Spring is in the air, and that means garden time! Organic perennials from Rebel Hill Farm can help create inviting habitat for the natural community on homeowners’ land. Rebel Hill Farm growers will be on hand to help with picking the right plants at Midcoast Conservancy’s Edgecomb office.

Why choose native plants?  Replacing unnecessary lawn with densely planted woodlots that can serve as habitat for local biodiversity. Homeowners can do this by planting the borders of their properties with native trees and plants.

Julie and Peter Beckford of Rebel Hill Farm in Liberty raise field-grown perennials, with a focus on native plants and medicinal herbs. Their plants are certified organic and necessarily hardy. The Beckfords believe the plants gardeners choose to grow matter a lot to wildlife and the surrounding natural areas. They encourage gardeners to plant many of the beautiful flowers used by local pollinators, caterpillars and birds. Native, as they use the term, means: growing in Central or Eastern North America prior to European settlement. Beyond that, they distinguish plants that are Maine natives. Besides selling to area markets, Rebel Hill Farm holds a number of sales where they enjoy helping gardeners find the plants that will best suit their particular conditions.

When: Sunday, May 21 between 10 am and 1 pm

Where: Midcoast Conservancy Headquarters, 290 US Route One, Edgecomb, ME 04556

Spring is in the air, and that means garden time! Organic perennials from Rebel Hill Farm can help create inviting habitat for the natural community on homeowners’ land. Rebel Hill Farm growers will be on hand to help with picking the right plants.

Why choose native plants?  Replacing unnecessary lawn with densely planted woodlots that can serve as habitat for local biodiversity. Homeowners can do this by planting the borders of their properties with native trees and plants.

Julie and Peter Beckford of Rebel Hill Farm in Liberty raise field-grown perennials, with a focus on native plants and medicinal herbs. Their plants are certified organic and necessarily hardy. The Beckfords believe the plants gardeners choose to grow matter a lot to wildlife and the surrounding natural areas. They encourage gardeners to plant many of the beautiful flowers used by local pollinators, caterpillars and birds. Native, as they use the term, means: growing in Central or Eastern North America prior to European settlement. Beyond that, they distinguish plants that are Maine natives. Besides selling to area markets, Rebel Hill Farm holds a number of sales where they enjoy helping gardeners find the plants that will best suit their particular conditions.

Come join the Wild Seed Project staff at the Hidden Valley Nature Center for an introduction to Native Seed Sowing! 

In this workshop, Emily Baisden, the Seed Programs Manager at Wild Seed Project, will lead a hands-on presentation of all aspects of native seed propagation. The class will begin outside with a walk around HVNC to identify native plants and demonstrate ecologically-responsible seed collecting, before moving to the barn to teach seed storing and seed sowing. 

Be prepared to dig your hands deep into the diversity of native seeds! Participants will go home with two pots sown with native seeds and the inspiration to sow more native seeds in the future. 

Questions about this event can be directed to Nell Houde, the Manager of Educational Programs at Wild Seed Project, nell@wildseedproject.net.

We are pleased to partner with the Wild Seed Project for this event.

Registration is required for this free event.

Refund and Return Policy

Join Midcoast Conservany’s Stewardship Manager Isobel Curtis to learn more about management options for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, the invasive insect impacting our beautiful Hemlock forests. We will tour the release sites where biocontrol beetle Sasajicymnus tsugae was released earlier this spring and discuss integrated management with chemical and biocontrol. We will also discuss how to identify the adelgid and how to prioritize management within hemlock stands. Bring your questions and come take a walk!

Directions to Marsh River Preserve: From Wiscasset, take Rt.1 North for 4.5 miles and turn left onto Osprey Point Road (look for the turn-off to Split Rock Distilling). Bear left at the fork onto Eagle Point Road and follow into the neighborhood. Continue to the very end of the road and park along the dirt circle.  From the North, take Rt. 1 South into Newcastle and take a right onto Osprey Point Road which is just past the Sherman Lake Rest Area. Bear left onto Eagle Point Road, follow to the end of the road, and park along the dirt circle.

What to Bring: Good walking shoes, bug spray if desired, water.

Hike Difficulty: Easy-moderate. We will hike just over a mile. There is one moderate hill right at the trailhead and a few bog bridges we will cross over. The trail tread has plenty of roots. Otherwise, there are no extreme inclines or large elevation changes. If you have specific questions or accommodations please reach out to Isobel (isobel@midcoastconservancy.org)!

Join State Entomologist, Colleen Teerling, and Midcoast Conservancy’s Stewardship Manager, Isobel Curtis, to discuss the invasive insect that threatens our Hemlock trees: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.

Colleen and Isobel will be available to answer all your questions about managing Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, particularly with biocontrol beetle Sasajiscymnus tsugae. Bring your questions and join us for this open Q&A Zoom session!

Thank you to our partner, Colleen Teerling!

The workshop will be held on a farm where owners John Twomey and Leigh Norcott have worked steadily, since 1978, on creating, improving and maintaining wildlife habitat throughout the property. The tour will include the observation and discussion of various wildlife habitat initiatives and the wildlife beneficiaries of such efforts. The group will look principally at work completed in fields and brushy areas. A significant focal point of the day will be the topic of meeting the habitat needs of native pollinators. If time permits, the discussion will extend to the management of apple trees, oak trees and ponds for the benefit of wildlife.

Got knotweed? Join the Sheepscot Knotweed Project experts to learn how to control knotweed on your property! They will go over knotweed biology and management methods for knotweed patches of any size, in any location. The workshop will take place in a demonstration knotweed patch so attendees have the opportunity to see different methods at work. Help us protect water quality in the Sheepscot River and native biodiversity everywhere by fighting knotweed!

The workshop is unstructured with multiple knotweed experts on site. Drop by any time from 10am-12pm to talk and learn from one of them about your knotweed patch and tour the demonstration site. There will also be a sign up sheet if you’d like to receive or offer help fighting knotweed in your neighborhood. Bring sturdy walking shoes, long pants, work gloves, and your questions!

NOTE the demonstration knotweed patch is across the street from Trout Brook Preserve so will require a 5 minute (~¼ mile) walk down the street from the parking lot. Signs and the parking attendant will point you in the right direction. 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Sheepscot Knotweed Project at sheepscotknotweedproject@gmail.com. If you are interested in seeing the Knotweed problem along the river for yourself, come join our Sheepscot River Knotweed Float July 16th 2-4pm @Head Tide Dam in Alna. 

Register for the event here to let us know you’re coming! Walk-ins also welcome day of.

Grab your tube and join the Sheepscot Knotweed Project for a float down the beautiful Sheepscot River from Head Tide Dam to Dock Road in Alna! We will enjoy the scenery while getting a fish-eye view of the problematic knotweed growing along the river bank. There will be opportunities to ask the organizers questions about managing knotweed and informational handouts to help you tackle knotweed on your property. Bring your own tube and come to learn, float, and have fun!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Sheepscot Knotweed Project at sheepscotknotweedproject@gmail.com. If you are interested in learning more about managing Knotweed, come join our free Knotweed Management Workshop Saturday, August 6th 10am-12pm @Trout Brook Preserve in Alna. 

Details

Parking: Park at Head Tide Dam in Alna (across from Head Tide Church Road). Overflow parking is available across the street, a parking attendant will direct you. Click here for a link to google maps.

Shuttle: Shuttles will be provided from the take out at Dock Road back to Head Tide Damn. Please arrive by 2pm so everyone can get started at the same time! 

What to Bring: 

• A TUBE! Tubes not provided

• Water shoes/sneakers: be prepared to walk some sections if the river is low

• Bathing suit & towel

• Water & a snack

• Sunscreen

*NOTE this is a family friendly event so please refrain from enjoying libations until after the float :) 

Register for the event here to let us know you’re coming! Walk-ins also welcome day of.

***Due to unforseen circumstances, this event has been postponed. A new date is currently TBD. Please contact Ali Stevenson at ali@midcoastconservancy.org for more information.***

Attendees will walk a restoration and forage forest planting initiative on 20 acres in Montville. This property was stripped of a mature forest and top soils in 2012/13. In 2014 Susie O’Keeffe purchased the property and began an experimental restoration effort using permaculture techniques and native plants. There will be time for discussion about native/non-native plants, the needs of wildlife, and Susie’s hope to re-create a “commons" where people can harvest food and medicine, learn about coexisting with wildlife, and find inspiration. Handouts will be available on all of the species planted so far, and what each one offers wild animals and people.

The Rewilding Fair is currently ON for June 12!

Though Midcoast Conservancy often focuses on protecting large swaths of intact forests and wetlands, no piece of land is too small to be valuable wildlife habitat. Join us for our Rewilding Learning Fair to discover how you can transform your lawn, garden, or porch into a thriving landscape that provides a home to birds, bees, butterflies, and other native species. The benefits of “rewilding” a space extends beyond its beauty; a yard full of native plants improves water quality, reverses habitat loss, and mitigates climate change. 

Whether you have never heard of rewilding before or have already rewilded your yard, this event is for you! There will be plenty to learn about including invasive plant identification and removal, landscaping with wildlife in mind, erosion control and its impacts on water quality, and gardening with native plants. Arrive early for a chance to win native seed packets and build a free bee hotel! 

Check back soon for a full, detailed list of learning topics.  

This event is free to attend, and registration is not required. Learning stations will be set up along our very short loop trail at Waldoboro Village River Park, and attendees are encouraged to explore at their own pace. The trail is a slightly sloped, mowed path through a field. Parking is available at the trailhead, and throughout downtown Waldoboro.

Want to hone your invasive plant identification skills? Join Midcoast Conservancy’s Stewardship Manager Isobel Curtis to familiarize yourself with the most common and problematic invasive plants in the Midcoast Maine region and how to differentiate them from native lookalikes. If interested, you can sign up to monitor for invasive plants on a preserve near you to help us manage this growing problem in the Midcoast Region! 

We will practice plant ID in the field so please come prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear for easy hiking in the woods around the office. A notebook and camera are recommended. The “Maine Invasive Plant Field Guide” is also a great resource and is available for purchase here. Free invasive plant fact sheets are available online here from the Maine Natural Areas Program.

Please email isobel@midcoastconservancy.org for any questions or accommodations. If you are not able to hike, plant samples will also be available at picnic tables for your viewing so come anyway!

Register below; walk-ins also welcome.