I’m absolutely thrilled to be the new Director of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL)! I’m also honored to be working with such a talented and dedicated staff here in Augusta and throughout the state. I’m passionate about Maine’s outdoors, and I have a strong affection for our state parks and public lands. Some of my fondest childhood memories are camping with my family at Mt. Blue State Park, and in more recent years, I’ve camped and hiked with my wife and kids at Camden Hills, Lily Bay, Warren Island, Cobscook Bay, and Rangeley Lake State Parks. As an ecologist for many years with the Maine Natural Areas Program, I also had the opportunity to visit most of our Public Lands – the Cutler Coast, Mahoosucs, Nahmakanta, and Deboullie are real gems and are some of my personal favorites. I truly believe we’re stewarding a world class resource, and I’m committed to helping Mainers and our visitors get outdoors and appreciate some of Maine’s most spectacular places. (I just learned you can get even married in our state parks!) As a forester, ecologist, and parent, I’m also deeply committed to conserving the state’s amazing natural assets for our future generations.

I’m two weeks into the job, and it’s an incredibly busy time of year here at BPL. We’re hiring seasonal staff, readying our trails for summer use, getting navigational aids in place, planning dozens of educational programs, and finalizing plans for Tentrr sites on state parks (keep an eye on our web site as details emerge). We’re also hoping to see a bit more sunshine as spring unfolds into summer!

I look forward to sharing news on BPL’s success and challenges, as well as more tips on some of our favorite places, in the coming months. In the meantime, take advantage of the long days of June and get outside!

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Visit and Win!

Using the passport is fun and easy. Visit any Maine State Park or Historic Site from May 15 through September. Find the brown Passport station and unlock the padlock using the secret code (The combination is the park’s establishment date, you can find it on the Passport page). Stamp your Passport.

Passport holders receive an award for every 8 stamps they collect. The more stamps collected, the better the award. Passports can be obtained for $1. Ask a park ranger on your next park visit how to get one. All details and the reward redemption directions are included in the Passport. You can also find 8 geocaches along the way!

Passports are valid for the contest year-to-year; stamps do not need to be collected all in one summer, but try for it – several families have!

Details are also online at www.maine.gov/dacf/parkpassport.

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Please do not bring firewood into the State of Maine but buy it locally when you get here. Not only will you be helping to stop the spread of forest-killing invasive insects and pathogens, but also helping support local businesses. Out of State Firewood Ban.

What Is Your Wood Hiding?

Exotic insects and diseases that pose a serious threat to our forests can move on firewood. Insects and diseases can be in, on or under the bark of firewood or even within the wood itself. You often cannot see that pests are there. While an invasive pest may spread a few miles on its own in a single year, moving infested wood can spread the same pest hundreds of miles in a single day! Read more...

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Tick tock goes the clock...

Tick check several times a day

Tick aware and safe

Protect yourself, your family and pets from ticks and tickborne diseases. (In photo above the deer tick is on the left and the dog tick is on the right. Both are shown larger than life size and not to scale. See the tick ID card, linked below, for size comparison.) Four strategies will help you to prevent exposure to ticks and the pathogens they can carry.

Be Tick Aware and Tick Alert

1. Use an EPA-approved repellent
2. Wear protective clothing
3. Perform daily tick checks
4. Use caution in tick-infested areas

Deer Ticks VS Dog Ticks

Tick ID card *

Deer ticks can carry pathogens that cause tickborne diseases such as Lyme, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis. They are most commonly found in wooded, leafy, and shrubby areas.

Dog ticks are larger than deer ticks and do not transmit Lyme disease.

*Order this and other materials online from the Maine Center for Disease Control (Maine CDC).

Symptoms of Lyme disease

The most commonly reported symptom was a "bullseye" rash. Other common symptoms include arthritis, fatigue, chills, fever, headache, and swollen lymph nodes.

Educational Videos on Maine CDC's YouTube Channel

(www.youtube.com/channel/UCcbz6ki04I87wF180D7IKdg)
Video-shorts on Tickborne diseases, Tick identification, Tick Check How-to, Repellents, and how to choose a residential pesticide applicator. 

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Read the details about the browntail moth caterpillar below, then if you have questions here is -

How to Contact 211 Maine

• Dial 211(or 1-866-811-5695)
• Text your zip code to 898-211
• Email info@211maine.org
  

Browntail moth caterpillars are easy to identify. They are dark brown in color with white stripes along the sides and two red-orange dots on the back.  See the Maine Forest Service webpage.

Be on the lookout for this invasive species - the caterpillars are active from April to late June/early July. 

Stay well away - The tiny, microscopic hairs found on browntail moth caterpillars, shed skins, and cocoons can cause a skin reaction similar to poison ivy. Most individuals affected by the hairs develop a localized rash that lasts for a few hours up to several days. In more sensitive individuals, the rash can be severe and last for weeks. Hairs shed by the caterpillar can become airborne and also cause trouble breathing. Respiratory distress from inhaling the hairs can be serious. The rash and difficulty breathing result from both a chemical reaction to a toxin in the hairs and a physical irritation as the barbed hairs become embedded in the skin and airways. 

Hairs loose toxicity over time - Hairs blow around in the air, fall onto leaves and brush in the fall and spring, and can be stirred up during mowing, raking, sweeping, and other activities. Hairs can remain toxic for one to three years in the environment but lose their toxicity over time. 

Protect Yourself

• Avoid places heavily infested by caterpillars
• Take cool showers and change clothes after outdoor activities in heavily infested areas
• Rake, mow, etc. when foliage is wet to prevent hairs from becoming airborne
• Cover face and tightly secure clothing around the neck, wrists, and ankles when working outdoors
• Dry laundry inside during June and July to avoid hairs embedding into clothing

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Frozen Lemonade - A Refreshing Favorite!

This make-ahead frozen lemonade is not only refreshing but also serves to keep your cooler cold on your way to camp. Several adaptations are listed; it's fun to have several varieties ready to go for a day hike or camp out.

• 8 lemons, washed
• 2 cups sugar (more or less to taste)
• 8 cups water
• large freezer-safe container or freezer bag

1. Roll each lemon between your palm and cutting board or counter top, pressing down firmly as you do so. This helps release the juices from the lemon flesh. 
2. Slice lemons and pick out any seeds, then place them in a large pitcher.
3. Add the sugar to the lemons and mash for several minutes until the juices and sugar blend; let stand 20 minutes.
4. Add the water and stir.
5. Pour into a freezer-safe container or zip-lock freezer bag (seal, place in freezer laying flat on side. (Quart-size bags are a good size for carrying in a backpack, or for distributing evenly throughout a cooler.

Adapt as you like with other fruits or try adding this cook's favorites:

• Sliced frozen strawberries
• Fresh, mashed cherries
• Pomegranate seeds
• 4 limes in place of 4 of the lemons
• Make with seltzer water for bubbly lemonade
• Try without any sugar at all - especially of you add other fruits you may find you do not need any other sweeteners.

(Contributed by Jen Neumeyer, Boating Facilities Secretary, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.)

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