Hurricane Valley Farm Planning
Please join the Falmouth Land Trust, the Resilience Hub and Cultivating Community for a conversation about the future design and function of the Hurricane Valley Farm as an agricultural space. These Falmouth events will take place:
June 19th: Hurricane Valley Farm Walking Tour — 4:30 pm
June 20th: Motz Activity Center (Lunt & Middle Road) — 6 pm to 8 pm
June 27th: Gisland Farm (Rt 1) — 6 pm to 8 pm
Trails Are Very Wet!
With almost two and a half inches of rain falling these past two days, please consider staying off the trails this weekend if possible, and give them a chance to dry off. Every day they get to dry means better trail conditions the rest of the year as well as less maintenance burden for the stewards and trail maintenance volunteers. If you are on the trails, please do not widen them by hiking or biking around them. Thanks!
Troop 93 Has the Answer to Mucky Trails: Bog Bridges!
On Saturday, May 20, 11 Boy Scouts from Troop 93 descended upon some of Blackstrap Hill Preserve's boggier sections to make them passable for hikers. With the help of a few parents, some elbow grease, a minibike, and a towline, sections of wood were brought into the forest on the Preserve's Red Trail to create bog bridges, which utilize sections of elevated planking to keep hikers' boots dry and muck-free.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 93 help build bog bridges at Blackstrap Hill Preserve.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 93 stand on the bog bridging they helped build at Blackstrap Hill Preserve.
Trails to Open!
Despite the coming heavy rains we plan to open Blackstrap Hill Preserve Friday May 12, with the expectation that it will rain with little traffic on Sunday and then dry out during the week quickly. This is the last trail system to fully open in town and now means that all Town and Trust properties should be open for use.
If you notice any issues on trails requiring attention please contact info@falmouthlandtrust.org with the name of the trail and a rough location of where we can observe the issue. Photos are also appreciated, especially with GPS markup.
Enjoy!
Troop 93 Clears Blackstrap Hill Preserve
Taking advantage of seasonable weather and a dry spell on Saturday, April 29, members of Boy Scout Troop 93 set off for Blackstrap Hill Preserve to help clear trails with rakes and clippers in hand. The 280-acre Preserve, which is owned and maintained by the Falmouth Land Trust (FLT), is the largest block of contiguous, protected open space in town, boasting several miles of hiking and mountain biking trails.
The Scouts were joined by troop leaders and parents, as well as Town Councilor Caleb Hemphill and FLT Board Member Ted Asherman, who led the boys in their work. The Falmouth Land Trust actively welcomes volunteers and community service projects among the town’s civic and nonprofit organizations.
Best rakers and clippers in town: thanks to Troop 93 for clearing trails at Blackstrap Hill Preserve!
Support FLT at Hannaford
Need some good karma? Support our conservation efforts by helping to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags. For the month of May, purchase this reusable bag at the Hannaford location in 65 Gray Road, Falmouth and the store will donate $1 to the Falmouth Land Trust!
FLT Community Survey
The Falmouth Land Trust would like to hear more from our community members. We have designed this simple 10-question survey to help us understand what is important to you, so we can focus our efforts and continue to improve our role within the Falmouth community. If that wasn’t enough incentive to fill out the survey, we are also offering a $250 grand prize for one lucky respondent!
Trails Closed!
As you have probably noticed the ground is saturated with water and pooling in many places, causing excessive mud and poor trail conditions. In order to prevent damage to the trail system all trails in Falmouth are currently closed pending some drying out. We’ll update you as soon they’re ready to go. In the meantime, we’ll be starting trail maintenance, clearing downed trees from the heavy winds and snows this past few months. We look forward to seeing you out there later this season!
FES and FLT Partner on Water Bottle Filler
Falmouth Elementary School and the Falmouth Land Trust are working together to provide the elementary school with water bottle refilling stations for students. Our goal is to provide students with fresh filtered and chilled water and at the same time to reduce the plastic waste from single use bottles. If you have a child in the elementary school they should have received a flyer detailing the initiative.
Hurricane Valley Farm Snoeshow Walk
Despite less than ideal conditions, everyone had fun trying their snowshoe skills around the Hurricane Valley Farm with the Falmouth Land Trust. We had approximately 25 community members come out to learn about the history of the farm, the history of snowshoe technology (4,000-6,000 years old) and the habits that allow Maine’s wildlife to successful survive the winters. We were thrilled to have great turnout to enjoy the trails and hot chocolate on the farm with members of our community.
The Falmouth Land Trust looks forward to hosting many more events this year where we can introduce the community to the conserved properties in Falmouth. Not everyone is aware of the extensive trail system and resources we have which allow for local recreation in all seasons right here in Falmouth. We have amazing land resources and everyone can benefit from getting out and enjoying nature.
Attached is a photo of Erin Bucci, FLT intern, discussing brumation, which is a lot like hibernation, and leading our tour at the Farm. Future events will be posted on the Falmouth Land Trust Facebook page and in The Forecaster Community Calendar. We invite people to join the FLT events mailing list by sending your contact information to info@falmouthlandtrust.org.