Welcome to the 2026 growing season! This year is a big one for Maine Audubon and for all our Maine native plants enthusiasts. In May, we will open the brand new Ann and Jim Hancock Native Plants Education Center (NPEC) at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. This new building and space has been years in the making, and is intended to serve as the hub of education and habitat restoration activities which now impact communities and landscapes statewide.
Some highlights of what we are building and why include:
▪️A new large, beautiful classroom/hall space complete with restrooms, a small kitchen, and ample storage for hosting programs, lectures, and stakeholder convenings. Large windows and doors will help classes spill out into and take advantage of stunning new landscaping consisting of, you guessed it, happy healthy Maine native plants.
▪️New parking and grounds which will allow for expanded plants production, new sourcing partnerships, and a better pick-up location to help us accommodate our vastly increased sales volume and geographic reach. This will provide quicker and easier access for those on the move, while also becoming a more pleasing and comfortable destination for our many visitors traveling from afar.
▪️Greatly expanded year-round programs offerings focused on enhancing and fortifying the entire ecological gardening ecosystem throughout Maine. The NPEC will host public lectures on the ecological, cultural, economic values of Maine native plants. We will offer hands-on workshops on how to grow from seeds and cuttings, ecological landscape design, and sustainable management practices. Garden clubs and other community groups will share the space and engage in new learning, further deepening our partnerships.
▪️A new project work plan aimed at wide-ranging collaborations for building and sustaining new interest and capacity for restoring Maine native plants statewide. We will convene leaders and stakeholders, conduct professional development training, support workforce development programs, and catalyze rapid response programs to address pressing threats such as invasive species.
▪️Maine Audubon’s roots in science will be evident throughout the building and grounds as we conduct native plants studies and field trials, highlight phenology, address climate change, and engage Wabanaki indigenous knowledge experts. QR codes and other connections from the landscape will take visitors to a new Maine native plants website and database.
Your plants purchases over the years have been critically important for wildlife and habitat in the landscape around you, as well as for ecosystems far beyond. The money Maine Audubon has made from selling Maine native plants has helped us expand the project and led to impacts we could have never envisioned when we first got started.
While NPEC construction winds down, the grand opening is set, and plans are underway for the busiest of summers, we still need your help. We hope that you, our Maine native plants friends, will join the ~one hundred early donors and supporters who have already contributed funding to help us launch this exciting next phase of our important Maine Native Plants initiative.
If you would like to be part of this historic capital project by making a tax deductible donation to Maine Audubon to help us complete the NPEC, please click on this button:
If you are interested in a more significant contribution, a naming or recognition opportunity, or would like to consider a planned gift to support Maine native plants, our staff would be happy to talk and share more details with you. (You can respond to this message or email Kate Lewis, klewis@maineaudubon.org, directly).
Maine native plants need your support! With your help, Maine Audubon can grow more native species from increasingly local ecotypes. These plants will support more—and more diverse—natural communities throughout Maine and New England, helping improve biodiversity and climate resilience. Outcomes extend beyond habitat: our new Native Plants Education Center will serve as the hub for helping people of all ages improve habitat and engage in ecology, while also supporting myriad far-reaching community development around youth, infrastructure, and marginalized groups
Thank you for being part of the community of supporters helping Maine Audubon build the infrastructure for native plants education efforts into the future. We look forward to celebrating with you in May.
