Friends From The Field Webinars

Upwest & Downeast: Meandering the Maine Coast by Sea Kayak

Co-hosted Webinar Series with Blue Hill Heritage Trust

In the summer of 2017, Michael & Rebecca Daugherty took the summer off from their jobs as sea kayak guides to live out of their kayaks along the coast of Maine for nearly two months, starting from Deer Isle and twice paddling the stretch of coast between Portland and Canada. Their experience is documented in a new book, a travel narrative written by Michael, and illustrated with relief prints by Rebecca. They will share excerpts and images from the book and Rebecca will talk about her process of painting and drawing on islands and turning those ideas into prints. For the Q&A they’re happy to answer everything you ever wanted to know about kayaking but were afraid to ask.
This is the 15th in our webinar series co-hosted by BHHT and Island Heritage Trust, featuring local naturalists, professionals from environmentally focused organizations, and outdoor learning experts to share their knowledge, virtually, during a time when we can’t all be out in the field together.
The webinars take place LIVE every Thursday from 4-5 pm! We will record the webinar so that if you wish to view it but can’t participate at that time, the presentation will be available to you on our websites and social media.
Click the link below to REGISTER for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lsqpBOMTSzKyw82KKQ3W9A

Browntail Moth Update!

We wanted to let you know that we’ve decided to cancel the browntail moth workdays scheduled for this Tuesday (3/17) and next Tuesday (3/24) due to the COVID-19 situation. We’ll be continuing to monitor the situation and will be in touch about future workdays.
 
In the meantime, there’s a lot of important browntail work that we can all do individually and still maintain the necessary social distancing. Now is a great time to look around your home and along your road to see if you have webs that need clipping. You can also help to spread the word to friends, family, and neighbors. The attached flyer is designed to raise awareness in the community and let people know that our window to act is closing quickly. We would greatly appreciate your help in sharing it and posting it anywhere you think people will see it. Maybe the creative types among you can even come up with even better ways to raise awareness and encourage action in the next 2-3 weeks?!
 
Thank you all for your dedication and service. I’m looking forward to the time when we can reunite and clip together.
 
In the meantime, please be safe, take good care, and keep on clipping (at least a pole pruner length from other humans)!
 
Tenley Wurglitz
 
Land Steward

Wings, Waves, & Woods Festival REGISTRATION OPEN!

REGISTRATION INFO

Register online HERE or in person, Friday, May 15, (4:30-6:30 PM) at Island Heritage Trust (IHT) and take a look at the Festival Art Exhibit in the barn, 420 Sunset Rd., Deer Isle.

Questions? Contact IHT at 207-348-2455 or jmccarty@islandheritagetrust.org
Registration is $35 and includes entry to all activities, except where fees are noted. Limited seating available for ticketed dinner on Saturday evening. Registration packets include: bird list, nature preserve info, maps, Island Guide, local coupons, the coveted WWW cap or reusable tote bag, and helps support next year’s event. For boat trips allow plenty of time for parking and boarding, and dress warmly! For bad weather notices and program info/updates call IHT at 207-348-2455 or check the Wings, Waves & Woods Facebook page.

Want to come to just one or two activities? No problem–just show up! Suggested donation of $5 per event.

Full schedule and description HERE.

March Moth Madness!

Join us on Tuesdays from 9:30 am-noon at

Scott’s Landing Preserve

Starting on Tuesday, March 3rd and continuing through mid-April, Island Heritage Trust will host weekly Tuesday morning brown tail moth web-clipping workdays at our preserves, starting with Scott’s Landing.  These workdays are a great opportunity to learn how to identify and remove browntail moth webs.  Our efforts will help combat the public health threat posed by this invasive pest!

Please bring gloves, hand pruners, and pole pruners if you have them (We’ll have extras for those who don’t). Additionally, please bring water and wear old clothes that you don’t mind wading through the shrubbery in.

Workdays are weather dependent and after several weeks, we will assess our progress and may move to a different preserve. Please call (348-2455) or email Land Steward, Tenley Wurglitz at twurglitz@islandheritagetrust.org with questions and to confirm the location.

Adopt a Puffin Adopter! Wings, Waves, & Woods

 

This program is postponed until further notice! A heartfelt thank you to those who donated to this program. We will be working with the Isle au Haut school to hold this program once it is safe to gather together again and share the puffin trip experience with the students.

 

 

Original Press Release Below:

 

“Nearly 50 years ago a young ornithology instructor named Stephen Kress set out to right an environmental wrong—the near-extinction of Atlantic Puffins from Maine’s off-shore islands—by painstakingly translocating and rearing nearly 1,000 baby puffins.  Today Audubon’s Project Puffin (puffinproject.audubon.org) based in Rockland, Maine, has broadened to include other seabirds and countless advocacy and education efforts.

 

Also, facing extinction on Maine’s islands is the one-room island schoolhouse.  Not on Isle au Haut!  Nearly 6 miles off Stonington this island’s half dozen K-6 grade students are thriving, and very concerned about the effects of climate change on seabirds, puffins in particular.  This fall they raised $600 (!) by making crafts to sell before Christmas, so that they could each “adopt” a puffin and help do their part to support the work of Project Puffin.

 

At Deer Isle’s annual birding festival, the boat trip to Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge (prime location for nesting pelagics, including puffins) is the most popular event of the weekend.  Guided by Bob Duchesne, the 5-hour trip guarantees a good look at lots of puffins and the probability of seeing half a dozen other seabirds that are not typically visible from the mainland. This year, we are inviting these kids to join us!  What fun to share in the excitement of birding and learn about these amazing creatures together.

 

We are looking for donations to help purchase boat tickets for four bright, enthusiastic Isle au Haut students (Grade 3-6), their parents and a teacher.  They are thrilled for the chance to take a trip out to the island where “their” puffins may be breeding and nesting.  Please adopt a puffin adopter, and foster a new generation of birding conservationists, by making a donation towards their trip to Seal Island! Any amount we raise beyond the funding needed for this event will go towards future educational opportunities for students. Please reach out with any questions!”

 

Thank you again, to all those who funded this program, and will make this wonderful opportunity possible!

New Year Open House and First Food Drive

Thursday, January 9th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Heritage House, 420 Sunset Rd, Deer Isle

<<<Click For More Details

 

It has been brought to our attention that there is a high demand for low sodium, low glycemic food for diabetics in our community! Donation List:

-Stevia
-Truvia

-Quaker Instant Oatmeal – plain
-Rolled Oats
-Steel-cut oats
-Special K
-Naytura Fruit and Nut Muesli
-Kellogg All-Bran
-Cheerios-plain
-Sugar-free jam – Smuckers
-Unsweetened juice- Apple, Orange, Tomato,
-Fresh or frozen fruit-peaches, berries

-Egg Fettuccini noodles
-Buckwheat noodles
-Whole wheat pasta
-Whole grain/Multigrain bread
-Whole grain tortilla
-Beans-low sodium canned- ie: Navy, Kidney, Lentil, Pinto
-Baked Beans
-Low sodium/low glycemic canned or boxed soups
-Tuna fish
-peas, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, corn

-Hummus
-Nutella (yes, not kidding)
-Nut and seed Muesli bars
-Baked chips such as Sun Chips or Ritz toasted chips
-Corn Chips
-Nuts-Walnut, dry roasted Almonds, dry roasted Peanuts, Cashews
-Peanut butter- no added sugar, IE: Teddy or Simply Jiff

Deer Isle Christmas Bird Count

Have you noticed fewer birds at your feeder? Are numbers of common eiders really down or have bald eagles increased?  You are invited to participate in the Deer Isle Christmas Bird Count, which takes place on Saturday, Dec. 28. The count is part of the 120th Christmas Bird Count, sponsored by the National Audubon Society. Data from thousands of counts throughout the hemisphere are collated in a database used to assess the health of bird populations and their environment.

 

The local count, organized by the Downeast Audubon Chapter and Island Heritage Trust, is conducted on a circle 15 miles in diameter centered on the Monument at the intersection of Quacco Rd and Route 15. A dozen teams cover Deer Isle and parts of Blue Hill, Sedgwick, and Brooksville. Regardless of age or experience, interested persons are invited to join one of the teams of observers, and anyone with a bird feeder may submit a feeder count made from the comfort of their home For detailed instructions for the feeder count or if you would like to join a team in the field, for Deer Isle contact Ken Crowell at kennethlcrowell@gmail.com (348-6065, 7:00-9:00 AM. 4:00-7:00 PM.

Giving Tuesday!

TODAY IS THE DAY! IT’S GIVING TUESDAY!
Our goal today is to reach 21 (or more!) individual donations to raise money for a stewardship boat! We have preserves and conservation easements on 21 islands that need to be monitored annually (or even more often).

We are asking YOU to help us raise money to ensure our Steward’s ability to safely and efficiently conduct this required monitoring. A proper boat (approximately 16 feet with a outboard motor) will make it possible to safely travel to our 21 island preserves and easements.

TODAY Facebook will match the dollars you donate for GIVING TUESDAY!
A contribution to IHT is a contribution to the preservation and conservation of our Island.
We will update you throughout the day. Thank you so much! #GivingTuesday

To Donate Directly Click The Below Link:

https://tinyurl.com/slkz2bz

Roadside Cleanup!

TOMORROW MARKS THE START OF OUR ISLAND ROADSIDE CLEANUP! Please check out the Facebook event page for details. Locations for orange bag pick-up are listed in the event. BE SAFE OUT THERE! We suggest wearing orange or neon colors to increase visibility. Contact us with any questions via Facebook, Instagram, or give us a call: 207-348-2455

Welcome Jacob to the Team!

Help us welcome our newest staff member Jacob McCarty! He’s joining us as our Volunteer Coordinator & Office Manager, and we couldn’t be more excited. Stop by to say hello and see our groovy new office setup! Happy October all!