NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MAINE ISLAND TRAIL ASSOCIATION
The Island Trail T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E M A I N E I S L A N D T R A I L A S S O C I AT I O N S P R I N G 2 0 1 6
58 FORE STREET, SUITE 30-3 PORTLAND, MAINE 04101 207.761.8225 MITA.ORG
How Rising Seas May Shape the Trail B Y DAV I D M O R G A N
An innocuous white shack with a small metal door sits next to the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal on Portland’s Maine State Pier. Behind that door is National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Tidal Gauging Station 841-8150. Continuously operating since 1912, 841-8150 measures the tide’s height within Portland’s busy harbor every six minutes. From its silent perch, 841-8150 has watched the sea level in Portland Harbor rise over 7 1/2 inches in the last 100 years. Compared to the piers and seawalls of developed Portland, 7 1/2 inches isn’t much. But even a few inches can have a huge impact on the region’s less developed coastline.
HELP WANTED: MITA MONITOR SKIPPERS
We’re seeking hearty volunteers to join our Monitor Skipper team! Looking for experienced skippers coastwide, but especially in the Deer Isle, Mount Desert Island, and Downeast regions.
Qualifications and Commitments:
Benefits:
• Significant power boat experience
• Use of MITA skiffs
• Tow vehicle
• Willingness to embark on full-day monitor runs a minimum of twice a month • Dedication to and passion for stewardship of Maine’s coastal islands
• Reimbursement for mileage & other direct expenses • Active participation in keeping wild islands clean and accessible
• Being part of a close-knit community of conscientious boaters
To learn more, contact Maria or Chris at 207-761-8225 or stewards@mita.org. photo credit: Daniel E. Smith, ScenicNewEngland.net
A recent Maine Geological Survey report indicated that, at the current rate, Portland Harbor will see a 1.4ft increase in sea level in the next century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international organization of scientists convened by the UN to compile the globe’s climate research, projects that with modern warming trends we are likely to see a global sea level rise of 3.3ft by 2100. continue on page 14
In This Issue BATTLING INVASIVE SPECIES ................... 3 FORT GORGES MASTER PLAN ...................4 HURRICANE ISLAND CAMPING ................ 5 SUPPORTING ISLAND COMMUNITIES ... 10
Bill Coperthwaite and friend pass a concentric yurt at Dickinsons Reach. Photo credit: Peter Forbes
A Land Apart BY DOUG WELC H
Many places on the Maine Island Trail are considered hallowed ground: Seguin Island, Hurricane Island, and the Isles of Shoals to name a few. This summer, we have the
great fortune of adding more hallowed ground to the Trail: Damariscove Island, for
example, where the Mayflower provisioned on its way to Massachusetts. But another new site on hallowed ground is not a household name: Dickinsons Reach.
Fifty-seven years ago, a young teacher named Bill Coperthwaite sold his house in
Steuben to purchase land on Little Kennebec Bay, due south of Machias, and dubbed it Dickinsons Reach. Born in the County, the Bowdoin College graduate became
champion of alternative approaches to community, architecture, and living. Though he traveled the world as an educator, builder, and visionary leader, Coperthwaite essentially never left Dickinsons Reach until his death in 2013 at age 83.
While not an island geographically, Dickinsons Reach is a land apart. Land-based
access requires a mile-and-a-half hike down a wood-chipped path just wide enough
for the wheelbarrows in which Coperthwaite carried provisions. Most MITA members will find the water approach more to their liking. continue on page 12
M I TA .O R G
Endowing the Islands’ Care B Y D O U G W E L C H , E X E C U T I V E D I R E C TO R
M I TA B OA R D O F T R U ST E E S Sam Adams, Freeport, ME Nick Battista, Rockland, ME (nominated) Stephen Birmingham, Cape Elizabeth, ME Kelly Boden, Bath, ME Dan Carr, Dayton ME Nicole Connelly, Falmouth, ME Mark Fasold, Yarmouth, ME Tom Franklin, Portland, ME Lindsay Hancock, Gray, ME Alicia Heyburn, Brunswick, ME Rodger Herrigel, Phippsburg, ME Liz Incze, Cumberland Foreside, ME Cindy Knowles, Cumberland Center, ME John Noll, Orland, ME Melissa Paly, Kittery, ME Lucas St. Clair, Portland, ME Andrew Stern, Falmouth, ME Odette Thurston, Falmouth ME
STA F F
Doug Welch • dwelch@mita.org Executive Director Greg Field • gfield@mita.org Director of Finance & Operations
Several years ago, the Board of Trustees determined that MITA’s ability to manage the islands could best be ensured by endowing the fleet and its operating expenses. It undertook the Wild Islands Campaign to do just that.
Maria Jenness • mjenness@mita.org Regional Stewardship Manager Brian Marcaurelle • brian@mita.org Program Director
Madison Moran • madison@mita.org Membership & Development Associate Jack Phillips • jphillips@mita.org Director of Development Erin Quigley • erin@mita.org Membership Manager
Chris Wall • cwall@mita.org Regional Stewardship Manager Pro-bono newsletter design services by Jillfrances Gray : www.jfg.com JFG Visual Communications + Creative Goodness
The Maine Island Trail is a 375-mile long waterway extending from the New Hampshire border on the west to Cobscook Bay on the east. Along the route, state-owned and private islands are available to members or the public for overnight stopovers where one can picnic or camp in a wilderness setting. The Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) is a nonprofit conservation organization, whose goal is to establish a model of thoughtful use and volunteer stewardship for the Maine islands that will assure their conservation in a natural state while providing an exceptional recreational asset that is maintained and cared for by the people who use it. This goal is achieved by encouraging a philosophy of low-impact use and environmental awareness among MITA’s members and island visitors.
M A I N E I S L A N D T R A I L A S S O C I AT I O N 58 Fore Street, 30-3 Portland, ME 04101 (207) 761-8225 • info@mita.org
Vol. 27
From the time of the original vision for a “waterway for small boats,” the Maine Island Trail was to be voluntarily stewarded by the people who used it. But the need to move large numbers of people onto rocky island shores, and large amounts of trash off the islands soon made it clear that MITA needed to own some boats. The 18-foot Lund skiff proved its mettle to the exclusion of all others. Over time, as the Trail itself expanded, the fleet grew to include six boats, six trailers, and two vehicles. And MITA’s fleet became a linchpin of the idea that volunteers could manage the wild islands of Maine.
No. 1
In this context, I am thrilled to announce a $100,000 grant from the William Bingham Foundation in support of MITA’s Wild Islands Campaign. As previously announced, the campaign received $100,000 from L.L.Bean last summer, hit the $1,000,000 mark in the fall, and now stands at $1.1 million. With this latest gift, we are very near the point—$1.275 million—at which MITA’s entire fleet will be permanently endowed. We hope to achieve this remarkable goal by the end of 2016. Like MITA itself, the campaign is grassroots. Contributions to date have come from 95 individuals and organizations, including 100% of MITA’s board of trustees. While we can all be profoundly grateful for several large gifts, no one “angel” is responsible for the campaign’s success. Instead, it has been an effort of many people to ensure that a simple idea remains alive: that the people who use the islands will be
able to care for them with equipment that will always be ready. Conversations with MITA’s founders— many of whom continue to be involved with the organization today—reveal genuine delight at the existence of an endowment fund. Never in their wildest dreams did the people who met on Warren Island and elsewhere to hatch the plan for MITA expect that 30 years later the organization would have the stability of an endowed fleet. Yet as proud as I am of the campaign itself, I am equally proud that the campaign has not changed the character of the organization. MITA remains idealistic, hands-on, and scrappy—and hopefully it always will. While the Trail has grown to include 217 sites, and the number of members has grown to 5,642, the mission is the same as always: “To establish a model of thoughtful use and volunteer stewardship for the Maine islands that will assure their conservation in a natural state while providing an exceptional recreational asset that is maintained and cared for by those who use it.” For those of you who have worked and contributed to this idea for nearly 30 years now, thank you. You have built and indeed endowed an extraordinary idea. For those of you who have joined us recently, welcome! You are in good company. And if you are ready to volunteer your time to the islands, you will find the work rewarding, and you will have the tools you need and the vessels to get you there. MITA respectfully asks that founders and newcomers alike consider supporting the Wild Islands Campaign with a cash, stock, or planned gift, to ensure Maine’s wild islands remain pristine and accessible forever. Please contact Jack Phillips at (207) 761-8225 or jack@mita.org for more information about how you can contribute.
MITA Doubles Down in Its Battle Against Invasive Species on the Trail B Y JA C K P H I L L I P S , D E V E LO PM E N T D I R E C TO R
MITA’s stewardship activities have three main goals: 1) to safeguard the wildness and environmental health of Trail sites; 2) to ensure a positive user experience for visitors; and 3) to help generous site owners make and execute land management decisions. When new properties join the Trail, for instance, we go to great lengths in considering wildlife habitats, campsite locations, landing areas, and campfire restrictions to maintain our low-impact recreation commitment and assure our landowners that their properties are protected. The onslaught of invasive plants at many Trail sites has complicated this work. Landowners, MITA staff, and Trail users have all noted the increased presence of invasives encroaching on campsites, trails, and shorelines. Large-scale infestations of these species can dramatically disrupt fragile island ecosystems, increase human health risk, and diminish the recreational experience. On Little Chebeague Island in Casco Bay, for example, the presence of multiple invasive plant species has been well documented, including Oriental bittersweet, Japanese barberry, Japanese knotweed, Morrow’s honeysuckle, and black swallowwort. “The damage these plants cause can be profound,” says MITA Regional Stewardship Manager Chris Wall. “Bittersweet is known for strangling shrubs and trees to death; swallowwort crowds out milkweed and is toxic to monarch butterfly larvae; and thorny barberry provides an ideal habitat for tick-carrying mice and has been linked to higher Lyme disease prevalence.” To date, MITA’s invasive species management efforts have focused on raising awareness and mobilizing volunteers for manual control where possible. Since 2011, MITA has coordinated over 150 volunteers who contributed more than 1,100 hours
to invasives management on Little Chebeague alone. As visitors can attest, the situation has improved over the years, but the island remains overrun even after so much work. And while invasives have been identified and managed in other places along the Trail, the extent and severity of their presence remains largely unknown. MITA is in the process of developing and implementing an invasive species management strategy in order to improve the efficacy of these efforts. MITA has hired an intern for the summer to help document the presence of invasive species on more than 150 Trail islands. At each site, the intern will record the type and density of any invasives present using GPS and iMapInvasives, a mapping system adopted by the State of Maine and Maine Natural Areas Program. Once entered into the mapping system, the data will help determine trends over time and function as a management tool. While in the field, the intern will also educate visitors about invasives and work with volunteer Monitor Skippers to increase invasive plant identification skills, which will in turn improve our capacity for early detection of plants that are still small and unestablished and for rapid response to prevent the creation of seed banks that could spread to other islands. Armed with a clearer picture of invasives on the Trail, MITA staff will work with interested landowners to craft invasives management plans for each Trail island, as appropriate. The 150+ islands on the Maine Island Trail are diverse in size, geography, and type of ownership (there are also several dozen mainland sites on the Trail, which will not be covered by this particular effort). As a result, the management plans will take into account a broad spectrum of factors and serve as a
Volunteers from Idexx hold a large honeysuckle stem on Little Chebeague Island.
guide for future stewardship in the years ahead. Even one summer without attention can allow invasives to regain a foothold and negate seasons of hard work. Maintaining control efforts on Little Chebeague and other sites is paramount, and we will continue to coordinate volunteer days to keep invasives at bay. If you are interested in helping out, please watch the MITA calendar (www.mita.org/calendar) or sign up for our email list to learn about work days focused on invasives. If you can’t join us, help us find new infestations on the Trail by using our one-page invasive plant guide on your next trip: www.mita.org/invasives.
MITA thanks the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and the Fund for Maine Land
Conservation at the Maine Community
Foundation for providing critical support for our work to combat invasive species.
M I TA .O R G
3
Endowing the Islands’ Care B Y D O U G W E L C H , E X E C U T I V E D I R E C TO R
M I TA B OA R D O F T R U ST E E S Sam Adams, Freeport, ME Nick Battista, Rockland, ME (nominated) Stephen Birmingham, Cape Elizabeth, ME Kelly Boden, Bath, ME Dan Carr, Dayton ME Nicole Connelly, Falmouth, ME Mark Fasold, Yarmouth, ME Tom Franklin, Portland, ME Lindsay Hancock, Gray, ME Alicia Heyburn, Brunswick, ME Rodger Herrigel, Phippsburg, ME Liz Incze, Cumberland Foreside, ME Cindy Knowles, Cumberland Center, ME John Noll, Orland, ME Melissa Paly, Kittery, ME Lucas St. Clair, Portland, ME Andrew Stern, Falmouth, ME Odette Thurston, Falmouth ME
STA F F
Doug Welch • dwelch@mita.org Executive Director Greg Field • gfield@mita.org Director of Finance & Operations
Several years ago, the Board of Trustees determined that MITA’s ability to manage the islands could best be ensured by endowing the fleet and its operating expenses. It undertook the Wild Islands Campaign to do just that.
Maria Jenness • mjenness@mita.org Regional Stewardship Manager Brian Marcaurelle • brian@mita.org Program Director
Madison Moran • madison@mita.org Membership & Development Associate Jack Phillips • jphillips@mita.org Director of Development Erin Quigley • erin@mita.org Membership Manager
Chris Wall • cwall@mita.org Regional Stewardship Manager Pro-bono newsletter design services by Jillfrances Gray : www.jfg.com JFG Visual Communications + Creative Goodness
The Maine Island Trail is a 375-mile long waterway extending from the New Hampshire border on the west to Cobscook Bay on the east. Along the route, state-owned and private islands are available to members or the public for overnight stopovers where one can picnic or camp in a wilderness setting. The Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) is a nonprofit conservation organization, whose goal is to establish a model of thoughtful use and volunteer stewardship for the Maine islands that will assure their conservation in a natural state while providing an exceptional recreational asset that is maintained and cared for by the people who use it. This goal is achieved by encouraging a philosophy of low-impact use and environmental awareness among MITA’s members and island visitors.
M A I N E I S L A N D T R A I L A S S O C I AT I O N 58 Fore Street, 30-3 Portland, ME 04101 (207) 761-8225 • info@mita.org
Vol. 27
From the time of the original vision for a “waterway for small boats,” the Maine Island Trail was to be voluntarily stewarded by the people who used it. But the need to move large numbers of people onto rocky island shores, and large amounts of trash off the islands soon made it clear that MITA needed to own some boats. The 18-foot Lund skiff proved its mettle to the exclusion of all others. Over time, as the Trail itself expanded, the fleet grew to include six boats, six trailers, and two vehicles. And MITA’s fleet became a linchpin of the idea that volunteers could manage the wild islands of Maine.
No. 1
In this context, I am thrilled to announce a $100,000 grant from the William Bingham Foundation in support of MITA’s Wild Islands Campaign. As previously announced, the campaign received $100,000 from L.L.Bean last summer, hit the $1,000,000 mark in the fall, and now stands at $1.1 million. With this latest gift, we are very near the point—$1.275 million—at which MITA’s entire fleet will be permanently endowed. We hope to achieve this remarkable goal by the end of 2016. Like MITA itself, the campaign is grassroots. Contributions to date have come from 95 individuals and organizations, including 100% of MITA’s board of trustees. While we can all be profoundly grateful for several large gifts, no one “angel” is responsible for the campaign’s success. Instead, it has been an effort of many people to ensure that a simple idea remains alive: that the people who use the islands will be
able to care for them with equipment that will always be ready. Conversations with MITA’s founders— many of whom continue to be involved with the organization today—reveal genuine delight at the existence of an endowment fund. Never in their wildest dreams did the people who met on Warren Island and elsewhere to hatch the plan for MITA expect that 30 years later the organization would have the stability of an endowed fleet. Yet as proud as I am of the campaign itself, I am equally proud that the campaign has not changed the character of the organization. MITA remains idealistic, hands-on, and scrappy—and hopefully it always will. While the Trail has grown to include 217 sites, and the number of members has grown to 5,642, the mission is the same as always: “To establish a model of thoughtful use and volunteer stewardship for the Maine islands that will assure their conservation in a natural state while providing an exceptional recreational asset that is maintained and cared for by those who use it.” For those of you who have worked and contributed to this idea for nearly 30 years now, thank you. You have built and indeed endowed an extraordinary idea. For those of you who have joined us recently, welcome! You are in good company. And if you are ready to volunteer your time to the islands, you will find the work rewarding, and you will have the tools you need and the vessels to get you there. MITA respectfully asks that founders and newcomers alike consider supporting the Wild Islands Campaign with a cash, stock, or planned gift, to ensure Maine’s wild islands remain pristine and accessible forever. Please contact Jack Phillips at (207) 761-8225 or jack@mita.org for more information about how you can contribute.
MITA Doubles Down in Its Battle Against Invasive Species on the Trail B Y JA C K P H I L L I P S , D E V E LO PM E N T D I R E C TO R
MITA’s stewardship activities have three main goals: 1) to safeguard the wildness and environmental health of Trail sites; 2) to ensure a positive user experience for visitors; and 3) to help generous site owners make and execute land management decisions. When new properties join the Trail, for instance, we go to great lengths in considering wildlife habitats, campsite locations, landing areas, and campfire restrictions to maintain our low-impact recreation commitment and assure our landowners that their properties are protected. The onslaught of invasive plants at many Trail sites has complicated this work. Landowners, MITA staff, and Trail users have all noted the increased presence of invasives encroaching on campsites, trails, and shorelines. Large-scale infestations of these species can dramatically disrupt fragile island ecosystems, increase human health risk, and diminish the recreational experience. On Little Chebeague Island in Casco Bay, for example, the presence of multiple invasive plant species has been well documented, including Oriental bittersweet, Japanese barberry, Japanese knotweed, Morrow’s honeysuckle, and black swallowwort. “The damage these plants cause can be profound,” says MITA Regional Stewardship Manager Chris Wall. “Bittersweet is known for strangling shrubs and trees to death; swallowwort crowds out milkweed and is toxic to monarch butterfly larvae; and thorny barberry provides an ideal habitat for tick-carrying mice and has been linked to higher Lyme disease prevalence.” To date, MITA’s invasive species management efforts have focused on raising awareness and mobilizing volunteers for manual control where possible. Since 2011, MITA has coordinated over 150 volunteers who contributed more than 1,100 hours
to invasives management on Little Chebeague alone. As visitors can attest, the situation has improved over the years, but the island remains overrun even after so much work. And while invasives have been identified and managed in other places along the Trail, the extent and severity of their presence remains largely unknown. MITA is in the process of developing and implementing an invasive species management strategy in order to improve the efficacy of these efforts. MITA has hired an intern for the summer to help document the presence of invasive species on more than 150 Trail islands. At each site, the intern will record the type and density of any invasives present using GPS and iMapInvasives, a mapping system adopted by the State of Maine and Maine Natural Areas Program. Once entered into the mapping system, the data will help determine trends over time and function as a management tool. While in the field, the intern will also educate visitors about invasives and work with volunteer Monitor Skippers to increase invasive plant identification skills, which will in turn improve our capacity for early detection of plants that are still small and unestablished and for rapid response to prevent the creation of seed banks that could spread to other islands. Armed with a clearer picture of invasives on the Trail, MITA staff will work with interested landowners to craft invasives management plans for each Trail island, as appropriate. The 150+ islands on the Maine Island Trail are diverse in size, geography, and type of ownership (there are also several dozen mainland sites on the Trail, which will not be covered by this particular effort). As a result, the management plans will take into account a broad spectrum of factors and serve as a
Volunteers from Idexx hold a large honeysuckle stem on Little Chebeague Island.
guide for future stewardship in the years ahead. Even one summer without attention can allow invasives to regain a foothold and negate seasons of hard work. Maintaining control efforts on Little Chebeague and other sites is paramount, and we will continue to coordinate volunteer days to keep invasives at bay. If you are interested in helping out, please watch the MITA calendar (www.mita.org/calendar) or sign up for our email list to learn about work days focused on invasives. If you can’t join us, help us find new infestations on the Trail by using our one-page invasive plant guide on your next trip: www.mita.org/invasives.
MITA thanks the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and the Fund for Maine Land
Conservation at the Maine Community
Foundation for providing critical support for our work to combat invasive species.
M I TA .O R G
3
Working Toward a Master Plan for Fort Gorges B Y DAV I D P L AT T, F R I E N D S O F F O RT G O R G E S
Fort Gorges is one of several military structures along the Atlantic coast that were authorized by Congress in the early 1850s. They were constructed in the image of earlier forts for coastal defense. Some were built using granite (Forts Gorges, Popham, and Knox in Maine) while others used brick (Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina). They were all engineered to withstand artillery bombardment by the weapons of their day. But they quickly became obsolete at the onset of the Civil War, with the development of more powerful rifles and exploding projectiles. The two-level fort in Portland Harbor was originally designed with three stories. The top level, never built, was replaced with a layer of earth meant to act as protection against newer projectiles. Construction was stopped in 1876, and the majority of the fort’s guns were removed in 1898, presumably for use elsewhere during the SpanishAmerican War. One piece of armament, a large Parrott rifle on the top level of the incomplete fort, remains there today. It is believed to be one of the largest surviving pieces of Civil-Warera artillery, which may explain why it wasn’t hauled away. Like its sister forts in Maine—Knox and Popham—Fort Gorges never saw a shot fired. However, it did remain in military hands for a very long time. During World War II, submarine mines were stored on concrete pads in the middle of the former parade ground. In 1960, the U.S. Government handed the fort over to the City of Portland, which still owns it today. Fort Gorges has been part of the Maine Island Trail since 2005. It is accessible today by small boat, but it is not the easiest or safest place to visit. Its granite blocks and interior brick arches are deteriorating, and there is no float or structure to enable access for vessels larger than a kayak or dinghy. The city has not been able to shoulder the 4
M I TA .O R G
Hurricane Island: Providing a Platform for Education, Leadership...and Now Camping! B Y P H O E B E J E K I E L E K & S A M H A L LO W E L L , H U R R I C A N E I S L A N D C E N T E R F O R S C I E N C E A N D L E A D E R S H I P
Readers of The Island Trail last heard from Hurricane Island back in 2010 when we were just beginning our journey toward
becoming the Hurricane Island Center for
Science and Leadership (HICSL). We have made significant progress since then!
While there have been many changes, we remain committed to experiential
science education, creating a sustainable island community, collaborative scientific research, and inspiring participants of With community support, Fort Gorges will remain a safe and accessible Portland Harbor landmark for generations to come.
cost of transforming this “park” into a comfortable destination for visitors. Instead, it has erected signs notifying the public of potentially unsafe conditions. Hoping for a better future for the fort, a group of citizens founded the nonprofit Friends of Fort Gorges in 2000. The organization aims to help maintain the fort and promote accessibility and appropriate use. Under the leadership of Executive Director Paul Drinan and a small Board of Directors, and with the help of interested citizens and donors, the Friends have embarked on an ambitious agenda that includes a comprehensive preservation plan, a revitalized relationship with the City, and several awareness-raising events. One of these is the upcoming Port Mile Swim, a mile-long ocean swim from the fort to East End Beach. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that in 2017 it will fund an ambitious set of improvements focused on safety. To leverage the support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the City applied for and was awarded a grant from the Maine Historic Preservation Commission to fund a master plan for Fort Gorges. The master plan will document existing conditions, identify and prioritize necessary repairs, provide
cost estimates for specific aspects of work, and offer recommendations for phasing improvements. The plan will also address public access and appropriate uses at the fort. The grant requires a match, and the Friends of Fort Gorges organization says it plans to fundraise. “I’m really pleased to see that we have this public-private partnership that is committed to preserving Fort Gorges,” said Jon Jennings, City Manager. “This joint effort is really important given the financial undertaking that is involved. The fort is certainly an untapped treasure in Casco Bay, and I look forward to beginning the public process.” “We’re so pleased that the City of Portland is on board with this project. Thousands of people appreciate the fort every year, either in person or from afar, and this is our first, and perhaps last, best chance to preserve the unique, historical gem for future generations,” said Drinan of the Friends.
all ages to become impassioned change leaders now and in the future.
Building Up from a Strong Foundation We formed the Hurricane Island
Foundation in 2009 to “create and
preserve an open and sustainable island community that supports and enhances the educational opportunities of youth
from Maine and beyond.” In the first few
MITA staff and volunteers repairing the tent platform on Hurricane Island.
grounded in sustainable technologies
Education, Research, and Sustainability Programs
process of renovating and transforming
Education programs at HICSL are experiential and interdisciplinary, providing unique, place-based STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) learning opportunities. Lessons of leadership are explored through the lens of science, with an emphasis on how to be passionate, collaborative, and effective advocates for and stewards of the environment. During the school year, we work with teachers to develop custom programs to bring students to the island to supplement their classroom curricula. While on Hurricane, students are offline and unplugged from their electronic devices, which encourages them to focus their natural curiosity on investigating the world around them. It also motivates students to view themselves as leaders in the context of our fragile interdependence. Adult
years we committed to designing systems and practices, and focused on the
infrastructure on the island. Our extended community of supporters and staff
brought the structures to a suitable state
to meet programming needs and to attain our mission of building a sustainable community.
With science education and research
identified as priorities, the first stages of the HICSL developed. In 2011, we
hosted six programs with fewer than 100 total participants. In 2015, we
welcomed over 850 participants in 51
programs! Currently we offer on-island For more information about the Friends of Fort Gorges, visit http://www.
friendsoffortgorges.org. You can also find
them on Facebook, Instagram (FortGorges), and Twitter (@fofogo).
educational opportunities from May
through October for students, teachers, researchers, amateur naturalists, and anyone who is interested in learning
more about science, sustainability, and leadership through experience.
educational opportunities, including classes, workshops, and trainings, are also offered throughout the summer. We even host farm-to-table dinners and volunteer days on the island. Research on Hurricane Island is focused on interdisciplinary projects relevant to the ecological sustainability of Penobscot Bay and the Gulf of Maine. Currently, we lead the Midcoast Maine Collaborative Scallop Project—a partnership with local fishermen to monitor the effects of a small closed area on resident scallop populations. We’ve also partnered with Bates College to establish a network of Gulf of Maine field stations where students, educators, and scientists can collaborate to promote placebased science in our changing world. Work is underway on new facilities on Hurricane Island to support water tables, classroom and laboratory space and SCUBA diving equipment, plus a research vessel for offshore and underwater research. continue on page 7 M I TA .O R G
5
Working Toward a Master Plan for Fort Gorges B Y DAV I D P L AT T, F R I E N D S O F F O RT G O R G E S
Fort Gorges is one of several military structures along the Atlantic coast that were authorized by Congress in the early 1850s. They were constructed in the image of earlier forts for coastal defense. Some were built using granite (Forts Gorges, Popham, and Knox in Maine) while others used brick (Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina). They were all engineered to withstand artillery bombardment by the weapons of their day. But they quickly became obsolete at the onset of the Civil War, with the development of more powerful rifles and exploding projectiles. The two-level fort in Portland Harbor was originally designed with three stories. The top level, never built, was replaced with a layer of earth meant to act as protection against newer projectiles. Construction was stopped in 1876, and the majority of the fort’s guns were removed in 1898, presumably for use elsewhere during the SpanishAmerican War. One piece of armament, a large Parrott rifle on the top level of the incomplete fort, remains there today. It is believed to be one of the largest surviving pieces of Civil-Warera artillery, which may explain why it wasn’t hauled away. Like its sister forts in Maine—Knox and Popham—Fort Gorges never saw a shot fired. However, it did remain in military hands for a very long time. During World War II, submarine mines were stored on concrete pads in the middle of the former parade ground. In 1960, the U.S. Government handed the fort over to the City of Portland, which still owns it today. Fort Gorges has been part of the Maine Island Trail since 2005. It is accessible today by small boat, but it is not the easiest or safest place to visit. Its granite blocks and interior brick arches are deteriorating, and there is no float or structure to enable access for vessels larger than a kayak or dinghy. The city has not been able to shoulder the 4
M I TA .O R G
Hurricane Island: Providing a Platform for Education, Leadership...and Now Camping! B Y P H O E B E J E K I E L E K & S A M H A L LO W E L L , H U R R I C A N E I S L A N D C E N T E R F O R S C I E N C E A N D L E A D E R S H I P
Readers of The Island Trail last heard from Hurricane Island back in 2010 when we were just beginning our journey toward
becoming the Hurricane Island Center for
Science and Leadership (HICSL). We have made significant progress since then!
While there have been many changes, we remain committed to experiential
science education, creating a sustainable island community, collaborative scientific research, and inspiring participants of With community support, Fort Gorges will remain a safe and accessible Portland Harbor landmark for generations to come.
cost of transforming this “park” into a comfortable destination for visitors. Instead, it has erected signs notifying the public of potentially unsafe conditions. Hoping for a better future for the fort, a group of citizens founded the nonprofit Friends of Fort Gorges in 2000. The organization aims to help maintain the fort and promote accessibility and appropriate use. Under the leadership of Executive Director Paul Drinan and a small Board of Directors, and with the help of interested citizens and donors, the Friends have embarked on an ambitious agenda that includes a comprehensive preservation plan, a revitalized relationship with the City, and several awareness-raising events. One of these is the upcoming Port Mile Swim, a mile-long ocean swim from the fort to East End Beach. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that in 2017 it will fund an ambitious set of improvements focused on safety. To leverage the support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the City applied for and was awarded a grant from the Maine Historic Preservation Commission to fund a master plan for Fort Gorges. The master plan will document existing conditions, identify and prioritize necessary repairs, provide
cost estimates for specific aspects of work, and offer recommendations for phasing improvements. The plan will also address public access and appropriate uses at the fort. The grant requires a match, and the Friends of Fort Gorges organization says it plans to fundraise. “I’m really pleased to see that we have this public-private partnership that is committed to preserving Fort Gorges,” said Jon Jennings, City Manager. “This joint effort is really important given the financial undertaking that is involved. The fort is certainly an untapped treasure in Casco Bay, and I look forward to beginning the public process.” “We’re so pleased that the City of Portland is on board with this project. Thousands of people appreciate the fort every year, either in person or from afar, and this is our first, and perhaps last, best chance to preserve the unique, historical gem for future generations,” said Drinan of the Friends.
all ages to become impassioned change leaders now and in the future.
Building Up from a Strong Foundation We formed the Hurricane Island
Foundation in 2009 to “create and
preserve an open and sustainable island community that supports and enhances the educational opportunities of youth
from Maine and beyond.” In the first few
MITA staff and volunteers repairing the tent platform on Hurricane Island.
grounded in sustainable technologies
Education, Research, and Sustainability Programs
process of renovating and transforming
Education programs at HICSL are experiential and interdisciplinary, providing unique, place-based STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) learning opportunities. Lessons of leadership are explored through the lens of science, with an emphasis on how to be passionate, collaborative, and effective advocates for and stewards of the environment. During the school year, we work with teachers to develop custom programs to bring students to the island to supplement their classroom curricula. While on Hurricane, students are offline and unplugged from their electronic devices, which encourages them to focus their natural curiosity on investigating the world around them. It also motivates students to view themselves as leaders in the context of our fragile interdependence. Adult
years we committed to designing systems and practices, and focused on the
infrastructure on the island. Our extended community of supporters and staff
brought the structures to a suitable state
to meet programming needs and to attain our mission of building a sustainable community.
With science education and research
identified as priorities, the first stages of the HICSL developed. In 2011, we
hosted six programs with fewer than 100 total participants. In 2015, we
welcomed over 850 participants in 51
programs! Currently we offer on-island For more information about the Friends of Fort Gorges, visit http://www.
friendsoffortgorges.org. You can also find
them on Facebook, Instagram (FortGorges), and Twitter (@fofogo).
educational opportunities from May
through October for students, teachers, researchers, amateur naturalists, and anyone who is interested in learning
more about science, sustainability, and leadership through experience.
educational opportunities, including classes, workshops, and trainings, are also offered throughout the summer. We even host farm-to-table dinners and volunteer days on the island. Research on Hurricane Island is focused on interdisciplinary projects relevant to the ecological sustainability of Penobscot Bay and the Gulf of Maine. Currently, we lead the Midcoast Maine Collaborative Scallop Project—a partnership with local fishermen to monitor the effects of a small closed area on resident scallop populations. We’ve also partnered with Bates College to establish a network of Gulf of Maine field stations where students, educators, and scientists can collaborate to promote placebased science in our changing world. Work is underway on new facilities on Hurricane Island to support water tables, classroom and laboratory space and SCUBA diving equipment, plus a research vessel for offshore and underwater research. continue on page 7 M I TA .O R G
5
MITA Members in the Spotlight
Bryan and Darla Edmonds
Bryan and Darla are thrilled to have a home on the coast of Maine. They retired to Brooklin in 2013 after 26 years of frequent moves worldwide during Bryan’s career as an Air Force F-16 pilot. They have had many opportunities to enjoy skiing, climbing, sailing, and paddling across Europe, Asia, and many U.S. locations. They settled in Maine because of its unbelievably beautiful scenery proximity to the outdoor activities they enjoy, and to be around people who share their passion for stewardship. They are currently training to be a MITA Monitor Skipper team and love paddling and sailing in the Deer Isle archipelago and Eggemoggin Reach. Their trusty chihuahua—appropriately named “Rudder”—eagerly accompanies them on any craft.
Scotty Folger
As a child, Scotty sailed in a 9’ plywood pram that her father built in the early 1940s. She credits those experiences as the beginning of her love of being on the water. As she grew older she stuck with small boats, building her first kayak, a Baldwin, in the 1980s. That was when she signed on with MITA founders Dorrie and Dave Getchell at an L.L. Bean Kayak Symposium in Castine, and became MITA Member #224! Scotty and a friend, Shirley Ellis, adopted islands in the 1980s and 90s and did numerous three-day overnights along the Trail. Professionally, Scotty worked 6
M I TA .O R G
at the University of Maine for four years and at Orono High School for 25 years as Special Education Director and resource room teacher, retiring in 1995. She took eight years away to crew on Schooner America in Tall Ships 2000, sail in races in the Caribbean, and work on a 60’ steel-hulled tug along the mid-Atlantic coast. But throughout it all she missed Maine and MITA! These days, Scotty enjoys volunteering on clean-ups with her friend Katie Donovan (#225). MITA clean-ups give them the opportunity to see many islands they wouldn’t otherwise get to visit. Scotty says she will be forever grateful to Getch for manifesting his dream so that so many people can steward and love the islands off the coast.
Cara Chebuske and Will McCue
Since their Penobscot Bay honeymoon adventure of 2012, Cara Chebuske and Will McCue have been avid MITA camp sailors, supporters, and proselytizers. The trip was a leisurely nine-day sail/ row from Mount Desert Island to Camden and back, conducted in their kit-built dory. The perfect weather, clean and unoccupied island campsites, and Leave No Trace ethic convinced the two to hang up their hiking backpacks and commit to camp sailing/rowing as their main outdoor pursuit. When not navigating fog in Penobscot Bay or dreaming up their next expedition, however, Cara and Will’s ‘day-jobs’ are with the U.S. State Department working at U.S. Embassies abroad. They finished a two-year tour in Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2015, and have been posted to Beijing, where Will will work in the Embassy’s Political Section. This summer they are excited to introduce their new son John to the Trail.
A Place for Dreamers
continued from page 5
Christopher and Kathryn Knight Heather McCargo
Heather McCargo of Portland and Brooksville loves exploring the islands of Maine while admiring the unique native plant habitats that make our coast so beautiful. Heather was raised outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but spent many summers at her family’s cottage on Martha’s Vineyard (where she was a neighbor of famed television news journalist Walter Cronkite). After graduating from Hampshire College in western Massachusetts, Heather worked as a native plant propagator at the New England Wildflower Society’s Garden In The Woods, and went on to earn a master’s degree in ecological design from the Conway School of Landscape Design. She is now the director of the Wild Seed Project, a nonprofit organization that builds awareness of the importance of native plants in Maine. The organization recently issued its first annual publication, available at www. wildseedproject.net. A favorite MITA island for Heather and her husband, Brian McNiff, is Campbell Island, located at the eastern end of Eggemoggin Reach near Deer Isle. Heather’s family has helped with MITA’s twice-yearly island clean-ups in Penobscot Bay.
Chris and Kathryn have been happily cruising the coast of Maine by kayak and sailboat since their wedding on Deer Isle in 1971. Because Kathryn is a writer and Chris a former National Geographic photographer, they figured why not write an article on their sailing honeymoon? This instinct resulted in the first of 18 articles for Sail Magazine, for which they undertook many adventures including a crossing of the Atlantic and three years cruising through Europe aboard their 30-foot ketch Leucothea. Eventually they bought a summer home on Deer Isle, a perfect base for exploring the nearby islands, many of which are on the Maine Island Trail. The area is still their favorite cruising ground. Their two children have come to love the Maine coast, and two grandchildren are now being introduced to summer fun there. If there’s no wind, kayaks are launched, but if there’s a good breeze their 48-foot cutter Alice can carry the whole crew. Regardless of craft, the destination is often an island on the Maine Island Trail.
Sustainability on Hurricane is practiced through accessible, off-the-grid infrastructure systems. Working with these systems enables participants to leave the island with the confidence and skills to be positive influences in their communities. We’ve incorporated sustainable technologies into many of the island’s facilities to reduce our environmental footprint and create a “living laboratory.” Solar arrays replaced diesel generators for producing electricity, composting toilets and a constructed wetland replaced conventional flush toilets and a leach field, and the addition of solar-thermal hot water production eliminated the need for additional resources to provide these daily necessities.
HICSL looks forward to sharing this beautiful 125-acre off-shore, off-line, and off-grid island with visitors in new and expanding ways. This year, for the first time since Hurricane Island became part of the Maine Island Trail in 2003, we are pleased to offer visitors a place to camp overnight. We have two tent platforms available for overnight use on the north end of the island. From the platforms it is easy to access our network of hiking trails, which traverse the island and showcase its rich scenic, ecological, and historical features. All visitors are asked to check in with a Hurricane Island staff member when they arrive, and any interested campers should contact Hurricane Island prior to their trip. Complete information can be found in the MITA Trail Guide or App.
For more information about the programs at the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership, please visit our website at www.hurricaneisland.net or email info@ hurricaneisland.net. See you on the island!
Make Your Own Waves in The Island Trail We’re always eager to hear about MITA members’ adventures, stories and insights for upcoming issues of The Island Trail. Send your stories, photos, and videos to us at editor@mita.org.
Thank You, Mike
Michael Scarborough, 1956-2015
The MITA staff was shocked and saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Mike Scarborough of Friendship, Maine, an enthusiastic MITA member and volunteer since 1996. Mike was well-known in the MITA community for his high spirits and good cheer. He was always ready to volunteer for even the least popular jobs—including parking cars at the Maine Boatbuilders Show year after year regardless of the weather. We were further surprised to learn that Mike had included MITA in his will and identified it as a beneficiary of donations in his memory. We were truly honored and moved to learn the depth of his feeling for the organization in this way. Through Mike’s generosity—both in life and thereafter—the Maine Island Trail is, and will continue to be, better off. On behalf of the staff and members of MITA, with immense gratitude, Thank you, Mike.
M I TA .O R G
7
MITA Members in the Spotlight
Bryan and Darla Edmonds
Bryan and Darla are thrilled to have a home on the coast of Maine. They retired to Brooklin in 2013 after 26 years of frequent moves worldwide during Bryan’s career as an Air Force F-16 pilot. They have had many opportunities to enjoy skiing, climbing, sailing, and paddling across Europe, Asia, and many U.S. locations. They settled in Maine because of its unbelievably beautiful scenery proximity to the outdoor activities they enjoy, and to be around people who share their passion for stewardship. They are currently training to be a MITA Monitor Skipper team and love paddling and sailing in the Deer Isle archipelago and Eggemoggin Reach. Their trusty chihuahua—appropriately named “Rudder”—eagerly accompanies them on any craft.
Scotty Folger
As a child, Scotty sailed in a 9’ plywood pram that her father built in the early 1940s. She credits those experiences as the beginning of her love of being on the water. As she grew older she stuck with small boats, building her first kayak, a Baldwin, in the 1980s. That was when she signed on with MITA founders Dorrie and Dave Getchell at an L.L. Bean Kayak Symposium in Castine, and became MITA Member #224! Scotty and a friend, Shirley Ellis, adopted islands in the 1980s and 90s and did numerous three-day overnights along the Trail. Professionally, Scotty worked 6
M I TA .O R G
at the University of Maine for four years and at Orono High School for 25 years as Special Education Director and resource room teacher, retiring in 1995. She took eight years away to crew on Schooner America in Tall Ships 2000, sail in races in the Caribbean, and work on a 60’ steel-hulled tug along the mid-Atlantic coast. But throughout it all she missed Maine and MITA! These days, Scotty enjoys volunteering on clean-ups with her friend Katie Donovan (#225). MITA clean-ups give them the opportunity to see many islands they wouldn’t otherwise get to visit. Scotty says she will be forever grateful to Getch for manifesting his dream so that so many people can steward and love the islands off the coast.
Cara Chebuske and Will McCue
Since their Penobscot Bay honeymoon adventure of 2012, Cara Chebuske and Will McCue have been avid MITA camp sailors, supporters, and proselytizers. The trip was a leisurely nine-day sail/ row from Mount Desert Island to Camden and back, conducted in their kit-built dory. The perfect weather, clean and unoccupied island campsites, and Leave No Trace ethic convinced the two to hang up their hiking backpacks and commit to camp sailing/rowing as their main outdoor pursuit. When not navigating fog in Penobscot Bay or dreaming up their next expedition, however, Cara and Will’s ‘day-jobs’ are with the U.S. State Department working at U.S. Embassies abroad. They finished a two-year tour in Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2015, and have been posted to Beijing, where Will will work in the Embassy’s Political Section. This summer they are excited to introduce their new son John to the Trail.
A Place for Dreamers
continued from page 5
Christopher and Kathryn Knight Heather McCargo
Heather McCargo of Portland and Brooksville loves exploring the islands of Maine while admiring the unique native plant habitats that make our coast so beautiful. Heather was raised outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but spent many summers at her family’s cottage on Martha’s Vineyard (where she was a neighbor of famed television news journalist Walter Cronkite). After graduating from Hampshire College in western Massachusetts, Heather worked as a native plant propagator at the New England Wildflower Society’s Garden In The Woods, and went on to earn a master’s degree in ecological design from the Conway School of Landscape Design. She is now the director of the Wild Seed Project, a nonprofit organization that builds awareness of the importance of native plants in Maine. The organization recently issued its first annual publication, available at www. wildseedproject.net. A favorite MITA island for Heather and her husband, Brian McNiff, is Campbell Island, located at the eastern end of Eggemoggin Reach near Deer Isle. Heather’s family has helped with MITA’s twice-yearly island clean-ups in Penobscot Bay.
Chris and Kathryn have been happily cruising the coast of Maine by kayak and sailboat since their wedding on Deer Isle in 1971. Because Kathryn is a writer and Chris a former National Geographic photographer, they figured why not write an article on their sailing honeymoon? This instinct resulted in the first of 18 articles for Sail Magazine, for which they undertook many adventures including a crossing of the Atlantic and three years cruising through Europe aboard their 30-foot ketch Leucothea. Eventually they bought a summer home on Deer Isle, a perfect base for exploring the nearby islands, many of which are on the Maine Island Trail. The area is still their favorite cruising ground. Their two children have come to love the Maine coast, and two grandchildren are now being introduced to summer fun there. If there’s no wind, kayaks are launched, but if there’s a good breeze their 48-foot cutter Alice can carry the whole crew. Regardless of craft, the destination is often an island on the Maine Island Trail.
Sustainability on Hurricane is practiced through accessible, off-the-grid infrastructure systems. Working with these systems enables participants to leave the island with the confidence and skills to be positive influences in their communities. We’ve incorporated sustainable technologies into many of the island’s facilities to reduce our environmental footprint and create a “living laboratory.” Solar arrays replaced diesel generators for producing electricity, composting toilets and a constructed wetland replaced conventional flush toilets and a leach field, and the addition of solar-thermal hot water production eliminated the need for additional resources to provide these daily necessities.
HICSL looks forward to sharing this beautiful 125-acre off-shore, off-line, and off-grid island with visitors in new and expanding ways. This year, for the first time since Hurricane Island became part of the Maine Island Trail in 2003, we are pleased to offer visitors a place to camp overnight. We have two tent platforms available for overnight use on the north end of the island. From the platforms it is easy to access our network of hiking trails, which traverse the island and showcase its rich scenic, ecological, and historical features. All visitors are asked to check in with a Hurricane Island staff member when they arrive, and any interested campers should contact Hurricane Island prior to their trip. Complete information can be found in the MITA Trail Guide or App.
For more information about the programs at the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership, please visit our website at www.hurricaneisland.net or email info@ hurricaneisland.net. See you on the island!
Make Your Own Waves in The Island Trail We’re always eager to hear about MITA members’ adventures, stories and insights for upcoming issues of The Island Trail. Send your stories, photos, and videos to us at editor@mita.org.
Thank You, Mike
Michael Scarborough, 1956-2015
The MITA staff was shocked and saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Mike Scarborough of Friendship, Maine, an enthusiastic MITA member and volunteer since 1996. Mike was well-known in the MITA community for his high spirits and good cheer. He was always ready to volunteer for even the least popular jobs—including parking cars at the Maine Boatbuilders Show year after year regardless of the weather. We were further surprised to learn that Mike had included MITA in his will and identified it as a beneficiary of donations in his memory. We were truly honored and moved to learn the depth of his feeling for the organization in this way. Through Mike’s generosity—both in life and thereafter—the Maine Island Trail is, and will continue to be, better off. On behalf of the staff and members of MITA, with immense gratitude, Thank you, Mike.
M I TA .O R G
7
2015: The Financial Year in Review MITA’s financial position grew considerably more secure in the last fiscal year, thanks in large measure to the growth of the endowment driven by MITA’s Wild Island Campaign. Through the endowment, the expanded reach of our stewardship efforts has offered some protection against the harshest swings of year-to-year economic cycles. MITA finished the year with a total valuation of $1.25 million. That doesn’t make us a large enterprise by any real measures of nonprofits, but reaching a landmark such as $1.25 million does reflect the increased stability of our financial foundation. MITA remains a nimble organization, ready and able to respond to new opportunities and challenges, and it can do so from a sound financial base. An additional Stewardship Manager position was added during the year in order to better coordinate expanded stewardship activities and manage the continued growth in the number and geographic reach of Trail sites. Alongside a general increase in program activities, this contributed to a modest deficit in the Operating Budget for the year, which was offset by cash reserves on hand. Total Revenues, however, increased significantly with the endowment growth noted above, and MITA remains pointed in a positive direction for its financial future.
Statement of Financial Position* ASSETS
FY 15
FY 14
$271,322
$288,320
Other Assets (incl. Restricted Investments)
$909,226
$768,190
Total Assets
$1,245,728
$1,099,522
Current Assets
Capital Assets (Property & Equipment)
$65,180
$43,012
LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS
• The Maine Island Trail featured 212 total
sites, owned by 90 different individuals,
families, land trusts, government agencies, or other institutions.
• A second Stewardship Manager, Chris Wall,
Current Liabilities
$13,240
$16,227
Net Assets
$1,232,488
$1,083,295
Total Liabilities & Net Assets
$1,245,728
$1,099,522
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS
was added to the MITA staff to help meet the increasing stewardship demands of a growing Trail.
• MITA volunteers and staff made over 1,100 official stewardship visits on the Trail.
$149,193
• 300+ volunteers committed a total of over 4,100 hours to coastal stewardship.
• Volunteers removed over 650 bags of trash
Revenue & Expenses by Area
from shorelines and returned hundreds of
SUPPORT & REVENUE Membership Dues & Unrestricted Contributions Grants, Sponsorships & Contracts Events
FY 15
FY 14
$425,490
$447,987
$173,358 $18,768
Investment Income & Other
$169,429 $13,993
$9,311
$16,307
Total Unrestricted Revenue & Other Support
$626,927
$647,716
Income Restricted to Endowment
$152,108
lost lobster buoys to fishing communities. • More than 5,400 people were MITA
members, including over 1,100 who are
members of MITA’s Granite Society (20+ years of membership).
• The MITA Meetup group featured 35 outdoor adventures and social gatherings.
• MITA passed the $1 million mark in its Wild Islands Campaign.
• The Maine Island Trail was named one
EXPENSES
Program Services
Fund Development & Member Recruitment
$466,115
$406,358
$74,121
$82,522
$119,448
Administration
Total Expenses Total Operating Net REVENUES OVER EXPENSES (NET INCOME)
$122,350
$659,684
$611,230
$(32,757)
$36,486
$119,351
*CPA audited financials are available upon request.
Thanks to generous members and donors, MITA’s financial footing grew much steadier in 2015 . Thank you for your support!
8M I TA .O R G
In 2015…
of America’s 100 greatest adventures by National Geographic Adventure!
2015: The Financial Year in Review MITA’s financial position grew considerably more secure in the last fiscal year, thanks in large measure to the growth of the endowment driven by MITA’s Wild Island Campaign. Through the endowment, the expanded reach of our stewardship efforts has offered some protection against the harshest swings of year-to-year economic cycles. MITA finished the year with a total valuation of $1.25 million. That doesn’t make us a large enterprise by any real measures of nonprofits, but reaching a landmark such as $1.25 million does reflect the increased stability of our financial foundation. MITA remains a nimble organization, ready and able to respond to new opportunities and challenges, and it can do so from a sound financial base. An additional Stewardship Manager position was added during the year in order to better coordinate expanded stewardship activities and manage the continued growth in the number and geographic reach of Trail sites. Alongside a general increase in program activities, this contributed to a modest deficit in the Operating Budget for the year, which was offset by cash reserves on hand. Total Revenues, however, increased significantly with the endowment growth noted above, and MITA remains pointed in a positive direction for its financial future.
Statement of Financial Position* ASSETS
FY 15
FY 14
$271,322
$288,320
Other Assets (incl. Restricted Investments)
$909,226
$768,190
Total Assets
$1,245,728
$1,099,522
Current Assets
Capital Assets (Property & Equipment)
$65,180
$43,012
LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS
• The Maine Island Trail featured 212 total
sites, owned by 90 different individuals,
families, land trusts, government agencies, or other institutions.
• A second Stewardship Manager, Chris Wall,
Current Liabilities
$13,240
$16,227
Net Assets
$1,232,488
$1,083,295
Total Liabilities & Net Assets
$1,245,728
$1,099,522
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS
was added to the MITA staff to help meet the increasing stewardship demands of a growing Trail.
• MITA volunteers and staff made over 1,100 official stewardship visits on the Trail.
$149,193
• 300+ volunteers committed a total of over 4,100 hours to coastal stewardship.
• Volunteers removed over 650 bags of trash
Revenue & Expenses by Area
from shorelines and returned hundreds of
SUPPORT & REVENUE Membership Dues & Unrestricted Contributions Grants, Sponsorships & Contracts Events
FY 15
FY 14
$425,490
$447,987
$173,358 $18,768
Investment Income & Other
$169,429 $13,993
$9,311
$16,307
Total Unrestricted Revenue & Other Support
$626,927
$647,716
Income Restricted to Endowment
$152,108
lost lobster buoys to fishing communities. • More than 5,400 people were MITA
members, including over 1,100 who are
members of MITA’s Granite Society (20+ years of membership).
• The MITA Meetup group featured 35 outdoor adventures and social gatherings.
• MITA passed the $1 million mark in its Wild Islands Campaign.
• The Maine Island Trail was named one
EXPENSES
Program Services
Fund Development & Member Recruitment
$466,115
$406,358
$74,121
$82,522
$119,448
Administration
Total Expenses Total Operating Net REVENUES OVER EXPENSES (NET INCOME)
$122,350
$659,684
$611,230
$(32,757)
$36,486
$119,351
*CPA audited financials are available upon request.
Thanks to generous members and donors, MITA’s financial footing grew much steadier in 2015 . Thank you for your support!
8M I TA .O R G
In 2015…
of America’s 100 greatest adventures by National Geographic Adventure!
Leaving a Trace on Maine’s Inhabited Islands
Trail users can make a difference by supporting Maine’s year-round island communities B Y S H E Y C O N OV E R , I S L A N D I N ST I T U T E V I C E P R E S I D E N T O F P R O G R A M S
Go to Little Cranberry Island on a summer day, and you’ll find tourists eating at the Islesford Dock restaurant, strolling around the island, and watching the lobstermen. “People line up on the town dock and take photos of our boats coming and going,” says Jonathan Partin, marketing manager of Little Cranberry Lobster. “We have a joke about how many family picture albums across the world these lobstermen must be in.” Those photogenic boats belong to the members of the Little Cranberry Isle Fishermen’s Co-Op, which has been around since 1978. In a town of less than 100 people, the income from the 26 member boats is the lifeblood of the community. They brought in 1.4 million pounds of lobster in 2014, and while most of the catch is sold directly to a wholesaler, the Co-Op is working to diversify its business model by developing sales direct to consumers, and building a strong brand for island fishermen and the community that surrounds them. A little over a year ago the Co-Op launched a direct-order website, where live lobsters and lobster meat are shipped nationwide. Just last summer, Little Cranberry Lobster built a 16 ft x 20 ft shed and opened a gift and food shop. Now visitors have a reliable place to get a bottle of water and lunch to-go in the summer, and the shop also drives customers to the website. “Our hope is that people who come to visit us for the summer will remember us for Grandma’s birthday and order some live lobsters,” says Partin. “And the lobster sales are year-round.”
More than Scenery
Maine’s island communities are as much a part of the experience of our coast as the islands on the Maine Island Trail. From Casco Bay to Mount Desert Island, there are 15 un-bridged islands with year-round communities ranging from 30 to 1,600 people. Many of the islands have long relied on the lobster fishery, 10
M I TA .O R G
but with large-scale environmental change happening in the Gulf of Maine, such a heavy dependence on lobster is risky. Communities are working with organizations like the Island Institute to create more economic opportunities. Through the Institute’s work in aquaculture, financial literacy, loans, and business advice, island entrepreneurs are getting off the ground. Bri Warner, economic development director at the Island Institute, has been working with many island businesses. “In these small communities, businesses mean more than just a way to make income—they often provide essential services to their communities and their success can directly boost quality of life for residents,” says Warner. “Also important for these communities to thrive is access to infrastructure and workforce opportunities for residents and businesses to participate in the global marketplace.” Of course, it’s not only about the lobster fishery and diversifying jobs—the Island Institute is dedicated to supporting these communities through education, energy efficiency, Island Fellows, solutions sharing, and more.
“The Center of the Community”
When Jenn Blomquist of Cliff Island decided to take over the store at the head of the wharf, she worked with Warner to develop a business plan for the former Pearl’s, now Jenn’s Cliff Island Store and Café. Starting with two empty rooms, Blomquist raised funds with a Kickstarter campaign, hired two island teens, filled half the store with groceries, and began turning out pizzas and sandwiches by the Fourth of July. The store, she says, has always been the center of the community. “It’s where everyone gravitates to, gossips, and meets the [Casco Bay Lines] boat every day. Even when it’s not the summer, everyone who’s here comes down to the noon boat just to look at it.”
At this point, she plans to be open from April through December. “It’s tough,” she says, “when you live here and you just need a gallon of milk. You could spend the whole day going into town. I try to provide for us year-rounders as much as I can, and I’m hoping the demand will grow, but there’s only around 40 people here in January and February.” Blomquist’s strategy? Draw more visitors in the warm months. “What I’d like to do is really build up the café side and make it a destination for people who come on Casco Bay Lines or their own boat. We carry beer and wine and make good food from scratch. I do a lobster roll, and buy the lobster off the Cliff Island boats, so it usually comes out of the water that day. The more traffic we can get, the better it is for the entire island community, because we count on the store.”
Pulling Together the Pieces
On Swan’s Island, winter population 300 or so, the store is open year-round and Brian and Kathy Krafjack have gotten creative in order to keep it afloat. Since they bought The Island Market and Supply (TIMS) two years ago, they’ve kept the concession trailer open year-round (featuring popular Pizza Fridays), they became the island propane dealer, and this spring they began delivering food and mail to nearby Frenchboro (Long Island), buying a boat with a loan from the Island Institute’s Island and Coastal Innovation Fund. Frenchboro doesn’t have a grocery store, Brian explained. “We’re developing a spreadsheet order form for Frenchboro, and including photos to give them a virtual store.” What makes islanders head to TIMS instead of buying groceries on the mainland? “The convenience, certainly,” Brian says. “It’s also the expense of a ferry ticket, so if you don’t have to go off for something else it’s logical to shop here. And it’s about supporting an island business. People realize the importance
of having a store out here.” Brian and Kathy go out of their way to support all patrons—boaters can even place an order ahead of time, then pick up provisions from the dock.
All in it Together
These are small stores, and a little bit more traffic in the summer can make a big difference to the business and help to support the community as a whole. For year-round residents, having an island store means avoiding expensive ferry tickets and hours of travel, but it’s also about community. Says Brian Krafjack, “There’s a cycle—you go and get your mail at the post office, you come in the store and grab lunch, and then go to the dump. It’s a good meeting place. Our goal is to become the hub of the island.” Please visit these stores and other island
businesses while you’re out using the Trail. They’re all easily accessible from private
boats and ferries, and you can find their
websites and Facebook pages with a quick Google search. For a longer list of island
stores, please visit www.islandinstitute.org/ islandbusiness
Upcoming Events and Spring Cleanup Schedule • May 28: Casco Bay Island Cleanup • June 4: Muscongus Bay Island Cleanup
• June 4-5: LL Bean Paddlesports Weekend, Freeport, ME • June 5: KCT Gear Grab, Cape Porpoise Harbor
• June 11: Deer Isle/Stonington Island Cleanup • June 18: Downeast Island Cleanup • June 24-26: WoodenBoat Show, Mystic, CT
To sign up for a clean-up, contact stewards@mita.org. For information about other events, contact events@mita.org.
What’s Up with Maine Island Trail Ale? How did this beer come to be?
After joking for years that there ought to be an official beer of the Maine Island Trail, we issued a request for proposals in 2013. Three breweries expressed interest, but Rising Tide was the clear winner. Having just moved to Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood and increased its brewing capacity, Rising Tide was eager to partner with us. We shared ideas and pilot batches as it developed the concept and recipe. Amusingly, Rising Tide’s “rowing guy” logo fits perfectly onto MITA’s wild island logo to form an idyllic Maine scene—perhaps symbolic of the “win win” the beer has been for both entities.
Is it any good?
The short, emphatic answer is yes! Maine Island Trail Ale is a session-style American pale ale with a refreshing, hoppy bite and relatively low alcohol content (4.3%), making it perfect for a summer day. After a first year of sales in bottles, Rising Tide switched to one-pint cans. As many of you know, having voted, the beer won the “Best Beer in Maine” online competition among 64 Maine beers for BOTH of the last two years! (The organizers of the competition retired us from participation in 2016, which seems only fair.)
grown, the value of those donations has grown as well, generating $10,000 in cash and in-kind donations for the organization in 2015.
How is Rising Tide doing as a business?
If you weren’t aware, Rising Tide has won several important business awards, including being named MaineBiz’s Fastest Growing Small Company in 2015. We are thrilled for owners Nathan and Heather Sanborn, who are long-term MITA members. We only wish the new business left them more time for sailing!
Where can I get it?
Maine Island Trail Ale is available where craft beers are sold in Maine, including countless small stores, many Hannaford locations, plus Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s in Portland and Bow Street Market in Freeport. It is also available in cans or on draft in numerous bars and restaurants—please ask for it! The beer is also available in more limited quantities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Has the beer sold well?
In 2013, Rising Tide sold about 7,000 22-ounce bottles. By 2015, output had grown to over 200,000 16-ounce cans. In addition, the beer has been sold on tap at many bars and restaurants.
Does MITA benefit from this beer?
From the outset, a core purpose of the beer was to spread the word about the Trail and grow name recognition for the organization. While we do not get many new members telling us they learned about us from a beer can, we definitely notice a positive “buzz” about the organization, particularly with younger people. In addition, Rising Tide makes an annual cash donation and in-kind contribution to MITA. As beer sales have M I TA .O R G
11
Leaving a Trace on Maine’s Inhabited Islands
Trail users can make a difference by supporting Maine’s year-round island communities B Y S H E Y C O N OV E R , I S L A N D I N ST I T U T E V I C E P R E S I D E N T O F P R O G R A M S
Go to Little Cranberry Island on a summer day, and you’ll find tourists eating at the Islesford Dock restaurant, strolling around the island, and watching the lobstermen. “People line up on the town dock and take photos of our boats coming and going,” says Jonathan Partin, marketing manager of Little Cranberry Lobster. “We have a joke about how many family picture albums across the world these lobstermen must be in.” Those photogenic boats belong to the members of the Little Cranberry Isle Fishermen’s Co-Op, which has been around since 1978. In a town of less than 100 people, the income from the 26 member boats is the lifeblood of the community. They brought in 1.4 million pounds of lobster in 2014, and while most of the catch is sold directly to a wholesaler, the Co-Op is working to diversify its business model by developing sales direct to consumers, and building a strong brand for island fishermen and the community that surrounds them. A little over a year ago the Co-Op launched a direct-order website, where live lobsters and lobster meat are shipped nationwide. Just last summer, Little Cranberry Lobster built a 16 ft x 20 ft shed and opened a gift and food shop. Now visitors have a reliable place to get a bottle of water and lunch to-go in the summer, and the shop also drives customers to the website. “Our hope is that people who come to visit us for the summer will remember us for Grandma’s birthday and order some live lobsters,” says Partin. “And the lobster sales are year-round.”
More than Scenery
Maine’s island communities are as much a part of the experience of our coast as the islands on the Maine Island Trail. From Casco Bay to Mount Desert Island, there are 15 un-bridged islands with year-round communities ranging from 30 to 1,600 people. Many of the islands have long relied on the lobster fishery, 10
M I TA .O R G
but with large-scale environmental change happening in the Gulf of Maine, such a heavy dependence on lobster is risky. Communities are working with organizations like the Island Institute to create more economic opportunities. Through the Institute’s work in aquaculture, financial literacy, loans, and business advice, island entrepreneurs are getting off the ground. Bri Warner, economic development director at the Island Institute, has been working with many island businesses. “In these small communities, businesses mean more than just a way to make income—they often provide essential services to their communities and their success can directly boost quality of life for residents,” says Warner. “Also important for these communities to thrive is access to infrastructure and workforce opportunities for residents and businesses to participate in the global marketplace.” Of course, it’s not only about the lobster fishery and diversifying jobs—the Island Institute is dedicated to supporting these communities through education, energy efficiency, Island Fellows, solutions sharing, and more.
“The Center of the Community”
When Jenn Blomquist of Cliff Island decided to take over the store at the head of the wharf, she worked with Warner to develop a business plan for the former Pearl’s, now Jenn’s Cliff Island Store and Café. Starting with two empty rooms, Blomquist raised funds with a Kickstarter campaign, hired two island teens, filled half the store with groceries, and began turning out pizzas and sandwiches by the Fourth of July. The store, she says, has always been the center of the community. “It’s where everyone gravitates to, gossips, and meets the [Casco Bay Lines] boat every day. Even when it’s not the summer, everyone who’s here comes down to the noon boat just to look at it.”
At this point, she plans to be open from April through December. “It’s tough,” she says, “when you live here and you just need a gallon of milk. You could spend the whole day going into town. I try to provide for us year-rounders as much as I can, and I’m hoping the demand will grow, but there’s only around 40 people here in January and February.” Blomquist’s strategy? Draw more visitors in the warm months. “What I’d like to do is really build up the café side and make it a destination for people who come on Casco Bay Lines or their own boat. We carry beer and wine and make good food from scratch. I do a lobster roll, and buy the lobster off the Cliff Island boats, so it usually comes out of the water that day. The more traffic we can get, the better it is for the entire island community, because we count on the store.”
Pulling Together the Pieces
On Swan’s Island, winter population 300 or so, the store is open year-round and Brian and Kathy Krafjack have gotten creative in order to keep it afloat. Since they bought The Island Market and Supply (TIMS) two years ago, they’ve kept the concession trailer open year-round (featuring popular Pizza Fridays), they became the island propane dealer, and this spring they began delivering food and mail to nearby Frenchboro (Long Island), buying a boat with a loan from the Island Institute’s Island and Coastal Innovation Fund. Frenchboro doesn’t have a grocery store, Brian explained. “We’re developing a spreadsheet order form for Frenchboro, and including photos to give them a virtual store.” What makes islanders head to TIMS instead of buying groceries on the mainland? “The convenience, certainly,” Brian says. “It’s also the expense of a ferry ticket, so if you don’t have to go off for something else it’s logical to shop here. And it’s about supporting an island business. People realize the importance
of having a store out here.” Brian and Kathy go out of their way to support all patrons—boaters can even place an order ahead of time, then pick up provisions from the dock.
All in it Together
These are small stores, and a little bit more traffic in the summer can make a big difference to the business and help to support the community as a whole. For year-round residents, having an island store means avoiding expensive ferry tickets and hours of travel, but it’s also about community. Says Brian Krafjack, “There’s a cycle—you go and get your mail at the post office, you come in the store and grab lunch, and then go to the dump. It’s a good meeting place. Our goal is to become the hub of the island.” Please visit these stores and other island
businesses while you’re out using the Trail. They’re all easily accessible from private
boats and ferries, and you can find their
websites and Facebook pages with a quick Google search. For a longer list of island
stores, please visit www.islandinstitute.org/ islandbusiness
Upcoming Events and Spring Cleanup Schedule • May 28: Casco Bay Island Cleanup • June 4: Muscongus Bay Island Cleanup
• June 4-5: LL Bean Paddlesports Weekend, Freeport, ME • June 5: KCT Gear Grab, Cape Porpoise Harbor
• June 11: Deer Isle/Stonington Island Cleanup • June 18: Downeast Island Cleanup • June 24-26: WoodenBoat Show, Mystic, CT
To sign up for a clean-up, contact stewards@mita.org. For information about other events, contact events@mita.org.
What’s Up with Maine Island Trail Ale? How did this beer come to be?
After joking for years that there ought to be an official beer of the Maine Island Trail, we issued a request for proposals in 2013. Three breweries expressed interest, but Rising Tide was the clear winner. Having just moved to Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood and increased its brewing capacity, Rising Tide was eager to partner with us. We shared ideas and pilot batches as it developed the concept and recipe. Amusingly, Rising Tide’s “rowing guy” logo fits perfectly onto MITA’s wild island logo to form an idyllic Maine scene—perhaps symbolic of the “win win” the beer has been for both entities.
Is it any good?
The short, emphatic answer is yes! Maine Island Trail Ale is a session-style American pale ale with a refreshing, hoppy bite and relatively low alcohol content (4.3%), making it perfect for a summer day. After a first year of sales in bottles, Rising Tide switched to one-pint cans. As many of you know, having voted, the beer won the “Best Beer in Maine” online competition among 64 Maine beers for BOTH of the last two years! (The organizers of the competition retired us from participation in 2016, which seems only fair.)
grown, the value of those donations has grown as well, generating $10,000 in cash and in-kind donations for the organization in 2015.
How is Rising Tide doing as a business?
If you weren’t aware, Rising Tide has won several important business awards, including being named MaineBiz’s Fastest Growing Small Company in 2015. We are thrilled for owners Nathan and Heather Sanborn, who are long-term MITA members. We only wish the new business left them more time for sailing!
Where can I get it?
Maine Island Trail Ale is available where craft beers are sold in Maine, including countless small stores, many Hannaford locations, plus Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s in Portland and Bow Street Market in Freeport. It is also available in cans or on draft in numerous bars and restaurants—please ask for it! The beer is also available in more limited quantities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Has the beer sold well?
In 2013, Rising Tide sold about 7,000 22-ounce bottles. By 2015, output had grown to over 200,000 16-ounce cans. In addition, the beer has been sold on tap at many bars and restaurants.
Does MITA benefit from this beer?
From the outset, a core purpose of the beer was to spread the word about the Trail and grow name recognition for the organization. While we do not get many new members telling us they learned about us from a beer can, we definitely notice a positive “buzz” about the organization, particularly with younger people. In addition, Rising Tide makes an annual cash donation and in-kind contribution to MITA. As beer sales have M I TA .O R G
11
continued from page 1
From the start, Coperthwaite envisioned Dickinsons Reach as a place to build an intentional community. After constructing an A-frame there in 1961, his attention turned to a more interesting structure from the steppes of Mongolia: the yurt. In 1963, Coperthwaite met Helen and Scott Nearing, whose Good Life Center in Cape Rosier and the philosophies behind it influenced Coperthwaite deeply. In 1964, he brought a band of followers from California to Maine, where they began constructing a yurt. It was the first example of what became a passion for Coperthwaite, and the primary physical symbol of his “handmade life.” Over the course of his life, Coperthwaite oversaw the construction of yurts worldwide. Unlike the canvas-sided yurts used as temporary structures today, most of Coperthwaite’s yurts were entirely wooden. Over time, they evolved to become increasingly expressive, eliciting images of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth. In a design he called the concentric yurt, they achieved multiple stories. Coperthwaite was a visionary master of form, architecture, and engineering. His building style was daring and seat-of-the-pants, leaving his students stressed and apprehensive. But somehow Coperthwaite would deliver a key calculation or modification at the eleventh hour that ultimately brought the structure together.
Admired Worldwide, Grounded Downeast
Starting in the 1960s, Coperthwaite traveled the globe as a guest teacher and foreman on yurt-building projects. His projects took him all over North America— from Harvard University (where he built a yurt and earned a doctorate in education) to Alaska. He traveled to Europe many times, in addition to India, Siberia, China, Mexico, and Bhutan. Yet despite his travels, Dickinsons Reach remained Coperthwaite’s spiritual center and home. Over time, Coperthwaite added several neighboring properties to Dickinsons Reach. In all, the consolidated landholdings grew to 700 acres with 4.5 miles of coastline, including an historic mill pond 12
M I TA .O R G
and several coastal necks. With modest earnings from articles and honoraria, Coperthwaite and his troupe continued to build yurts there—five of which remain today, including three of his signature concentric yurts. To protect the land, Coperthwaite sold conservation easements on Dickinsons Reach to Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) in 2003. Combined with adjacent properties owned by MCHT, the Nature Conservancy, and the State of Maine, some 1,600 contiguous acres were conserved. While his daily life was hermit-like, Coperthwaite was a fixture of the community—a known and respected oddity who would collect his mail in Bucks Harbor on a regular basis. Local fishermen would recognize him offshore, paddling his enormous homemade 22-foot canoe from a standing position, like a SUP paddler ahead of his time. While his isolation concerned his friends, Coperthwaite soldiered on at the Reach year-round. He split his own wood, built structures, engaged in handicrafts as a source of income, and doggedly persevered. He also wrote prolifically, including extensive correspondence and the book, A Handmade Life, which won the prestigious Nautilus Award for most inspiring story in 2004. He lived for decades in the paradox of desiring both solitude and community.
Ensuring a Lasting Legacy
When Coperthwaite was 60, Peter Forbes entered his life. A widely known and respected conservationist and community builder from Vermont, Forbes was deeply exploring alternative visions for people’s relationship with the land and lifestyles spawned by these connections. Naturally, Forbes’s quest led to the Good Life Center and Nearing, who sent him to meet her remarkable friend Coperthwaite. In a turning point of his life, Forbes did so. While he forged powerful relationships with Forbes and so many others, Coperthwaite’s vision of a permanent educational community at Dickinsons Reach was never fully realized. While many thousands of people visited him by land and sea over the years, often for extended
periods of time, the permanent community never gelled. But Coperthwaite did gain many close friends, some of whom, like Forbes, shared his passion for Dickinsons Reach and increased their commitment to the place. In 2008, Coperthwaite formed a corporation including himself and five other families. In 2011, following a heart attack in Italy, Coperthwaite made the surprise announcement that he was giving all of his land to the five families. Forbes’ family chose to add a yurt of their own to the land. While others had not built in Coperthwaite’s lifetime, a community developed in a social and spiritual sense, increasing human contact and support for Coperthwaite in his later years. Coperthwaite’s last yurt-building project began in the spring of 2013, but was barely completed. Ironically, for a man who rejected all but the most essential power tools, Coperthwaite was killed in a single-car crash on an empty road that Thanksgiving weekend. In an extraordinary ceremony, stunned friends and followers paddled Coperthwaite’s body around Dickinsons Reach in a handmade casket and laid him to rest on the shore of his beloved home. Echoing the generous spirit in which Bill Coperthwaite gave Dickinsons Reach to his friends, it is now being shared with you. Forbes, a MITA member, approached us earlier this year with the idea that this storied property should be part of the Maine Island Trail. It is with a profound sense of gratitude to Forbes and the Dickinsons Reach Community—and indeed to Bill—that we list Dickinsons Reach in the 2016 Guide and invite you to visit. The story of Bill Coperthwaite and Dickinsons
Reach is described by Peter Forbes and his wife, Helen Whybrow, in the gorgeously written and beautifully photographed book A Man Apart (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015). In alternating chapters, Peter and Helen tell the story of their lives, their complex relationships with Bill, and the triumphant if arduous construction of their own two-story yurt in 2011. Visitors to Dickinsons Reach should consider first reading the book in order to better understand the ground beneath their feet
Wish List
MITA will gladly consider donations of anything from boats to vehicles to office equipment. Please call us at 207-761-8225 or email info@ mita.org if you would like to donate these or other items.
FOR OUR BOATS
• Chart cases (contact MITA for details)
Protect Maine’s Wild Islands Forever by Making a Planned Gift to MITA
FOR THE CARETAKERS
• Garden cart or wheelbarrow • Queen or full size mattress/box spring • LP gas grill
• Compost tumbler
A planned gift to MITA will support stewardship of the Maine Island Trail in perpetuity.
• Gas-powered lawn mower
To learn more about the advantages and impact of planned giving at MITA, contact Jack Phillips at jack@mita.org or call (207) 699-4373.
and the man who cared for it so deeply. M I TA .O R G
13
continued from page 1
From the start, Coperthwaite envisioned Dickinsons Reach as a place to build an intentional community. After constructing an A-frame there in 1961, his attention turned to a more interesting structure from the steppes of Mongolia: the yurt. In 1963, Coperthwaite met Helen and Scott Nearing, whose Good Life Center in Cape Rosier and the philosophies behind it influenced Coperthwaite deeply. In 1964, he brought a band of followers from California to Maine, where they began constructing a yurt. It was the first example of what became a passion for Coperthwaite, and the primary physical symbol of his “handmade life.” Over the course of his life, Coperthwaite oversaw the construction of yurts worldwide. Unlike the canvas-sided yurts used as temporary structures today, most of Coperthwaite’s yurts were entirely wooden. Over time, they evolved to become increasingly expressive, eliciting images of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth. In a design he called the concentric yurt, they achieved multiple stories. Coperthwaite was a visionary master of form, architecture, and engineering. His building style was daring and seat-of-the-pants, leaving his students stressed and apprehensive. But somehow Coperthwaite would deliver a key calculation or modification at the eleventh hour that ultimately brought the structure together.
Admired Worldwide, Grounded Downeast
Starting in the 1960s, Coperthwaite traveled the globe as a guest teacher and foreman on yurt-building projects. His projects took him all over North America— from Harvard University (where he built a yurt and earned a doctorate in education) to Alaska. He traveled to Europe many times, in addition to India, Siberia, China, Mexico, and Bhutan. Yet despite his travels, Dickinsons Reach remained Coperthwaite’s spiritual center and home. Over time, Coperthwaite added several neighboring properties to Dickinsons Reach. In all, the consolidated landholdings grew to 700 acres with 4.5 miles of coastline, including an historic mill pond 12
M I TA .O R G
and several coastal necks. With modest earnings from articles and honoraria, Coperthwaite and his troupe continued to build yurts there—five of which remain today, including three of his signature concentric yurts. To protect the land, Coperthwaite sold conservation easements on Dickinsons Reach to Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) in 2003. Combined with adjacent properties owned by MCHT, the Nature Conservancy, and the State of Maine, some 1,600 contiguous acres were conserved. While his daily life was hermit-like, Coperthwaite was a fixture of the community—a known and respected oddity who would collect his mail in Bucks Harbor on a regular basis. Local fishermen would recognize him offshore, paddling his enormous homemade 22-foot canoe from a standing position, like a SUP paddler ahead of his time. While his isolation concerned his friends, Coperthwaite soldiered on at the Reach year-round. He split his own wood, built structures, engaged in handicrafts as a source of income, and doggedly persevered. He also wrote prolifically, including extensive correspondence and the book, A Handmade Life, which won the prestigious Nautilus Award for most inspiring story in 2004. He lived for decades in the paradox of desiring both solitude and community.
Ensuring a Lasting Legacy
When Coperthwaite was 60, Peter Forbes entered his life. A widely known and respected conservationist and community builder from Vermont, Forbes was deeply exploring alternative visions for people’s relationship with the land and lifestyles spawned by these connections. Naturally, Forbes’s quest led to the Good Life Center and Nearing, who sent him to meet her remarkable friend Coperthwaite. In a turning point of his life, Forbes did so. While he forged powerful relationships with Forbes and so many others, Coperthwaite’s vision of a permanent educational community at Dickinsons Reach was never fully realized. While many thousands of people visited him by land and sea over the years, often for extended
periods of time, the permanent community never gelled. But Coperthwaite did gain many close friends, some of whom, like Forbes, shared his passion for Dickinsons Reach and increased their commitment to the place. In 2008, Coperthwaite formed a corporation including himself and five other families. In 2011, following a heart attack in Italy, Coperthwaite made the surprise announcement that he was giving all of his land to the five families. Forbes’ family chose to add a yurt of their own to the land. While others had not built in Coperthwaite’s lifetime, a community developed in a social and spiritual sense, increasing human contact and support for Coperthwaite in his later years. Coperthwaite’s last yurt-building project began in the spring of 2013, but was barely completed. Ironically, for a man who rejected all but the most essential power tools, Coperthwaite was killed in a single-car crash on an empty road that Thanksgiving weekend. In an extraordinary ceremony, stunned friends and followers paddled Coperthwaite’s body around Dickinsons Reach in a handmade casket and laid him to rest on the shore of his beloved home. Echoing the generous spirit in which Bill Coperthwaite gave Dickinsons Reach to his friends, it is now being shared with you. Forbes, a MITA member, approached us earlier this year with the idea that this storied property should be part of the Maine Island Trail. It is with a profound sense of gratitude to Forbes and the Dickinsons Reach Community—and indeed to Bill—that we list Dickinsons Reach in the 2016 Guide and invite you to visit. The story of Bill Coperthwaite and Dickinsons
Reach is described by Peter Forbes and his wife, Helen Whybrow, in the gorgeously written and beautifully photographed book A Man Apart (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015). In alternating chapters, Peter and Helen tell the story of their lives, their complex relationships with Bill, and the triumphant if arduous construction of their own two-story yurt in 2011. Visitors to Dickinsons Reach should consider first reading the book in order to better understand the ground beneath their feet
Wish List
MITA will gladly consider donations of anything from boats to vehicles to office equipment. Please call us at 207-761-8225 or email info@ mita.org if you would like to donate these or other items.
FOR OUR BOATS
• Chart cases (contact MITA for details)
Protect Maine’s Wild Islands Forever by Making a Planned Gift to MITA
FOR THE CARETAKERS
• Garden cart or wheelbarrow • Queen or full size mattress/box spring • LP gas grill
• Compost tumbler
A planned gift to MITA will support stewardship of the Maine Island Trail in perpetuity.
• Gas-powered lawn mower
To learn more about the advantages and impact of planned giving at MITA, contact Jack Phillips at jack@mita.org or call (207) 699-4373.
and the man who cared for it so deeply. M I TA .O R G
13
continued from page 1
Noticing these changes and the growing global conversation, the State of Maine is taking action. The Maine Coastal Program has begun encouraging citizens to look forward and consider sea level rise as they plan and build near the coast. This past July, the towns of Islesboro and Chebeague Island were granted $50,000 to mitigate the effects that rising sea level will have on their island infrastructure. Given these efforts, MITA has begun thinking about how the rising sea level will impact the Trail. Brian Marcaurelle, MITA’s Program Director, says that while MITA hasn’t been operating specifically with sea level rise in mind, it has been “trying to grow the Trail strategically to ensure it includes a rich and diverse set of islands in each region.” This approach is in line with guidance provided by the NOAA which recommends mitigation through coastal conservation and planning that emphasizes the preservation of diverse landscapes. In addition to conservation, a recent University of Maine report highlights the promotion of robust natural ecosystems that provide soft reinforcement to the coastline as a key mitigation strategy. According to MITA Regional Stewardship Manager Chris Wall, MITA’s existing stewardship efforts do exactly that. By removing marine debris, curtailing the spread of invasive species, and promoting minimal impact recreation, Wall says that MITA puts islands in the best position to thrive and protect themselves. He adds that MITA members can do their part by avoiding walking on fragile vegetation, packing out any trash they find on the islands, and making conscious choices to reduce their carbon footprint on the Trail and at home. From his position, Marcaurelle acknowledges that MITA can’t solve sea level rise and that within the next century the Trail is likely to change. But given MITA’s robust history of island stewardship, he’s hopeful that we can all work to put Maine’s wild islands in the best position to thrive for centuries to come. 14
M I TA .O R G
Hells Half Acre
Hells Half Acre
= Submerged Land
= Submerged Land
= Dry Land
= Dry Land
= Current Campsite
= Current Campsite
Current Extent
Little Snow
Year ~2100 extent assuming 3.3ft mean sea level rise
Little Snow
= Submerged Land
= Submerged Land
= Dry Land
= Dry Land
= Current Campsite
= Current Campsite
Current Extent
A look into the future
The diverse character of Maine’s coastal islands means that it’s impossible to make a blanket statement about how the Trail will fare. Rockier islands with steep shorelines may be minimally impacted as waves refract off their resistant coastline. But some islands, especially those with soft beaches or low-lying features, may disappear completely. Using IPCC’s sea level rise projections and the Maine Geological Survey’s online Sea Level Rise & Storm Surge tool (http://www.maine.gov/ dacf/mgs/hazards/slr_ss/index.shtml), we have modeled what may happen to two popular Trail islands in the next 100 years. While these projections are just estimates, they paint a dramatic picture of changes that may come to the Maine Island Trail. (See figure above.)
Hells Half Acre
Two and a half miles due east of Stonington, this island has long been a favorite of MITA paddlers and sailors. In 2015 it was one of the most visited publicly-owned sites on the Trail, playing host to hundreds of visitors and campers. In the most conservative scenario, Hells Half Acre will see a significant reduction in area, becoming only 50ft wide near the center. This will likely jeopardize the open campsite in the meadow near the middle of the island. Under the IPCC’s
Year ~2100 extent assuming 1ft mean sea level rise
highest confidence scenario, where seas rise 3.3ft by 2100, the island will be split in two with a small round island to the southwest and a longer narrow island to the northeast.
Join the MITA Meetup for On-Water Outings and Other Fun!
The MITA Meetup is a new website where boaters and other members connect for adventures on the Maine Island Trail. In its 2015 pilot year, nearly 300 MITA members, staff, volunteers, and friends gathered for more than 30 Meetup events! You don’t have to be a MITA member to join. You just have to register at meetup.com and join the MITA Meetup group. Want to organize a Meetup trip yourself? Please send a message to info@mita.org to express your interest. As a token of appreciation, we’ll gladly waive your $5 fee when you schedule your first event!
MITA App Makeover!
Released in April 2016, the updated MITA Mobile App features a slick new design and more content than ever! • Brand new interface • Easier navigation functions • Anchorage content • Complete list of member benefits • Detailed landing/hiking maps for key islands • Ability to earn badges for your Trail visits • Live links to partner websites • Over 1,000 photos
Learn more about Meetup at www.meetup.com/MITAmeetup.
Little Snow
Little Snow Island in quiet Quahog Bay is likely to see drastic changes in the coming century. Currently the island sees heavy use by locals and boaters from all over. In 2015, it was the fourth most visited state-owned island on the Trail. Given the island’s low profile and sparse vegetation, it is likely to be heavily impacted by rising seas. The most conservative sea level rise projections split the island into two disconnected islets and flood the island’s central campsite. Given the island’s sandy shore and low profile, storm surges could frequently wash over the islands and cause extensive erosion. In the IPCC 3.3ft sea level rise scenario, the entire island will be submerged. After finishing Hamilton College, David
Morgan joined the MITA staff as an intern
and then a temporary employee in January through April, 2016. The MITA staff and Board thank David for his wonderful
contributions and camaraderie and wish him the best in Alaska!
M I TA .O R G
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Noticing these changes and the growing global conversation, the State of Maine is taking action. The Maine Coastal Program has begun encouraging citizens to look forward and consider sea level rise as they plan and build near the coast. This past July, the towns of Islesboro and Chebeague Island were granted $50,000 to mitigate the effects that rising sea level will have on their island infrastructure. Given these efforts, MITA has begun thinking about how the rising sea level will impact the Trail. Brian Marcaurelle, MITA’s Program Director, says that while MITA hasn’t been operating specifically with sea level rise in mind, it has been “trying to grow the Trail strategically to ensure it includes a rich and diverse set of islands in each region.” This approach is in line with guidance provided by the NOAA which recommends mitigation through coastal conservation and planning that emphasizes the preservation of diverse landscapes. In addition to conservation, a recent University of Maine report highlights the promotion of robust natural ecosystems that provide soft reinforcement to the coastline as a key mitigation strategy. According to MITA Regional Stewardship Manager Chris Wall, MITA’s existing stewardship efforts do exactly that. By removing marine debris, curtailing the spread of invasive species, and promoting minimal impact recreation, Wall says that MITA puts islands in the best position to thrive and protect themselves. He adds that MITA members can do their part by avoiding walking on fragile vegetation, packing out any trash they find on the islands, and making conscious choices to reduce their carbon footprint on the Trail and at home. From his position, Marcaurelle acknowledges that MITA can’t solve sea level rise and that within the next century the Trail is likely to change. But given MITA’s robust history of island stewardship, he’s hopeful that we can all work to put Maine’s wild islands in the best position to thrive for centuries to come. 14
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Hells Half Acre
Hells Half Acre
= Submerged Land
= Submerged Land
= Dry Land
= Dry Land
= Current Campsite
= Current Campsite
Current Extent
Little Snow
Year ~2100 extent assuming 3.3ft mean sea level rise
Little Snow
= Submerged Land
= Submerged Land
= Dry Land
= Dry Land
= Current Campsite
= Current Campsite
Current Extent
A look into the future
The diverse character of Maine’s coastal islands means that it’s impossible to make a blanket statement about how the Trail will fare. Rockier islands with steep shorelines may be minimally impacted as waves refract off their resistant coastline. But some islands, especially those with soft beaches or low-lying features, may disappear completely. Using IPCC’s sea level rise projections and the Maine Geological Survey’s online Sea Level Rise & Storm Surge tool (http://www.maine.gov/ dacf/mgs/hazards/slr_ss/index.shtml), we have modeled what may happen to two popular Trail islands in the next 100 years. While these projections are just estimates, they paint a dramatic picture of changes that may come to the Maine Island Trail. (See figure above.)
Hells Half Acre
Two and a half miles due east of Stonington, this island has long been a favorite of MITA paddlers and sailors. In 2015 it was one of the most visited publicly-owned sites on the Trail, playing host to hundreds of visitors and campers. In the most conservative scenario, Hells Half Acre will see a significant reduction in area, becoming only 50ft wide near the center. This will likely jeopardize the open campsite in the meadow near the middle of the island. Under the IPCC’s
Year ~2100 extent assuming 1ft mean sea level rise
highest confidence scenario, where seas rise 3.3ft by 2100, the island will be split in two with a small round island to the southwest and a longer narrow island to the northeast.
Join the MITA Meetup for On-Water Outings and Other Fun!
The MITA Meetup is a new website where boaters and other members connect for adventures on the Maine Island Trail. In its 2015 pilot year, nearly 300 MITA members, staff, volunteers, and friends gathered for more than 30 Meetup events! You don’t have to be a MITA member to join. You just have to register at meetup.com and join the MITA Meetup group. Want to organize a Meetup trip yourself? Please send a message to info@mita.org to express your interest. As a token of appreciation, we’ll gladly waive your $5 fee when you schedule your first event!
MITA App Makeover!
Released in April 2016, the updated MITA Mobile App features a slick new design and more content than ever! • Brand new interface • Easier navigation functions • Anchorage content • Complete list of member benefits • Detailed landing/hiking maps for key islands • Ability to earn badges for your Trail visits • Live links to partner websites • Over 1,000 photos
Learn more about Meetup at www.meetup.com/MITAmeetup.
Little Snow
Little Snow Island in quiet Quahog Bay is likely to see drastic changes in the coming century. Currently the island sees heavy use by locals and boaters from all over. In 2015, it was the fourth most visited state-owned island on the Trail. Given the island’s low profile and sparse vegetation, it is likely to be heavily impacted by rising seas. The most conservative sea level rise projections split the island into two disconnected islets and flood the island’s central campsite. Given the island’s sandy shore and low profile, storm surges could frequently wash over the islands and cause extensive erosion. In the IPCC 3.3ft sea level rise scenario, the entire island will be submerged. After finishing Hamilton College, David
Morgan joined the MITA staff as an intern
and then a temporary employee in January through April, 2016. The MITA staff and Board thank David for his wonderful
contributions and camaraderie and wish him the best in Alaska!
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NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MAINE ISLAND TRAIL ASSOCIATION
The Island Trail T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E M A I N E I S L A N D T R A I L A S S O C I AT I O N S P R I N G 2 0 1 6
58 FORE STREET, SUITE 30-3 PORTLAND, MAINE 04101 207.761.8225 MITA.ORG
How Rising Seas May Shape the Trail B Y DAV I D M O R G A N
An innocuous white shack with a small metal door sits next to the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal on Portland’s Maine State Pier. Behind that door is National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Tidal Gauging Station 841-8150. Continuously operating since 1912, 841-8150 measures the tide’s height within Portland’s busy harbor every six minutes. From its silent perch, 841-8150 has watched the sea level in Portland Harbor rise over 7 1/2 inches in the last 100 years. Compared to the piers and seawalls of developed Portland, 7 1/2 inches isn’t much. But even a few inches can have a huge impact on the region’s less developed coastline.
HELP WANTED: MITA MONITOR SKIPPERS
We’re seeking hearty volunteers to join our Monitor Skipper team! Looking for experienced skippers coastwide, but especially in the Deer Isle, Mount Desert Island, and Downeast regions.
Qualifications and Commitments:
Benefits:
• Significant power boat experience
• Use of MITA skiffs
• Tow vehicle
• Willingness to embark on full-day monitor runs a minimum of twice a month • Dedication to and passion for stewardship of Maine’s coastal islands
• Reimbursement for mileage & other direct expenses • Active participation in keeping wild islands clean and accessible
• Being part of a close-knit community of conscientious boaters
To learn more, contact Maria or Chris at 207-761-8225 or stewards@mita.org. photo credit: Daniel E. Smith, ScenicNewEngland.net
A recent Maine Geological Survey report indicated that, at the current rate, Portland Harbor will see a 1.4ft increase in sea level in the next century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international organization of scientists convened by the UN to compile the globe’s climate research, projects that with modern warming trends we are likely to see a global sea level rise of 3.3ft by 2100. continue on page 14
In This Issue BATTLING INVASIVE SPECIES ................... 3 FORT GORGES MASTER PLAN ...................4 HURRICANE ISLAND CAMPING ................ 5 SUPPORTING ISLAND COMMUNITIES ... 10
Bill Coperthwaite and friend pass a concentric yurt at Dickinsons Reach. Photo credit: Peter Forbes
A Land Apart BY DOUG WELC H
Many places on the Maine Island Trail are considered hallowed ground: Seguin Island, Hurricane Island, and the Isles of Shoals to name a few. This summer, we have the
great fortune of adding more hallowed ground to the Trail: Damariscove Island, for
example, where the Mayflower provisioned on its way to Massachusetts. But another new site on hallowed ground is not a household name: Dickinsons Reach.
Fifty-seven years ago, a young teacher named Bill Coperthwaite sold his house in
Steuben to purchase land on Little Kennebec Bay, due south of Machias, and dubbed it Dickinsons Reach. Born in the County, the Bowdoin College graduate became
champion of alternative approaches to community, architecture, and living. Though he traveled the world as an educator, builder, and visionary leader, Coperthwaite essentially never left Dickinsons Reach until his death in 2013 at age 83.
While not an island geographically, Dickinsons Reach is a land apart. Land-based
access requires a mile-and-a-half hike down a wood-chipped path just wide enough
for the wheelbarrows in which Coperthwaite carried provisions. Most MITA members will find the water approach more to their liking. continue on page 12
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