A Great Walk With Members of Maine Coast Heritage Trust
During my last visit to Maine, I had the wonderful pleasure of walking through Babson Creek Preserve, which is part of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Richard Rockefeller, who is on the board of directors of MCHT, and his wife, Nancy, extended this invitation to me, and Billy Helprin, who is the Mount Desert Island Regional Steward, was our fascinating guide. MCHT conserves and stewards Maine’s coastal lands and islands for their renowned scenic beauty, outdoor recreational opportunities, ecological diversity, and working landscapes. MCHT promotes the conservation of natural places statewide by working with land trusts, communities, and other partners.
After our exploration of Babson Creek, we went up the road a little way and gained access to MCHT’s recent purchase, Kitteredge Brook Forest Preserve. We had a very informative walk through a wooded trail, which led to an area with great views of the adjacent beaver ponds and wetlands, which were teeming with wildlife. I was especially happy to see this beautiful expanse because so much of the money used to purchase it was raised through generous donations. I, myself, am a benefactor of this important acquisition, which will provide ecological and recreational benefits for generations to come.
1 Here I am with my long-time publicist, Susan Magrino, all ready for our hike. We even have our Maine Coast Heritage Trust hats on
2 The very informative Billy Helprin, who is the Mount Desert Island Regional Steward, was our guide.
3 Billy keeps an entire library of guide books and maps in his vehicle.
4 Bring Nature Home is a wonderful book that teaches how to sustain the native natural environment on any patch of land.
5 I especially love this book, which gives scientific descriptions of 862 plant species, including wildflowers, ferns, grasses, sedges, rushes, trees, and shrubs.
6 We saw a bird fly over and Billy identified it as a northern goshawk, a powerful raptor of northern forests. It feeds on prey as small as squirrels and as large as grouse, crows, and snowshoe hare.
7 Richard Rockefeller, who is on the board of directors of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, joined us for the hike.
8 This is the MCHT's MDI office at the head of the trail.
9 This is Babson Creek, a salt marsh, which is an extension of Somes Sound. The 36-acre Babson Creek Preserve, consists of meadows, salt marsh, and a small wooded area.
10 All sorts of wildlife and waterfowl exist here.
11 Paths are mowed through the meadows for hiking enjoyment.
12 Betsy with a serious looking lens
13 The paths are really beautiful at this time of year with all the wildflowers coming into bloom.
14 Here I am with Kevin, who really enjoyed this hike.
15 Along the path, we came across the skull of a deer.
16 Billy explained that skeletons also decompose, adding to that circle of life.
17 Pretty meadow pathways
18 More meadow
19 Because this is a tidal estuary, the tide carries fish and other sea creatures in from the sound.
20 Which is why so many...
21 Water fowl are found here.
22 These are great blue heron, the largest North American heron, and their primary food is mostly small fish, which they stab with their long, sharp bills. It appeared that this was a good fishing locale.
23 We came upon another osprey nest. Osprey, or sea hawk, have special vision for detecting underwater objects, which they capture by plunging feet first into the water and grabbing with their powerful talons.
24 This natural area was very beautiful.
25 And the tide was going out.
26 Further up the road from Babson Creek, we entered the new 516-acre Kitteredge Brook Forest Preserve.
27 Betsy Perreten, my stable manager, traveled to Maine with two of my horses. Betsy is a real tree hugger.
28 Billy explained about the process of how the forest rejuvenates itself. For example, this decomposing wood eventually breaks down enough to become new soil, which will bring new life to the forest.
29 He said that you'll never know what you'll come across here and that it's different each time he hikes through.
30 This marshy area was actually created by a colony of beavers.
31 Here is a tree that was gnawed through by a beaver's powerful front teeth.
32 Beavers create one or more dams to provide still, deep water to protect their colonies against predators.
33 That still water also allows the beavers to float in food and building materials to create their lodges.
34 The beaver dam also provides irrigation for the tall marsh grasses, where much wildlife lives.
35 Decomposing trees support other wildlife, as well. Lichen flourishes here.
36 Decomposing trees provide shelter for insects, mammals, and birds
37 Looking through a spotting scope at a distant object
38 It was an osprey nest built in one of those decomposing trees.
39 Looking up through the tall pines
40 Beneath the tall pines are plenty of young saplings growing beautifully as the next generation of tall trees.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
What a beautiful place. That is great of all of you to try and preserve such places.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | August 15th, 2011 at 12:15 am
Hi Martha,
This is another good thing and I learned something new - tidal estuary. If you'd have put picture #25 up before #19, the tide would have confused me. I didn't know about tidal estuaries - interesting. I also like the work of those busy little beavers, and of course the MCHT. Thanks for this eye-opening and very informative blog. Trish
Posted by: Trish | August 15th, 2011 at 9:37 am
Hi Martha, How thoughtful of you to donate to this wonderful important acquisition that will provide such ecological and recreational benefits to anyone who wants to tour such a beautiful area! I certainly would love to take that tour and I love having you share this fantastic blog post for all of us to enjoy! When I listened to Kevin Sharkey on Sirius Radio 110 on Wednesday, he sounded so thrilled about being up there in Maine and said you would be posting a lot about your birthday trip. All of these photos are terrific and some of them resemble your beautiful Skylands and Bedford Farm! How nice to see You, Susan, Kevin, Betsy, Billy Helprin, and Richard Rockefeller in these delightful photos! I love those cute MCHT hats! Can't wait to see more of your latest delightful trip to Maime! Got to go see what F&S think about The Blue to Cloudy Skys! Have another great day, Martha! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | August 15th, 2011 at 10:17 am
Hi Martha, I'm sending belated BD wishes. I hope it was all that you'd hoped for. You look fabulous. I hope you will share some photos of your special day and of your new granddaughter. I really appreciate your blogs. I'm a card maker from Seattle WA. and just got into a few stores in Maine. If you ever go to Toadstool Bookstore. Ruggles and Hunt or Sylvia Wyler- check it out. LeClair Cards.
All the Best!
Corinda LeClair
Posted by: Corinda LeClair | August 15th, 2011 at 11:37 am
Martha, thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | August 15th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
I'm always looking for new places to explore when we go to Bar Harbor. I've added Babson Creek Preserve & Kitteredge Brook Preserve to my list for next year. My son and I climbed Gorham Mtn. a few weeks ago. Although, it's not as tall as the other Mtns. the view was spectacular of Sand Beach, the ocean and other peaks. Enjoy the rest of Summer !
Posted by: Bea Trainer | August 15th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Martha,
Thanks for taking us on your hike, and not a mosquito one was included. I was interested in what the tall yellow flower was behind you and in the opening. We have something similar to it but ours is considered an invasive plant.
The beaver dams are also nice to see. In the Rocky Mountains beavers prefer the aspen tree. Probably a tender aspen wood is much better tasting than evergreen sap.
Posted by: Margie | August 15th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Hi Martha
I recommend you visit Prince Edward Island, Canada. It's not far from Maine and is a cross between Maine and Cape Cod.
I know you have been looking for a waterfront property over the years. You would find beautiful vistas and privacy there.
Darrell White
Posted by: darrell white | August 15th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Beautiful and i love the meadow pathways!
Posted by: sherey | August 15th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
It was with great pride that I viewed my son Billy Helprin hiking and sharing his knowledge of our Maine forests, meadows,estuaries birds and plants. I also live in Maine and we have hiked many beautiful areas on MDI and on the Boothbay Peninsula and lots of places in between.
Posted by: Betty J Dobson | September 7th, 2011 at 1:45 pm