Maine Audubon’s Native Plants Program Expanding into New Building Maine Audubon has unveiled plans for the Ann and Jim Hancock Native Plants Education Center and expanded, adjacent growing area, to be built at Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm headquarters in greater Portland. Supported initially by generous donations from Ann and Jim Hancock, the new structure will […]
Sanctuaries
With Erosion Comes Need for Sustainable Trail Use and Design
Erosion is a natural process that is defined as the gradual diminishing of something, often by force of wind, water, ice, or gravity. The process of erosion removes soil, rock, and other earth materials from one location and deposits them to another. If we look close enough we can see signs of erosion all around […]
There’s a lot to learn above and below the ice at Fields Pond
Winter is an exciting time of year for those of us close to freshwater, as ice advances across the surfaces of lakes and ponds. Ice skaters and skiers eagerly await the season of thick ice, and ice fishers get ready to set up their shacks. With the temperature dips and peaks of this December in […]
December fun on the trails
You may have noticed that the fields at Gilsland Farm received their annual mowing with the tractor over the past few weeks, but did you know that the fields at Josephine Newman and Mast Landing Audubon Sanctuaries have also seen some love? The Properties Department recently purchased a small BCS tractor with the intent of […]
Meet Our New Snapping Turtle, Leo!
The Gilsland Farm Visitor Center is pleased to introduce the newest member of our team, measuring in at about 6 centimeters long with a mass of 9.07 grams. This new addition brings us so much joy already! Please join us in welcoming our baby Common Snapping Turtle, Leo! On a chilly September afternoon, Andy Kapinos […]
A “Phenomenal” Evening of Storytelling
PLEASE NOTE: This event has been rescheduled to November 21 Maine Audubon and our partners are really proud of our science-based approach to our work, and we host many programs to share the latest research, data, and findings of top experts in the fields amongst which we work. However, when we talk to these experts […]
Putting Gilsland Farm to Work in the Effort to Preserve Maine Ash Trees
Maine is the most forested state in the nation (with almost 90 percent of forest land) so we might be forgiven for taking trees for granted. But many of the tree species in Maine are or have been under threat. Fungal diseases have attacked chestnut and elm trees and invasive insects are threatening hemlocks, oaks, […]
Honoring trees at Gilsland Farm
How do you know when a tree has reached its natural life expectancy, or when it has become decayed and presents a public safety issue? And how do you balance that with the joy it brings to humans who enjoy its beauty and appreciate the shade it offers? What about the wildlife it supports? Those […]
Immersed in Nature for the Fields Pond Fall Foliage 5K
The fourth annual Fields Pond Fall Foliage 5K Trail Run will take place this year on October 12 at 9 am. This challenging course takes you up through our beautiful, wooded trails, and onto the adjoining Holden Land Trust trail system for the perfect fall foliage tour! Registration is $25 for members, $30 for nonmembers; […]