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Thank You!

Bremen's roadsides are less "trashy" this morning thanks to all those who turned out Saturday morning to help pick up the winter's accumulation of trash along the roadsides.  Good job everyone!   

Alewife Talk

David Wilkins, local naturalist and president of the Muscongus Pond Association, will give a slide presentation on Alewives at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 28, at the Bremen Library. The presentation will focus on the status of the alewife restoration work in Bremen's Webber Pond, the importance of alewives in the ecosystem, and problems alewives face today. The Muscongus Pond Association began steps toward alewife restoration in 2002 with stone removal and stream widening at the old Webber Mill. Since that time, Maine Department of Marine Resources has stocked Webber Pond with spawning alewives to accelerate this restoration process. Beginning in 2007, alewives have annually returned to their historic home waters in Bremen, bound for Webber Pond. Wilkins will discuss this project as part of his presentation.

The presentation is sponsored by the Bremen Conservation Commission.

Home Rules, Home Tools

MEACC, the Maine Association of Conservation Commissions, will present information on Conservation Commissions at a public meeting in Waldoboro on Tuesday, April 27, 4 - 6 p.m. at the UM Cooperative Extension Office on Manktown Road.  The agenda includes on overview of role conservations commissions play in the community, and examples of some local conservation initiatives.  The session is free but registration is required.  For more information or to register, go to www.meacc.net/ .

Woods Tour

SWOAM, the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine, is sponsoring Tour of the Brann Memorial Forest in Somerville from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 24.  The 250-acre property is in SWOAM's Land Trust.  Forester Mike Dann will lead the tour and discuss woodland managment including tree growth, water frontage, harvesting and more.  The event is free and open to the public.  For directions go to www.swoam.org and click on the EVENTS tab, or contact SWOAM MidCoast representative Dick Koubek, 529-4132; dickkoubeck@yahoo.com.

 

BREMEN EARTH DAY CLEAN UP APRIL 24

Bremen residents:  Celebrate Earth Day and help beautify Bremen by participating in the annual roadside clean up Saturday morning, April 24, sponsored by the Patriotic Club of Bremen.   Pick up empty bags, provided by the State Department of Transportation, at the Bremen Fire Department on Route 32 starting at 9:00 a.m.  Then fill the bags with trash that has collected along Bremen roads during the winter.  When the bags are full, just tie them up and leave them along the side of the road. Pickup of the bags will start at 11:30 a.m., with the last pickup at 12 noon.   The event will take place rain or shine. This is a great way to get the kids in involved in Earth Day.  Let's take pride in our community and work together to beautify Bremen and Mother Earth.

Courtesy Boat Inspection Training

Pemaquid Watershed Association courtesy boat inspection training will be held May 22nd from 9:30 to 11:30 am at the Nobleboro Town Office. We need volunteers to sit by local boat launches for a few hours at a time to help educate boaters about the serious invasives that are carried on trailers, fishing gear, motors and boats. This threat is very close to Bremen. Last fall, a trained (invasive plant) volunteer found the hydrilla in Damariscotta Lake.

Bremen Clean-Up Day

Mark Saturday, April 24, on your calendar and plan to participate in Bremen Clean-Up Day.  Pick up the trash that has accumulated along the roadside during the winter, put in it trash bags, and set the bags along the roadside for pickup.  Special trash bags will be available Saturday morning at the Firehouse.  Watch this space for further details. 

Harvest Dinner

As a way of showcasing Bremen's working farms and waterfront, the BCC plans to hold a Harvest Dinner in the Town House in September.  The first planning meeting for the event will be at 10 a.m. on Sat., April 3, at Diane O'Connor's home, 145 Waldoboro Rd.  Anyone who would like to help plan this event, suggest people who can provide food for the event, cook food, work in the ktichen etc., is invited to attend. 

Grant Writing Workshop

The Maine Association of Conservation Commissions and the Maine Land Trust Network are co-sponsoring a workshop designed to improve your chances of successfully obtaining funding from three major conservation grant programs in Maine.

The three include:

The Maine Natural Resources Conservation Program. MNRCP provides funding for wetlands restoration, enhancement and preservation,
thus is a good source for open space acquisition funds.

The Recreational Trails Program. RTP is an excellent source of funding
for trail building projects, including design, materials and labor.

Project Canopy. This Maine Forest Service program provides funds to
towns for both forest management and shade tree planting.

In addition, information will also be presented regarding Land for Maine’s Future
grants and various private foundation grant sources.

The workshops will be held on the following schedule:
Augusta, April 15th, Augusta City Hall
Scarborough, May 5th, Scarborough Public Library

Both workshops will start promptly at 5:30 and end by 7:30. A light meal will
be provided. The participation fee will be $20 for MEACC and MLTN members
and $30 for non-members, payable by purchase order or at the door. Please
register at least seven days in advance of each workshop

Town of Bremen Maintains Conservation Commitment

For the third straight year the people of Bremen have displayed their commitment toward conservation by voting to raise and appropriate monies to the Land Conservation Reserve Fund. Funds deposited into this account could one day be used to acquire conservation easements, rights-of-way, waterfront access or open space. As one of only a handful of towns to have a dedicated Land Conservation Fund, it is a critical component in the process of applying for grants and obtaining matching funds to complete important conservation transactions.

In another show of support Bremen voters passed an article not to operate an alewife fishery for the ensuing year of 2010.  Through passage of this article Bremen maintains its alewife conservation status, ensures annual stocking of Webber Pond with adult spawning alewives and works toward long term sustainability of the alewife fishery.

Once again the Bremen Conservation Commission is proud of Bremen's overwhelming support and commitment toward conservation!

Thank you!

Good News for Maine's Deer Population

Maine's deer population is getting a boost from this winter's mild weather after two straight harsh winters that thinned the ranks of the state's signature game animal.  With warm temperatures and scant snowfall, deer have had to expend relatively little energy fighting off frigid cold or tramping through deep snow in search of food.  Deer biologist Lee Kantar of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said fawns that were born last year have had a high survival rate, and the baby deer that are born this June are expected to be in good shape because their mothers are strong.  The most recent estimate puts Maine's deer count at under 200,000, down from more than 300,000 a decade ago. 

Article, Portland Press Herald, March 27, 2010

2010 BCC Wordle - Check it out!

Trees and Shrub Sale

Soil and Water Conservation Districts Tree and Shrub Sales

Looking for trees and shrubs to plant this spring?   Consider purchasing them through your local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). SWCDs are non-profit organizations who provide conservation education and technical assistance. Their tree and shrub sales are typically a major fundraiser for these organizations.

Knox-Lincoln SWCD has announced its annual Tree & Shrub Sale. Orders are due May 3^rd, with pick-up in Nobleboro on May 8^th. More information, including a list of what's available, is at www.knox-lincoln.org.

Kennebec County SWCD reminds everyone that their annual Tree and Shrub Sale is ongoing. The deadline for orders is March 19^th. Pick up for orders is Saturday, April 24^th. A tree list and order form is available at their website, www.kcswcd.org.

 

Forest Talk

George Jacobsen, Professor Emeritus at UMO and State Climatologist, will give a talk on The Influence of Climate Variability on Maine's Forests -- Past and Future, at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 22, at the Bremen Town Center.  The Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine (SWOAM) is sponsoring presentation.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  

Working with your Woodlot

If you hurry, you can still sign up for a course for woodland owners sponsored by the Maine Forest Service and the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine (SWOAM) and given through adult education in Waldoboro. 

 

The course will be held 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Tuesday from March 9 to April 13 at Medomak Valley High School; Pre-registration is required; call the adult education office at 832-5205 to sign up. Cost is $30.  The class will be taught by Mort Moesswilde, Midcoast district forester for MFS, and will cover forest stewardship, forest management techniques, wildlife management, tree identification, forest health, harvesting, and working with professionals.   

 

Part of the course, but also available separately, is a presentation March 23, by SWOAM executive director Tom Doak on "The 10 Biggest Mistakes Made by Woodland Owners."  For $10 you can register for this one-night class alone.   

BCC now on Facebook

In addition to the BCC blog (www.bremenconservation.blogspot.com) you can now follow the Bremen Conservation Commission on Facebook!! Your participation is encouraged!

Grant Writing Workshops

MEACC and the Maine Land Trust Network are co-sponsoring two workshops designed to improve your chances of successfully obtaining funding from three major conservation grant programs in Maine. The three include the Maine Natural Resources Conservation Program (open space acquisition); The Recreational Trails Program (trail building projects); and Project Canopy (forest management, shade trees). In addition, information will also be presented regarding Land for Maine's Future grants and various private foundation grant sources.

The workshops will be held in Augusta on April 15th and Scarborough on May 5th. Details, including registration information can be found at www.meacc.net

MEACC Regional Workshops

The Maine Association of Conservation Commissions is sponsoring a series of regional workshops designed to showcase the work of local conservation commissions that are having a significant impact on their community’s environment and quality of place. Each session will feature presentations by conservation commissions that have done exemplary job of protecting their community’s natural resources. Some workshops will include an orientation to the various local conservation planning tools developed by the Beginning with Habitat program; others will include information on how a community that does not have a conservation commission might create one. (Specific agendas will vary by location.)The featured projects were developed by the conservation commissions in Wells, Lamoine, Falmouth, Rockport and Kennebunkport. Each workshop is free and open to all conservation commission members, elected and appointed town officials and other people interested in learning more about the work of conservation commissions and the value they offer municipalities. All workshops will start at 4:00 p.m. and end by 6:00 p.m. They are scheduled on the following dates and locations. Pre-registration is required.

Falmouth, Wednesday, March 31st, Falmouth Memorial Library

Wells, Tuesday, April 6th, Laudholm Farm

Ellsworth, Tuesday April 13th, Ellsworth City Hall

Waldoboro, Tuesday, April 27th, UME Extension Center

Maine conservation success stories

From efforts to contain suburban sprawl in Brunswick, to protecting open space in Rockland and Wells, local conservation commissions are having a significant impact on their communities. And, for the first time, those accomplishments are being documented in case studies that are now available at the Maine Association of Conservation Commission’s Web site (www.meacc.net).

“These case studies are designed to give other people ‘how-to examples’ of projects that can make a real difference in a community and to motivate others to tackle such substantial work,” said Bob Shafto of Falmouth, executive director of the Maine Association of Conservation Commissions.

“The intent of the case studies is to expand the universe of ideas available to conservation commission members around the state, and to give them the opportunity to learn from the experience of others,” he said.

The collection (titled “Home Rules, Home Tools: Locally Led Conservation Achievements”) includes the following case studies:

• Brunswick’s rural smart growth initiative, one of the earliest and most comprehensive efforts in Maine to contain suburban sprawl;

• Falmouth’s comprehensive open-space protection effort, including its land acquisition, financing and management strategies;

• Kennebunkport’s “Lawns to Lobsters” initiative, an extensive effort to minimize fertilizer and pesticide use in the community;

• Rockport’s successful effort to protect open space and the extensive views around Clam Cove; and

• Wells’ successful effort to protect open space for future generations.

These stories all illustrate the role that conservation commissions can play in local government. One of the lessons to come out of the case studies is that “to be effective, conservation commissions need to be actively involved in multiple levels of town government,” said Steven McAllister, a member of the Rockport Conservation Commission.

“This means working together with town boards and committees to ensure that the commission's interests are represented and considered, especially with regard to the comprehensive planning process, ordinance writing and review, and in decisions made by the town's planning board,” said McAllister.

Conservation commissions advise elected and appointed officials on environmental issues and undertake initiatives designed to address local environmental concerns. Commissions build trails, work to control invasive species, develop open space plans, propose ordinances, work with school children, educate citizens about pesticide use, monitor development, protect their town’s special wild places, and work to keep Maine communities attractive places to live, work and raise families.

At one time, most Maine communities had a conservation commission, but those numbers dwindled over the past 30 years as the state created its system for environmental stewardship.

However, growing development pressures have underscored the need for community-based responses. That is what prompted Shafto, a longtime environmental leader in Falmouth, to re-start the dormant Maine Association of Conservation Commissions three years ago. The state association’s goal is to ensure that every Maine community has an active, effective conservation commission.

And Shafto said he sees a trend developing. More than two-dozen towns have created (or re-created) a conservation commission in the past three years, and another half-dozen are in the process of doing so. According to the Maine State Planning Office, a significant number of towns have set a goal of creating a conservation commission in their comprehensive plan.

“A lot of Maine’s quality places are in its towns and cities,” said Shafto. “Thus, municipalities have an important role to play if we are serious about protecting Maine’s unique quality of place.”