Thursday, July 22, 10:00am-1pm. Hike Hogback Mtn. We’ll hike to the top of 1,115’ Hogback Mountain with where you can see all the way to Penobscot Bay. Co-sponsored with Georges River Land Trust, the hike is being led by SWLA board member Read Brugger and GRLT’s stewardship manager Jay Astle. Meet at Hemlock Hollow trail, junction of Halldale Rd and Whitten Hill driveway.
Thursday, July 8, 7pm. “Tapped Out”, a documentary film about the bottled water industry. From the producers of “Who Killed the Electric Car”, this timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water. Emily Posner from Maine's Water Justice Community will present the film and answer questions. Montville Grange, Center Road, Montville.
Saturday, July 17, 4-7pm. SWLA Annual Potluck Picnic. Come schmooze with friends and neighbors at the home of SWLA Board member Charles Fletcher and Liz Sizeler. Please bring a place setting, your favorite beverage and a friend to introduce them to SWLA. 386 Halldale Rd., Montville.
Saturday, August 7, 10am-5pm. Sustainable Backyards: a tour of homes, farms, and woods. Summer is a great time to explore eclectic Waldo County! This year’s tour and fund raising event builds upon 2009’s tour of gardens and home energy technologies, with a more diverse offering and a greater emphasis on sustainable practices and livelihoods. Maine has long been home to many people of modest means having to think outside the box in order to raise a family and make ends meet. This “can-do” approach has inspired creative and finely tuned livelihoods that help maintain an intimacy between the human community and the natural world. Visit 6 cool places doing things to help the planet. Adults $20, students $10, under 12 free. Tickets available through SWLA. Tour Brochure2010.aspx
Saturday, August 14, 1:00-2:30pm, Dragonflies and damselflies up close. Join SWLA board member and Unity College faculty member Alysa Remsburg and meet some of our diverse neighbors, like darners, dancers, and meadowhawks. This introduction to dragonfly ecology and identification will answer questions like 'Why do they link together in that heart-shaped flight?' and 'Why do they dip their tails in the water?' We will pursue larvae in the water and adults in the air, so bring binoculars, camera, or a net if you can. All ages are welcome. Odonates rest in trees when the weather is cool or cloudy, so note the rain/cloud date of August 15, same time.
Saturday, August 21, 10am-12. Family canoe outing on Sandy Pond in Freedom. This leisurely paddle will visit some islands and stop for a picnic. Join SWLA board member JoAnna Greenwood and Gerry Saunders from Sebasticook Regional Land Trust for a visit to this quiet pond on the edge of Freedom Village. Meet at the boat landing on Freedom Pond Rd in Freedom.
Sunday, September 12, 4:30-7:30pm. SWLA Annual Meeting at the Montville Grange. The speaker will be Tim Glidden, the Director of the Land for Maine’s Future program—instrumental in SWLA’s acquisition of 410-acre Whitten Hill. A short business meeting and Tim’s talk will follow a potluck dinner. Please bring a place setting and a friend to introduce them to SWLA. Montville Grange, Center Rd, Montville.
Sustainable Backyards: a tour of homes, farms and woods.
Summer is a great time to explore eclectic Waldo County! On Saturday August 7, 2010 the Sheepscot Wellspring Land Alliance in Montville is offering a fun and educational tour titled Sustainable Backyards: a tour of homes, farms, and woods. This year’s tour and annual fund raising event builds upon their 2009 tour of gardens and home energy technologies, with a more diverse offering and a greater emphasis on sustainable practices and livelihoods. Maine has long been home to many people of modest means having to think outside the box in order to raise a family and make ends meet. This “can-do” approach has inspired creative and finely tuned livelihoods that help maintain an intimacy between the human community and the natural world. Included in this year’s tour are:
Village Farm, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Freedom. Owners Polly Shyka and Prentice Grassi have a 3.5-acre market garden with organically grown vegetables, a tree and shrub nursery, an extensive herb and flower garden and raise chickens, pigs and cows. Their vision is to become a place where neighbors can interact and people can connect with the source of their food—a “farm for the village.”
Ravenwood in Searsmont has 175 acres of forests and fields and is co-owned by five people whose goals are land stewardship and education. Since 2001 Ravenwood has been the site for educational programs of the Audubon Expedition Institute teaching sustainable and simplified living practices. They have bio-intensive gardens and use many energy-saving practices and technologies.
Super Chilly Farm in Palermo is owned by Fedco Trees founder John Bunker and Cammy Watts and is 100 acres of mostly woods. They have a renowned orchard of heirloom and endangered apple trees as well as ornamentals and vegetable gardens. In 2008 Bunker published Not Far From the Tree, an account of his experiences and conversations as he searched local orchards for old apple varieties.
ReVision Energy in Liberty, is Maine’s leading installer of solar hot water and solar power systems. Their office features a 1.8 kilowatt grid-tied solar electric system, a 40-tube solar hot water system and is heated by a Tarm wood boiler. ReVision supports and encourages businesses and organizations in Maine in their efforts for sustainability and partners with other green-minded businesses.
G•O Logic Homes in Belfast, integrates design, engineering, and building systems to create homes 10 times more energy efficient than the average home. These “net-zero” homes are the affordable and super-energy-efficient model planned for the Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage.
Stover Woods, owned by Lee Stover, the third generation of his family to steward this 100-acre forest in Waldo. Stover is a forester, logger and sawmill operator. He manages his woods for lumber, pulpwood, firewood, wildlife habitat, clean water, recreation and aesthetics.
Talks and demonstrations will be offered at all five locations at specific times throughout the day; visitation is from 10 to 5. A healthy bag lunch can be ordered in advance. Tickets go on sale in May at several area businesses and through the SWLA office. Prices are: adults, $20; students $10; children under 12 are free.
Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks especially on the day of the tour. If you’d like to help or want more information please contact us at 589-3230 or buckoherin@fairpoint.net.