Category: news

January 16, 2022 – Join Coastal Mountains Land Trust for a full moon hike on the Round the Mountain Trail on Sunday, January 16 starting at 6:30pm. The hike will be an out-and-back experience and approximately 1.5 miles round trip. This adventure is open to all ages and ability levels. Hot drinks and cookies will be provided!

Please bring a flashlight, mug and footwear that accommodates the current hiking conditions: boots, ice grips or snowshoes if there is deep snow.

Please email info@coastalmountains.org to register for this free event, so that we can contact you if the hike is cancelled due to inclement weather.

Location: Thorndike Brook Trail Head, 223 Hope Road, Hope.

January 6, 2022 – Join Coastal Mountains Land Trust and Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital’s Journey to Health program for their first Happy Wanderers Hike on Thursday, January 6th at 10 a.m. at Fernald’s Neck. This excursion will be approximately 1.8 miles round trip and participants should bring footwear to accommodate the current hiking conditions: boots, ice grips or snowshoes if there is deep snow.

On the first Thursday of each month, the Happy Wanderers will meet at a trail head of a Coastal Mountains Land Trust preserve. The hikes will range in location from Rockport to Searsport. Each excursion will be led by a Coastal Mountains and a Journey to Health staff member. We hope you can join the adventure!

Happy Wanderers 2022 Schedule. Please visit journeytohealth.coursestorm.com to register.

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Coastal Mountains Land Trust has worked since 1986 to permanently conserve land to benefit the natural and human communities of the western Penobscot Bay. The Land Trust has protected over 13,000 acres, offering 45 miles of trails for public recreation.

Journey to Health programming is offered by PenBay Medical Center’s Community Health Improvement Team and is focused on preventing and reducing chronic disease and promoting the adoption of healthy lifestyles.

 

November 12, 2021 – Rick and Ann Bresnahan donated 95 acres of land on the eastern slope of Ragged Mountain, south of Hosmer Pond, that has become a very popular mountain biking destination to Coastal Mountains Land Trust. In prior years, the Bresnahans worked with the local mountain biking community, including the local chapter of the New England Mountain Biking Association (McNEMBA) and local bike shop Sidecountry Sports, to allow and expand biking access on their land. This was the first trail network purpose-built for mountain biking in the area, helping to grow the community and popularity of the sport in the midcoast. Recognizing the volume of people getting out and enjoying the trails, the Bresnahans decided to donate the land to Coastal Mountains Land Trust to ensure its availability for mountain biking and recreation in perpetuity.

Rick Bresnahan said recently of the donation, “In completing the gift of land to Coastal Mountains Land Trust, I was impressed with their willingness to include NEMBA and Sidecountry. The opportunity of a club and local business working hand and hand with the land trust to further improve the land as well as the availability to others helps promote inclusion not exclusion. It is a wonderful partnership that will benefit many for the years to come.” The Land Trust and its partners are immensely grateful for the Bresnahans’ generosity and enthusiasm.

This past August, Coastal Mountains Land Trust completed a trails inventory of the property, including mapping all of the trails and bridges, and an assessment of current trail conditions. McNEMBA and Sidecountry also completed an assessment and have identified project areas for improvements. Looking ahead to 2022, the intention is to maintain a better network overall and begin to build a beginner-friendly loop that will be more accessible for new riders. Out of the collaboration between the Land Trust, McNEMBA and Sidecountry Trails (a trail-building branch of Sidecountry Sports), there will be a better, well-maintained network of trails in the area. Ryan Gates, Stewardship Director for the Land Trust said recently, “We are thankful for the countless hours of time that volunteers have invested in this parcel, from the original layout to construction and maintenance of a great trail network. This collaboration is strong, and we all are looking forward to the great things to come!”

Land Trust ownership of the property will bring some minor changes in the use of the property. Preserves guidelines will be in line with those on the other parts of the Ragged Mountain Preserve. One notable change for 2021 is that the preserve will not close for hunting season as it has in the past. Please wear dayglow orange in the woods.

November 9, 2021 – Coastal Mountains Land Trust will co-host an online Zoom presentation titled From Greenville to Belfast, a 300-mile Paddling Journey at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 9 with the Camden Public Library. Join us for an exciting look at one couple’s paddling adventure of a lifetime!

In May of 2021, Jackie Stratton, her partner Nate, and her dog Maple embarked on a 24-day canoe trip from Greenville to Belfast, ME. Primarily following the route of Henry David Throreau, Penobscot guide Joe Polis, and countless indigenous people, their 300+ mile padding journey included 8 miles of historic portage routes to connect the Kennebec Headwaters, West Branch, East Branch, and Main Stem of the Penobscot River. In this online presentation Stratton will share about how they prepared, naturalist highlights, lessons learned, and what it’s like to be on ‘river time’.

Please visit the “What’s Happening” adults events calendar at librarycamden.org to register for a Zoom link to attend this webinar. The presentation platform is limited to those who get an invitation from the library.

Jackie Stratton lives in Montville, ME and is a self-proclaimed river enthusiast. She owns Waterways Guiding, offering overnight canoe trips and whitewater canoeing instruction.

October 25, 2021 – Each year, Coastal Mountains Land Trust recognizes volunteers, community groups, and land donors for their extraordinary service and contributions to the benefit of local land conservation.

Awarded at the annual membership celebration in Belfast this year, Burt Sturrup and Kim Shelley received the Chatfield Land Protection Award, named in honor of Charles and Mary P. Chatfield, for their donation of a conservation easement on their special property on Tilden Pond in Belmont. This generous donation permanently conserves a highly scenic, 90-acre property that protects important wildlife habitat at the headwaters of the Ducktrap River.

The Connecting Community & Nature Award, established by the Board in 2018, was presented to the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition (BBWC) for their many years of consistency and effort in sharing the joy of being outdoors with people in the greater Belfast area and increasingly with local schools and children.

Two special people received Zwartjes Volunteer Awards, presented in honor of our first Board Chairman, William J. Zwartjes, for individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary service to the Land Trust. Phil Gaudet of Rockport has participated in different stewardship projects for many years, most recently building and installing weather enclosures for our newly acquired trail counters. Wayne Ruesswick of Camden was honored for his dedicated volunteer service over the years and his recent work in building the artful kiosk at the new Thorndike Brook trailhead.

Our work would not be possible nor as successful without the genuine commitment, time, talents, and involvement of these and so many other volunteers.

October 8, 2021 – Coastal Mountains Land Trust was amazed by the out-pouring of support for their annual Trails Challenge. Each mile that was hiked, biked, ran or paddles equaled one dollar that was donated by local sponsors towards trail improvement projects. This year’s sponsors included Side Country Sports, Gartley & Dorsky Engineering, RAYR wine shop, Snow Sport & Spine, Front Street Shipyard, Strout & Payson, Viking Lumber, Trail Runners of Midcoast Maine, and Blue Barren Distillery.

The goal this year was to involve 325 participants and to log 15,000 miles – thereby raising $15,000 for local trails. The challenge concluded on the last day of September with over 650 participants who logged over 17,600 miles!
Each week, participants were included in a prize drawing for a generous gift from a local business. The prizes included sailing trips for two on the Schooner Surprise, The Sloop Anjacaa, a basket from Scout & Bean, a bottle of Blue Barren Gin, a thrive Health Coaching gift certificate and many more local treasures!

Coastal Mountains Land Trust wants to give a huge thank you for the outpouring of community support for local trail systems!

September 18, 2021 – Back by popular demand, Coastal Mountains Land Trust will host Kites and Ice Cream, an end of summer favorite! Come fly a kite on Saturday, September 18 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Beech Hill Preserve in Rockport. This fun event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Free kites will be provided to registered children, along with a coupon for a complimentary ice cream cone (ice cream will also be for sale for all of you big kids). Please leave your pets at home for this child-packed day of fun.

To register your child, please go to our website – coastalmountains.org – and look for the big blue registration button! An adult must accompany participating children throughout the event. In the event of inclement weather, Kites & Ice cream will take place on Sunday, Sept. 19th.

July 19, 2021 – Coastal Mountains Land Trust and the Town of Lincolnville have finalized an exchange of two properties, creating a new Town Park and conserving wildlife habitat along the Ducktrap River. Residents of the Town of Lincolnville voted overwhelmingly in favor of this swap in July 2020, and after finalizing the details, the transaction was completed in early June 2021.

The Town of Lincolnville now owns a 4.34-acre park on Penobscot Bay, located off Route 1 near the Lincolnville / Northport town line. The property was previously managed as a private park, and has an existing volleyball court, horseshoe pits, picnic areas with grills, paths, a parking area, and steps leading down to its stone beach. The Town is currently working on necessary improvements to the park. It is temporarily closed but expected to open later this year.

In exchange, the Land Trust now owns a 68.8-acre property on the Ducktrap River, near the Tanglewood 4-H Camp. This parcel is nearly surrounded by other permanently conserved land. The Land Trust will manage the property in a natural condition, allowing recreation such as hunting, birding, and hiking in its remote forests. Conservation of this parcel furthers the Land Trust’s long-term goal of protecting the river corridor and habitat for Atlantic Salmon.

David Kinney, the Lincolnville Town Administrator said recently, “The Town is thrilled to be partnering with Coastal Mountains Land Trust with this land exchange and views the ex-change as a win-win situation for all involved. The exchange preserves in perpetuity the Duck-trap River corridor along with the river’s wild Atlantic sea-run salmon and other significant habitat while also expanding public access opportunities to Penobscot Bay. We look forward to the public’s enjoyment of these unique locations for generations to come.”

The Round the Mountain Trail is a keystone project of the Round the Mountain Collaboration, a multi-year fundraising campaign led by Coastal Mountains Land Trust, with significant support from Maine Water Company, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, local municipalities, and numerous local outdoor recreation groups. The vision of the Round the Mountain Trail is a 8.5-mile, multi-use trail that circumnavigates Ragged Mountain offering access for a wide range of users and abilities. As well as permanently conserving 1,500+ acres around Mirror Lake and Grassy Pond, construction of the trail began in 2019.

OBP Trailworks, a Maine-based trail construction business, will continue work on the trail in 2021. The Land Trust is looking forward to the possibility of hosting a formal trail dedication in the summer of 2021. Fundraising for the approximately $200,000 needed to complete trail construction and secure the long-term care for the trail continues.

Directions:
Thorndike Brook Trailhead: 223 Hope Street in Hope (Google maps does not show this accurately). For the Thorndike Brook Trailhead turn onto Hope Street from Route 17 (eight miles north of Rockland) or from Gillette road. The new parking lot is just past the existing parking lot for the Georges Highland Path (¾ miles from Route 17). The new Round the Mountain Trail can be accessed directly from the parking lot, including a ¼ mile accessible, stone dust path.

Camden Snow Bowl Barnestown Road Trailhead: Park on the left side of the lot (the toboggan parking), follow the Round the Mountain Trail signs (the ~1-mile utilizes the existing Kuller Trail).

(Note: Google maps does not show this accurately).

Additional information about the trail system, including a detailed map, trail conditions reports, seasonal closures, volunteer opportunities and how one can support the effort can be found online at coastalmountains.org.

After two seasons of work, a 4.5-mile, out-and-back, section of the trail on Ragged Mountain is open for hiking, running, and biking. Access is available from the Camden Snow Bowl (See Trail Map for details).

Construction of the trail beyond 4.5 miles is ongoing. For your safety and the safety of our contractor, the trail beyond 4.5 miles is closed. PLEASE stay off this clearly marked section of trail closed 24/7.

Our contractor is working incredibly hard to finish this section of trail, expect it to open next spring.

​Please follow all trail guidelines (posted at the kiosks). Share the trail and be respectful of other users. Bikers please go slow, communicate your approach, and pass slowly. Please do not skid around corners.

​Trail conditions will necessitate closures this winter and spring. All closures will be to protect the trail from long term damage. Closures will be posted online, at all access points to the trail.

​The Round the Mountain trail connects to nearly 25 miles of existing mountain biking and hiking trails, managed by CMLT and our partners, the Camden Snow Bowl (www.camdensnowbowl.com) Midcoast New England Mountain Biking Association (www.mcnemba.com), and Georges River Land Trust (www.georgesriver.org) Please respect rules for other trails.