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Story Time at Valentine Farm
Each Saturday afternoon, families gather at the Habitat For All Garden at Valentine Farm for Story Time—where nature stories spark curiosity and hands-on activities bring the outdoors to life. Designed for young children and their caregivers, this weekly program invites exploration, creativity, and shared discovery in a welcoming garden setting.
Across 2,000 Miles: How One Songbird Connects Conservation & Community
From the windswept summit of Old Spec Mountain to the shaded cacao farms of the Dominican Republic, the Bicknell’s Thrush connects people, places, and purpose. This rare migratory bird reveals how conservation depends not only on science, but on partnerships that support both ecosystems and the communities who depend on them.
A Local Couple’s Love For Land Leads to Easement Donation
Bob O’Brien and Michaela Casey help to expand Albany Township’s conservation footprint Bob O'Brien, Michaela Casey, Kirk Siegel, and Ruthie Clements (Sebago Clean Waters) at the closing of the Flint Farm Addition, June 2026. Bob O’Brien and Michaela Casey have loved Albany Township’s rugged forest landscape since they first visited Picnic Hill Road in 1987. Across the years, they have made the land their home – maintaining an expansive garden, tapping trees for maple syrup, and caring for a...
A Carpet of Wild Violets
From deep purple to pale yellow, wild violets create a living tapestry across fields and forests each spring. Hardy, adaptable, and beloved by pollinators, these humble wildflowers offer both beauty and ecological richness—thriving quietly beneath our feet while supporting a vibrant web of life.
Eastern Larch
Neither fully evergreen nor entirely bare, the eastern larch defies expectations. Known as tamarack, this unique Northwoods tree sheds its needles each fall, only to return in spring with a soft, luminous green—thriving in swamps, enduring extreme cold, and quietly shaping the forests of Maine.
From Winter to Spring: A Vernal Pool Emerges
Beneath winter’s quiet snow lies a hidden world preparing for spring. As vernal pools reawaken, wood frogs and salamanders emerge from months of brumation to begin one of nature’s most remarkable seasonal migrations. These temporary, fish-free waters are vital to the health and balance of forest ecosystems.
Spruce!
Red spruce are able to outcompete other species on poor soils and harsh climate. Seeing the Forest Through its Trees Part VI By Larry Ely Much of northern Maine and New Hampshire is covered by a spruce-fir forest type, and after looking at balsam fir, this series looks at three common spruce species occurring in our region. Red spruce (Picea rubens) is the one most commonly found at lower elevations within the spruce-northern hardwoods forest type as well as within the more northerly and...
Northern White Cedar
Northern white cedar, or arborvitae, is a quiet but essential tree of our region’s wetlands and seepage forests. Known as the “Tree of Life,” it has a long history of medicinal use, remarkable longevity, and ecological importance. Though often overlooked, this resilient conifer thrives where others cannot, shaping both habitat and landscape across northern New England.
White & Black Spruce
White and black spruce may be less common than red spruce in the Mahoosuc Region, but each plays a distinct role in shaping the northern forest. From windswept ridgelines to quiet bogs, these hardy species reveal their identities through scent, structure, and survival strategies. Learning to distinguish them offers a deeper understanding of the boreal landscape at its southern edge.
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