30th Annual Gardens in the Watershed Tour a Success
July 31, 2021 It was another successful year for our annual Gardens in the Watershed tour.
Helmed by an 11-person committee of volunteer gardeners and community members, this year’s tour took place on Sunday, July 18th in downtown Thomaston. The tour featured seven beautiful home gardens for tour guests to enjoy, and a talk about the importance of ...
Renewed Support for Conservation in S. Thomaston
July 27, 2021 The Georges River Land Trust has partnered with the local town conservation commissions throughout the lower Georges River watershed, which has been a wonderful way to hear, respond and engage in local priorities relative to the protection and care of their woodlands, shoreline, wetlands, farms, scenic and recreational places.
A conservation commission is a ...
Birds in the Grass
June 22, 2021 We’ve entered into a partnership with Ag Allies (Sommerset County Soil and Water Conservation District) and Cornell Lab of Ornithology to improve nesting success of grassland birds through education, management and incentives. While linked to our agricultural landscape, the goal of this initiative is to find a balance between hay mowing and grassland nesting ...
Land Trust Trees to Sail East
May 17, 2021
Imagine reinvigorating a marine tradition in Portugal, a country whose seafaring culture is at risk of being lost, from the coast of Maine. João Bentes, an instructor at the Apprenticeshop will build a traditional Portuguese sardine carrier, sail it across the Atlantic, and start a traditional boat building apprentice shop in Portugal. ...
Boosting Local Conservation Commissions
May 17, 2021 We recently hosted the first Midcoast Conservation Commission Summit with volunteers from the five towns that cover the lower watershed of the Georges River region (Rockland, Thomaston, S. Thomaston, Owls Head, and St. George ). We met online via Zoom, and it was a great way for these volunteers to meet their colleagues.
Local conservation commissions ...
A Flair for Solar
April 27, 2021 When the GRLT Board started talking seriously in 2019 about how to focus our work to mitigate the effects of climate change on our local ecosystems, Board President, Alvin Chase Jr., began thinking along the same lines for his business Eastern Tire & Auto Service (ET) of Rockland. In February 2021, ET’s solar farm went ...
Clynk for Conservation
April 22, 2021
Your recyclables can be turned into preserves and trails! We are registered with Clynk to receive the full donation from every bag of redeemable bottles and cans you recycle through their program. It’s so easy!
- Bag it
- Tag it
- Scan it
- Drop it
Stop into the entry to our ...
Matt Bonner, Trails & Public Access Program Manager
March 26, 2021 Matt Bonner grew up in the hilly forests of Haverhill, Massachusetts, going on long exploratory hikes and pushing the boundaries of his mental wilderness map. Matt was eventually able to experience greater expanses of wilderness while he attended school at UMaine Orono, majoring in Ecology and Environmental Science.
He learned the environment was much larger and ...
Earth Day Clean Ups
March 25, 2021
It has been fifty years since the first Earth Day in 1970 which led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the passage of the Clean Water, Clean Air and Endangered Species Acts. We like to invite you to help take care of the planet in a tangible way ...
Langlais Art Travels to Wisconsin
March 25, 2021 As a small, local land trust in Maine, we never thought we’d be in a position to loan original art related works to Sheboygan, Wisconsin. This winter, Douglas Smith of Rockland, one of the conservators of the Langlais Sculpture Preserve, packed and shipped a collection of tools and materials from Langlais’ workshop and sent ...
The Colors of Winter
February 22, 2021
Essay by Douglas Smith
Think of winter and the colors that come to mind are white, gray, brown, and more gray. Trees bare of foliage, gardens stripped of brightly colored flowers, and lawns gone dormant certainly do limit the wide range of colors associated with the other seasons, but with ...
Clarifying Carbon 101
February 17, 2021
Carbon sequestration and carbon storage. We hear these two terms used interchangeably these days as society grapples with how to reduce carbon dioxide entering our atmosphere. But they mean different things, and can affect how we plan for stewardship of our land. Conservation of land can help reduce carbon emissions and store more ...
Seeking Trail Volunteers
January 27, 2021
We are looking for two enthusiastic people to fill critical volunteer positions to support our Trail Workers Group and Trail Adopters. If interested, please send a brief email to info@grlt.org and we will get in touch with you.
Volunteer Coordinator
We are ...
Winter Birding is Fun!
January 23, 2021
A great way to experience the winter landscape is to don your binoculars and go look for birds. Although the deep woods are quiet in winter, our coastlines, marshes, meadows, and blueberry barrens offer great birding options.
In winter, ducks and seabirds often forage in our harbors and along protected ...
Events Survey
December 24, 2020 Our events connect you with the midcoast’s great outdoors. We offer opportunities to learn something new, go an adventure, and meet like-minded people. Are you interested in coming along?
We value your opinion! What events should we plan in 2021?
Tell us what you’re interested in by taking this short 5-minute survey and when you’re done, you’ll ...
Music in the Fields
December 22, 2020
Heading down the St. George River, you’ll pass many places where our conservation easements offer protection of the river and open spaces, including 35 acres protected on Hyler Cove in Cushing. Tony Antolini, the landowner, is a choral director who refused to give up singing during the pandemic, and instead, came ...
Weskeag Headlands Protected Forever
October 30, 2020
The Weskeag Headlands is integral to the Bridging Two River Conservation Project that combines the efforts of local, regional and state conservation groups to conserve the significant resources and productive ecosystems associated with the Weskeag River and the estuarine flats of the St. George River.
Georges River Land ...
Farewell and Thank You!
October 30, 2020
Saying farewell to hard-working Board members is never easy. This month two long-standing Board members have termed off the Board. Your tireless work has led to many successes, and you have our sincere gratitude!
Their invaluable service to GRLT has touched them as well:
Peter ...
Annual Meeting Recap
October 28, 2020
Thank you to all who joined us for our 2020 Annual Meeting on Tuesday October 13th!
It was great to connect with stewards, members and volunteers about our 2020 successes – and share our plans for 2021!
Missed the meeting? No problem, view our recording ...
Hunting On Preserves/Trails
October 23, 2020 Hunting season starts October 24th and runs through December 12th, except Sundays. Some of our preserves are open for hunting. The details about whether a preserve is open for hunting can be found on our Preserves page and the individual preserve pages you can link to from there.
Hunters must have prior permission to hunt ...