The Wrack

Here are a few images from the second Winter Wildlife Day, held during school vacation week with help from York County Audubon and the Center for Wildlife. Despite the lack of snow, folks had a good time. The rain showers seemed to arrive when everyone was inside for presentations and the sun came out when it was time for the trail walks.

The Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative, an ambitious interstate effort to protect drinking water supplies for more than 47,000 residents in Maine and New Hampshire, has been awarded the 2012 U.S. Water Prize by the Clean Water America Alliance.

When Punkinfiddle started out in 2003, we sponsored an art competition to find a logo that would tie pumpkins and fiddles together in a festive way. We had several worthy entries, but the standout was from Joseph Havens, a skilled graphic designer living in Kennebunk. Joe evoked our anticipated feel for the event before we had even nailed down the day's details!

Our friends at Dietz Associates digitized the art and featured it on our first poster. The logo jumped off the page, attracting lots of attention and helping to make our event wildly successful.

A quick lunch-time trail hike turned into an exciting wildlife tracking adventure.

WELLS, Maine, February 3, 2012  Diana Joyner, president of the Laudholm Trust, the fundraising partner of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, is stepping down from her position in June, according to an announcement from Bruce Read, chair of the Trust board.

A board committee has begun the search process for a successor.

WELLS, Maine, January 26, 2012  A 105-acre property that connects 540 acres of existing conservation land has been permanently protected by the Town of Wells in partnership with the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve at Laudholm.

The Tilton parcel, as it is known, contains 5,250 feet of frontage along the Merriland River, ecologically significant wetlands, and forested uplands. It protects habitat for a variety of wildlife, scenic views, and historic stone walls, and will provide for recreational and educational opportunities for the public.

In this week's York County Coast Star, Shelley Wigglesworth reports on the passing of Alexander Bacon Brook  "Sandy"  who owned and edited the paper from 1957 to 1977. The remembrances collected there reflect Brook's life as a newspaperman, but readers of the era also knew he loved York County's unspoiled environment. Here's a passage from an editorial he wrote in the paper  as Joyce Butler says in her history of Laudholm? "when preserving Laudholm Farm was still a dream"&

The White House has released a draft implementation plan for National Ocean Policy, demonstrating ongoing progress on a massive task. The draft implementation plan is guided by four themes:

1. Adopt ecosystem-based management
2. Obtain, use, and share the best science and data
3. Promote efficiency and collaboration
4. Strengthen regional efforts

The plan lays out a series of more than 50 actions? with accompanying outcomes and milestones  guided by these National Priority Objectives:

Paul Dobbins, President of Ocean Approved, shared his vast knowledge of kelp farming with a group of over 35 people yesterday during a Lunch 'n' Learn in Mather Auditorium. He came fully equipped not only with a very informative lecture, but also a huge bowl of delicious homemade kelp cole slaw for everyone to sample!