at the start (there were a few snow showers in the mountains!) but it was a hardy bunch of about fifteen birders with binoculars and birding lists in hand.
Saddleback Mountain with a few remaining patches of snow.
The group was led by Pete McKinley, Ecologist at The Wilderness Society and Maine A.T. Land Trust Vice President, Kirsten Burbank, Trustee of the Sandy River Land Trust, and property owner Carson Hinkley. We were treated to sightings of a Brown Thrasher, a few Magnolia Warblers, and a Northern Goshawk, among others (see full list below)!
The group gathers at Carson Hinkley’s house. Carson maintains the trail which is on his property (he is pictured in the red jacket above).
Special thanks to Carson Hinkley for not only graciously opening his property up to public use, but for maintaining the trails and having a vision as to the design and future of the landscape. His knowledge of the history of Madrid Township and the lands all around the High Peaks makes the trail what it is today.
Complete list of species seen (courtesy of Western Maine Audubon):
Turkey Vulture
Broad-winged Hawk
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
Nashville Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Common Grackle
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
Mount Abraham from the Perham Stream Birding Trail.
Birding and nature enthusiasts are invited to join members of the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust, Sandy River Land Trust and Western Maine Audubon for a spring bird walk, led by Climatologist Peter McKinley, Ph. D., beginning at the Perham Stream Birding Trail kiosk on the East Madrid Road (#553) in Madrid Township on Saturday, May 23, 2015, with the early birds at 7:00 a.m.
Map of the Perham Stream Birding Trail parking area.
We will then convoy to the higher elevations of the Barnjum area by car to look for higher elevation species like Bicknell’s thrush. This second hike of the day will be more challenging than the one on the Perham Stream Birding Trail. Please gather in the parking area by the birding trail kiosk at 10:00am for this hike. We will then determine how many cars will proceed up the logging roads to the backside of Mount Abraham. Hot coffee will be available – come enjoy the splendor of the western Maine mountains in springtime! For more information visit: http://www.mainetrailfinder.com/trails/trail/perham-birding-trail. Please RSVP for this hike by emailing us at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073.
The Orbeton Stream parcel in the valley below Saddleback Mountain.
There’s always a backstory when important lands are conserved, and the Orbeton Stream parcel is no exception. Sometimes that story is straightforward and the path is clear – the story is easy to tell. Sometimes the route is long and winding and full of ups and downs, but this is usually a more interesting tale. This project leans towards the latter, but you can read for yourself how these lands came to be protected. Click below to read a story by Maine A.T. Land Trust President Bill Plouffe and ATC Maine Conservation Resources Manager Claire Polfus about the genesis of the Orbeton Stream project.
The Berry Pickers’ Trail will open a new approach to the summit of Saddleback Mountain up the ridge seen here.
The Maine Appalachian Trail Club, working with Maine A.T. Land Trust and Appalachian Trail Conservancy, will begin constructing a trail up the eastern flank of Saddleback Mountain beginning this summer. The trail will open up the possibility of a loop hike to Saddleback by using the Fly Rod Crosby Trail and the Appalachian Trail. We will be posting further updates during the course of the summer. The forest is very thick until the trail reaches the open ledges on the ridge, so MATC and their hardy crew will have their hands full clearing this trail.
Redington Forest from the slopes of Mt. Redington. Photo by Dustin Wright.
The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust is pleased to announce that we will be partnering with The Trust for Public Land and the United States Navy on the Redington Forest project. This 10,000-acre forest has outstanding wildlife habitat, landscape-scale connectivity potential and as a working, sustainably-managed forest it will continue to provide jobs for Franklin County. This area has long been used for hiking, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, ATV riding and cross country skiing by individuals from the local area and those who visit the High Peaks region. These uses will continue under a conservation easement which will be held by Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust and the U.S. Navy. There will be opportunities for new recreational trails as well.
Redington Forest project area. Also shown are past Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust projects.
At this time the land trust is examining the possibility of an ecological reserve component and certain high-elevation areas will be under habitat management for rare species like Bicknell’s thrush. Development rights on the parcel will beextinguished, ensuring that these lands will remain forested in perpetuity and the Appalachian Trail will be buffered from incompatible uses. Once the easement is acquired, Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust plans to use the protected property for recreational/youth group outings, stewardship and trail maintenance opportunities, and healthy lifestyle programs.
This project is a major breakthrough for Maine A.T. Land Trust and we’re going to need every bit of support we can get. In the coming months, we will be posting more photos and maps of this very special property so you can see for yourself why these Appalachian Trail lands need to be protected.
We welcome any ideas for what you would like to see for Redington Forest and encourage you to get in touch with us. This is a very exciting project and these lands will be open for public use, so it’s important to have your input.
A draft of legislation to enhance the scenic impacts to be measured when a proposed wind energy development applies for permits to construct the facility is now making its way through the Maine legislative process. LD 911 would require more extensive analysis of the visual impact of wind energy installations, especially on immensely significant scenic areas like the Appalachian Trail. Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust supports this legislation as a means of protecting Maine’s A.T. lands and you can read our letter to the legislature’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources below.
Maine A.T. Land Trust President Bill Plouffe accepts Maine Appalachian Trail Club’s President Award from Tony Barrett (who also received an award).
Not one, not two but THREE Maine A.T. Land Trust board members received an award at the Maine Appalachian Trail Club’s Spring Meeting in April. Bill Plouffe and Tony Barrett each received the President’s Award. Tonyreceived his for his commitment to a wide range of issues impacting the club as well as helping steer committees such as the Wind Power and ATC 2017 Biennial. Bill was presented with his award (shown above – an old MATC trail sign) for his contribution of legal expertise to MATC.
Board member Bob Cummings received Honorary Membership for being a guiding force for the club, volunteering countless hours and holding leadership positions throughout his decades of service.
Tony was also crowned the meeting’s GORP Champ for his prize-winning trail mix.
Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC), the volunteer club that maintains and manages the Appalachian Trail in Maine, has a great new brochure (click the image above to see the whole thing). Maine A.T. Land Trust works closely with MATC, whose trailbuilding skills are unmatched in the state. This summer MATC will be building a new official A.T. side trail on our Saddleback property. We will be posted maps and updates and even having a few hikes to the location. Stay tuned…
Maine A.T. Land Trust Executive Director Simon Rucker recently appeared on Sugarloaf’s WSKI TV to talk about the Orbeton Stream project and other land trust items. To see the segment click on the video above. When it finishes, you can find the second half here.
Special thanks to host Kip Wells and all the folks at WSKI!
Unlike most recent mornings, Sunday, February 22, 2015, dawned mostly clear and bright. With a few inches of fresh snow having landed the evening before and making for sloppy driving conditions, our merry all-girl band of crazy sisters, a mother-daugher duo, BFFs, and the fearless Shyla-dog arrived at the trail head 15 minutes late to find Simon, our Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust guide, waiting with a bag of fresh donuts and a big smile.
The crew sets out.
Snow shoes attached, packs adjusted and poles locked, we began our trek to Table Rock on Baldpate Mountain in Grafton Notch State Park. Table Rock is a gigantic and relatively flat rock that sticks out from the mountainside affording those brave enough to venture out onto it a 180 degree-plus view featuring Old Speck – a 4,000+ footer – that sits directly across the notch, and Sunday River Whitecap’s peak in the distance.
Nice fluffy snow.
With an elevation gain of just about 1,000’, and just over a mile to our destination ahead of us, we trekked through a few inches of fresh snow on a small section of the Appalachian Trail that had, thankfully, been broken by someone else several days earlier. Throughout most of our hike the narrow trail was banked by hip-deep snow on either side. Anyone stepping off of the packed trail found themselves sunk deep into about 4’ of light snow – especially once when Linda’s snowshoe was off and earlier when a little instant karma caught up with Terri as she tried to dump snow onto someone’s head from an overhead branch causing her to lose her balance, trip, and fall into a tree well, much to everyone’s delight.
A.T. / Table Rock Side Trail Junction.
About a half mile into the hike, the AT meets up with Table Rock Trail on the right. By that point in time sunny skies had brought warmer (again, relatively) temperatures and most of us began removing and stowing layers of clothing.
As we continued on toward Table Rock, the trail climbed gradually through beautiful woods with filtered sunlight. We laughed and chatted our way past evergreens heavy with snow, hardwoods that had lost their leaves allowing us a few moments of glorious full sun, over the occasional fallen log and stream, and up several steep sections where the footing was difficult but which, with a little help from our friends and trusty snowshoes, we took in stride.
Selfie stick!
After an hour or so on the trail we walked onto Table Rock. Although the wind had picked up, we were rewarded with lovely views up and down the valley. Snacks and beverages were passed around and photos of vistas and happy faces snapped before it was time to turn around and head back down.
The hike out was very pleasurable, with soft snow treating middle-aged knees kindly and steep sections making for great snowshoe “luge” runs and lots of laughs.
Returning to our vehicles we said goodbye to Simon and made our way to the Sunday River Brew Pub for lunch and laughs, and to plant the seeds for our next adventure.
Deborah Carroll is one of the crazy sisters whose sense of adventure brings them to places like mountain tops and wild rivers. She is a freelance writer and photograph who “has a thing” for great food and has been known to jump out of perfectly good airplanes on a moment’s notice.
