Events & News
"Keep Going Dad!" Andy's daughter above; Andy on snowmobile with Mt. Kineo in background below.
After a slow start to the winter of 2021, mother nature finally came through in late January. Over a long weekend I closed the laptop, turned off the cell phone, and headed with my family and dog to Moosehead Lake. While we couldn’t scare up an auger for ice fishing, we burned some calories on cross-country skies and burned some fuel on a Ski-Doo. My daughter had never been on the back of a snowmobile, and I turned around occasionally to see if she wanted to head back. Each time I heard her excited voice loud and clear through the helmet -- ‘Keep Going Dad’!
Snowmobiling not only gets Mainers outside in the coldest, darkest months of the year, it’s also big business, annually generating more than $600 million dollars for the state’s economy. In the last five years snowmobile registrations have increased by 35%, to more than 83,000. With support and partnership from the Maine Snowmobile Association, the Bureau of Parks and Lands’ Snowmobile Program plays a central role in sustaining this important winter activity. Through the Snowmobile Trail Fund and Capital Grant Fund, the Bureau provides critical support to 290 snowmobile clubs across Maine. This funding only partially covers the grooming and maintenance needs of a 14,000 mile trail system. Snowmobile clubs raise private funds for the remainder of the expenses through the dedicated work of club volunteers, who contribute countless hours on the trails through all seasons.
From Rockwood to Kokadjo, it was great to see so many people of all ages out enjoying the trails a few weeks ago. My daughter hasn’t asked for a snowmobile yet, but Christmas is still ten months away.
~ Andy Cutko, Director, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
Top of page
|
 |
Snowmobiles at Kokadjo.
Beginning March 1, 2021, the Reservations Center will accept two-night reservations for the family campground at Sebago Lake State Park. (This is the annual change from the 4-night reservation rule during February.)
Make your reservation now at
www.CampWithME.com
Reminder, no pets are allowed at the Sebago Lake State Park campground. If you are planning to camp with your pet, please read Pets in the Parks and select another State Park campground; all of our other campgrounds allow pets.
Photo: Sebago Lake beach at Sebago Lake State Park.
Top of page
|
Photos from past Feathers Over Freeport events: Golden Eagle, Screech Owl, Hawk Watch.
Feathers over Freeport is Back! We missed seeing you last year due to COVID-19... so this year we are planning two days of self-guided and virtual events.
- Mark April 24 & 25 on your calendar now - these are the on-site self-guided days. Held Saturday at Bradbury Mt. State Park and on Sunday at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park.
- Beginning April 1 visit the Feathers over Freeport webpage to explore the virtual options that will be added to each week!
Top of page
Logging truck being loaded at Dodge Point Public Land by Gavin McLain.
Tunk Lake photograph by Jacob van de Sande after the mid-February cold snap.
February finally produced a solid freeze on many of Maine's lakes. Tunk Lake at Donnell Pond Public Land was among them. On Monday, February 15 at noon Jacob van de Sande shot the wide angle view of the 2,710 acre Tunk Lake shown above and commented that he saw about 60 skaters, some from as far away as Vassalboro and Freedom, all well spread out and taking advantage of the ideal ice conditions. Fun Fact: That's one person per 34.5 acres!
With the recent warm temperatures and the expected March thaw stay cautious and do not venture out on thin ice. Read Is That Ice Safe? to learn how to determine ice safety.
Stay up to date with Maine Lake Ice-outs by texting DACF ICE-OUT to 468311. View a sortable listing of Maine Lake Ice Outs since 2003 and learn how to report the lake ice out in your area.
Top of page
March brings on the hints of springtime and the beginning of the Maple Syrup Season. Listed below are several suggestions for learning about and experiencing the maple sap harvest.
Meet Maine Farmers, Growers, Producers:
Real Maine will launch “Harvesting Maine,” a new video interview series, to help you meet Maine farmers, growers and producers who work to make a variety of agricultural products available and accessible year-round. The series kicks off March 18, 2021. We’ll meet Maine sugarhouse operators and learn more about their stewardship of one of Maine’s most beloved perennials: sugar maple trees!
Tips for supporting your local sugar-makers, floral, fiber and food producers:
Please note: farms may have limited space for large gatherings, and continue to take extra safety precautions so they and their staff stay healthy to focus growing great food and quality farm products.
- Look for listings of local farms to support: REALMAINE.com, is a good place to start.
- Follow farms on social media, and subscribe to their newsletters! This gives you a year-round connection, season-to-season.
- Call ahead—learn if there are changes to events, activities, and layouts before you visit.
- Learn how and where you can buy farm products: Do they offer curbside pickup, pre-ordering? Do they have a website or phone-ordering system so you can shop for yourself, or send a gift to others? Are they collaborating with other farmers to offer subscription orders like gift boxes or CSA shares? Do they have a retail store, grocer or shop that sells their products?
Add to your reading list
Two of the books listed below, one an adventure for children and the other a mystery for adults, offer a look into the Maple Syrup Season in two vastly different but fascinating ways.
|
How to Tap a Maple!
by Stephanie Mulligan and illustrated by Connie Rand
Luke and Layla return for a new adventure! (You may know if them already from How to Catch a Keeper!) Join them on this newt adventure as Grampy teaches them all about tapping maple trees. A Sugar Slang glossary and facts about maple sugaring are included.
Not yet published. Pre-order now.
|
Murder in the Maple Woods
by Claire Ackroyd
Follow Simone Thibodeau deep into northwestern Maine to the remote sugar camps along the Canadian border while she makes inspections and becomes embroiled in a mysterious murder in the maple woods.
This entertaining debut novel by Maine author Claire Ackroyd provides an interesting glimpse into the process of making maple syrup and leaves one hoping that the next Simone Thibodeau mystery follows soon!
|
Maine's Visible Black History
by H. H. Price and Gerald Talbot
Personal histories and community stories are combined with the history of Maine, New England, and the country to reveal the lives and contributions of Black men and women to Maine since the colonial era. Local and professional historians, such as Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site Manager Neill De Paoli, contribute to weave the stories into a fascinating and compelling history.
Includes appendices, resources for students, and an index. Illustrations document black life from Aroostook County to York County through the centuries.
Top of page
|
Send article suggestions or newsletter comments to Jocelyn Hubbell, Interpretive Specialist, webmaster, and newsletter editor for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.
|
