Rural Character: Now and Then

Broad Cove Marina 2010

The Old Clam Factory 1940?

Not exact perspective but this gives you an idea of how much the waterfront in Medomak has changed at this location.  Once a profitable clam factory, in the 80's a bustling lobster industry and today a Marina that serves both pleasure craft enthusiasts and the local lobstering industry.  In the current photo most of the lobster boats  and their captains are out to haul so one can't really get a true sense for the density of the boats in the harbor. Has the character of our working waterfront been preserved over the past 70 years at this location?

Goats and Sheep: A Weapon Against Weeds Webinar

FREE

 Thursday, July 22, 2010,  12:00 pm

 Invasive species cause environmental damages and losses of up to $120 billion per year nationally. Invasive species crowd out native woodland plants and animals, robbing native wildlife species of crucial food and cover sources. Climbing species can also strangle trees and bring down limbs. What can you do to stem the invasion on your land?

Machines often can't get to problem areas, manual removal is very labor intensive, and herbicides can inflict collateral damage water, plant, and animal resources.

Targeted grazing with goats and sheep can be a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly method of controlling invasive species on your property. Goats and sheep graze in places that mowers can't reach and humans don't want to go, including thickets of both brambles and poison ivy.

Goats eat a wide range of unwanted vegetation, which on the East Cost includes kudzu, Oriental bittersweet, Tree of Heaven, multiflora rose, Japanese honeysuckle, mile-a-minute, and more.

 Sheep prefer grasses and forbs. Livestock will graze all day, going through very dense material at about a quarter acre per day per 30 animals. They respect electric fences, making this an easy and effective source of mobile containment.

This webinar is your chance to learn from extension specialists and professionals in the field how to implement this practice on your land. The webinar is free and will be held on July 22 at noon. Contact Carol Taylor to register (carolt@umd.edu<mailto:carolt@umd.edu> or 410-827-8056, ext. 135). A recording will be available at http://www.naturalresources.umd.edu soon after the live presentation.

 Presenters will include Nevin Dawson, Forest Stewardship Educator, and Susan Schoenian, Sheep & Goat Specialist, with University of Maryland Extension; and Brian Knox, President of Sustainable Resource Management, Inc. and supervising forester for Eco-Goats.

Woodland Management Talk and Field Tour in Bremen

If you have an interest in learning more about the care of your woodlot regardless of its size the Bremen Conservation Commission and Morten Moesswilde, district forester from the Maine Forest Service, invite you to a two hour program called "Hallmarks of a Well-Managed Woodland".

 

The first half of the program will be a presentation focusing on typical goals and options woodlot owners have for their property. Common woodlot goals are to grow timber, maintain or improve wildlife habitat, enhance recreation opportunities, or improve scenic or aesthetic values. Woodland "management" involves those decisions landowners make about how to reach these and other goals. The talk will be followed by a walk through the forest owned by the town of Bremen where we will have a discussion based on the practical application of  the principles discussed in the class.

 

The two hour program will be held at the Bremen Town House and woods on Thursday July 29 beginning at 10:00am. The Town House is located at 560 Waldoboro Road, Rt. 32, in Bremen right next to the fire station.

 

This program is open to any interested person wanting to learn more about the management of a woodlot.

Harvest Dinner: Local Foods, Local Entertainment

One hundred years ago, Bremen residents grew or caught just about all the food they needed to produce  tasty and nutritious meals.   Guess what, they still can!

A harvest dinner to be held in the Bremen Town House on Saturday, September 18, will feature foods grown or produced in Bremen and adjoining towns.

The dinner Bremen Conservation Commission is sponsoring the dinner as a way of showcasing products from the town's working farms and waterfront. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the town's Conservation Account.

After dinner entertainment will be provided by the New Rangers, a musical group whose members reside in Bremen and nearby towns.

Due to limited seating, tickets for the event will go on sale in early August.

Any Bremen residents or neighbors who would like to help with the dinner or donate products should call 529-4499 or send an email to bcc@tidewater.net.

Then and Now: Comparing Our Rural Character

1940

2010

These two photos are meant to be an intrepretive study of our rural character at one coastal location (Miller Point, Medomak) over the past 70 years.  In 2008 two older cottages were demolished to make way for a new seasonal dwelling.  Also,because of additional trees at the left of the 2010 vantage point one cannot see the seasonal dwelling unit built around the turn of the century (2000 that is).
Also in 2010 a stone seawall to prevent further shoreline erosion was laid in place.

Note how the island forest canopy has matured and obscured most dwellings from sight.

With your critical eye you be the judge as to whether the rural character of Bremen has been maintained at this location over the past 70 years.

Please submit your own yesteryear photos of in and around Bremen and we'll take a closer look with comparative photos from today.

BCC to start work on town property

By Samuel J. Baldwin, LCN June 24, 2010

The Bremen Conservation Commission will undertake several projects designed to preserve and increase access to a 47-acre town-owned property north of the Bremen Town House on Rt. 32

The Bremen Board of Selectmen gave the commission the go-ahead to begin work on four projects at their meeting on June 17.

The first project will be marking the boundaries of the property with orange bark paint, said Conservation Commission member Steve Laurich at the meeting.

The second project will be to eradicate invasive plant species that are threatening the growth of native species on the property. The two most prevalent invasives are bittersweet and Japanese barberry, Laurich said.

The commission will use very small amounts of concentrated Roundup to kill the invasive plants.
"We're not going to be spraying," Laurich reassured the selectmen. The method the commission will use is to cut the plants off and place a few drops of concentrated Roundup on the cut in the stem. This will kill the roots of the plant without spreading the chemical to surrounding plants, Laurich said.

The third project will be to cut one or two walking trails that allow access to the property.
"We still need to scout the property to find the best areas and the most diverse parts of the land," Laurich said. The trails will be narrow and will have obstacles built into them to prevent motor vehicle use, Laurich said.

The fourth project will be to host an informational meting on best practices for woodlot management with a representative of the Maine Forest Service. The meeting will be held both in the Town House and outside on the property on a Saturday. The exact date has yet to be determined.

"We already own the land, there's no reason not to use it," said Selectman Patrick Ginnaty before the board gave their permission for all four projects.

"P.S.: there won't be any cost to the town,"Laurich said.

Beware! Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Found in Lincoln County

Lincoln County News Online 7/2/10

The hemlock woolly adelgid has been detected in several coastal towns in the past month, notably in South Bristol and Bristol in Lincoln County, according to Maine Forest Service spokesperson Allison Kanoti.

This destructive pest of hemlocks has also been found Eliot, Kennebunkport, Kittery, Ogunquit, Saco, South Berwick, Wells and York in York County; Harpswell, Brunswick, South Portland in Cumberland County, and in Phippsburg, Georgetown in Sagadahoc County.

The Maine Forest Service asks residents to please look for hemlock woolly adelgid on planted and forest hemlocks, especially residents living within 20 miles of the coast.

Tell your neighbors and friends, especially those who are seasonal residents, about the spread of this insect, which has received news coverage over the last month.

If the small, white hemlock woolly adelgid, is discovered, please call or email Kanoti in Augusta at 287-3147, or allison.m.kanoti@maine.gov.

Please be patient, Kanoti will respond, but it may take some time.

The website http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/HWAOverview.htm has tips for recognizing the insect.

The Maine Forest Service will be closed for the July 4 holiday from Fri., July 2 through Mon., July 5.




About the Hemlock Woolly AdelgidThe hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is an aphid-like insect that covers itself with a white, waxy "wool" which acts as a protective coating. Adelgid infestations are easily recognizable by the appearance of tiny "cotton balls" at the base of hemlock needles. The "wool" is most conspicuous on the undersides of branches from fall through spring.

The hemlock woolly adelgid feeds on the sap at the base of hemlock needles, disrupting nutrient flow and causing the needles to change from deep green to a grayish green, then fall off. Without needles the tree starves to death, usually within three to five years of the initial attack. Infestations often start in large, mature hemlocks, but the insect also attacks and kills younger trees as well.

Carbon Footprint Calculator - What's My Carbon Footprint ?

If you haven't already tried calculating your carbon footprint then give this link a try. Are you surprised?

Carbon Footprint Calculator - What's My Carbon Footprint ?

Public Access Incentives Study

Maine Landowners Sought for Study on

Public Access Incentives

UMaine 2010 Research, Midcoast Area 

Are you a landowner who holds between 10 and 1,000 acres of land? Do you typically allow or prohibit public recreation access? We are looking for landowners to attend our focus group. We are part of a collaborative study between the University of Maine's School of Forest Resources and the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine (SWOAM) which seeks to find valuable incentives for landowners who provide public access in the state of Maine. As the number of postings increase around the state, there is concern about current and future public access to privatelands. We will discuss landowner values, access issues, and possible incentive ideas and programs. The focus group session is expected to last between 2 and 2 ½ hours. If you participate, you will be provided dinner and paid $25 for your time. Your level of participation is optional, and you can leave at any time. We hope to speak to landowners with varying access policies to ensure that our sample is fully representative of landowners in Maine. Therefore, regardless of a landowner's public access policy, we hope to meet with various landowners throughout the state to discuss their values and concerns. If you know someone who would be interested in attending a focus group, please forward this announcement to them.
 
The focus group meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 27th at 6:00 pm in Bremen. If you are interested in participating in the focus group session and own between 10 and 1000 acres, please call or email me. I will mail a confirmation letter that includes meeting details and a map of the meeting location.  If there are additional questions or comments, feel free to contact me at: Martha.willand@umit.maine.edu (612) 598-7245, or my advisor, Dr. Jessica Leahy Jessica.leahy@umit.maine.edu (207) 581-2834
 
Thanks for considering participation in this study. I hope to hear from you.
 
Martha Willand
 
Research Assistant and
Graduate Student

Muscongus Bay Project Launches New Website - Check it out!

The Quebec-Labrador Foundation's Muscongus Bay Project invites you to explore their BRAND NEW website.  http://www.muscongusbay.org/  Visit their website online to find out more about Muscongus Bay as well as our programs, resources and services.  

Also, check out the image gallery of our local towns including Bremen at:

http://www.muscongusbay.org/image_gallery.php