Statement from Maine Audubon Regarding the Spill of Hundreds of Gallons of Kerosene into the Presumpscot River

SAME-DAY UPDATE:  Two extensive searches of the shoreline at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center have been undertaken today by Maine Audubon property managers and specialists from the response services division of the oil and hazardous material unit of the Maine DEP. Both examined mudflats, high-tide lines, and drainage areas for signs of kerosene contamination.

No signs of the kerosene spill have been found. Maine Audubon has been advised by DEP that the department believes the majority of the spilled kerosene evaporated, flushed out to sea, and was contained by clean-up efforts.

FALMOUTH, February 15, 2008—As of noon today, an assessment is underway of potential impacts to the wildlife sanctuary at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center from last evening’s spill of hundreds of gallons of kerosene into the Presumpscot River.

The spill occurred when an oil delivery truck overturned on the Allen Avenue Extension bridge upriver from Gilsland Farm, which is located within the Presumpscot estuary and borders the river.

“Maine Audubon is concerned about potentially harmful impacts of the spill to the wildlife and habitat of the Presumpscot estuary,” said Maine Audubon executive director Kevin Carley. “When we have more information about the spill’s extent and impact, Maine Audubon staff naturalists and conservation scientists will be able to assess potential impacts to the wildlife and habitat of our Gilsland Farm wildlife sanctuary and the estuary.”

Robert Savage, Maine Audubon property management director, is accompanying specialists from the response services division of the oil and hazardous material unit of Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection. The team is inspecting the water-bounded perimeter of the 65-acre wildlife sanctuary for evidence of the kerosene spill.

“At this time, from the information we have been provided by Maine DEP, we are confident the department is coordinating the best possible response to the spill,” Carley said.

Gilsland Farm Audubon Center--Sited along the Presumpscot River estuary just five minutes from Portland, Maine Audubon’s headquarters features a modern environmental center and a 65-acre sanctuary with more than two miles of trails winding along a pond and through woods, meadow, orchard, and salt marsh. The variety of habitats and gentle trails at Gilsland Farm are ideal for nature study, wildlife-watching, walking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing. The environmental center offers hundreds of year-round public programs plus day camps, a Maine Audubon Nature Store, and a Children's Discovery Room.

Habitat--Gilsland Farm’s meadows are nesting habitat for bobolinks and meadowlarks, a winter foraging spot for Canada geese, and hunting grounds for bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, and other birds of prey. Abundant woodland and shrubs attract migrating warblers, thrushes, and finches, while the adjacent tidal flats support large flocks of feeding shorebirds.

Mammals include weasels, red fox, deer, and a variety of rodents as well as the farm’s unique population of black woodchucks. A small pond is home to frogs and muskrat, and the sanctuary’s gardens and plantings attract scores of butterflies and dragonflies.

Trails—Three trails are available year round to Gilsland Farm visitors for walking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

West Meadow Trail (0.7 miles) This walk encircles the rolling West Meadow with its high bluffs overlooking the Presumpscot estuary and views to the Portland skyline in the distance. Two observation blinds accessible by spur trails provide secluded spots from which to observe wintering waterfowl and flocks of migrant shorebirds that gather on the mudflats in June, August, and September to feed on the abundant marine life exposed by the tide.

Pond Meadow Trail (0.6 miles) Passing through the greatest diversity of habitat on the sanctuary, the Pond Meadow Trail features pockets of mature red oak and hemlock that date back a century or more are interspersed with stands of red maple, white ash, white birch, and trembling aspen. Continuing through the woods just below the apple orchard, the trail leads down to the pond where muskrat and wetland birds live and feed. From here the trail leads up to the drive and then back to the parking lot.

 

North Meadow Trail (1.2 miles) This wide loop trail around grassland meadow offers views reminiscent of the property's farming past. Hayed annually in late summer after the nesting bobolinks and meadowlarks have fledged their young, this meadow provides winter forage for Canada geese and hunting grounds for migrating birds of prey. The bordering spruce and shrub edges of red sumac, northern arrowood and speckled alder are good places to observe songbirds.

History--Gilsland Farm and the surrounding shorelands have a long history of human use. For thousands of years they were home to the Wabanakis and their ancestors. In the 1630s English settlers claimed the land, established farms, cut timber, and erected gristmills and sawmills along the river.

Gilsland Farm was acquired through the generosity of the Freeman family in a series of gifts between 1974 and 1994. In 1976, the headquarters building was erected on the site as a prototype demonstration of energy-efficient office space heated by solar and wood heat. In 1981 the farmhouse at the end of the driveway was purchased, and in 1995, the environmental center was constructed using state-of-the-art "green" design and construction techniques.

MAINE AUDUBON works to conserve Maine’s wildlife and wildlife habitat by engaging people of all ages in education, conservation and action. For more than 160 years, Maine Audubon has been connecting people with nature and leading science-based conservation in major projects across the state. An independent affiliate of Audubon’s national organization, Maine Audubon has seven local chapters, 11 nature centers and sanctuaries, and 11,000

members and supporters.

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