Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge - Past, Present, and Future

by Glenn Evans, Vice President, Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

“Wild creatures, like men, must have a place to live. As civilization creates cities, builds highways, and drains marshes, it takes away, little by little, the land that is suitable for wildlife.  And as their space for living dwindles, the wildlife populations themselves decline. Refuges resist this trend by saving some areas from encroachment, and by preserving in them, or restoring where necessary, the conditions that wild things need in order to live.”

Thus, Rachel Carson wrote about the importance of national wildlife refuges in 1947 while working and writing for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Her first book, Under the Sea Wind, had been published in 1941, and she was about to begin work on her second book, The Sea Around Us. Little did she know that her final book, Silent Spring, would ignite an environmental movement that would propel her name to honor a yet-to-be-established refuge. And that refuge, with the Friends group that rose to support it, embraced, and continues to embrace the essence of what Rachel Carson cared so much about. Today both the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge and the Friends strive to not only “preserve and restore areas for the wild things” but continue highlighting her later message of the importance of a clean environment for not only wildlife but for the well-being of humans themselves.

The Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is one of the oldest Friends groups to continuously support a US Fish and Wildlife Service refuge and its goals. Founded in 1987, it is now 36 years old, helping the now 57-year-old Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge become much of what it is today. Amazingly, the Friends have accomplished this with a totally volunteer effort to date. However, with the refuge’s growth and growing needs, the Friends need to also grow to strengthen the refuge and its mission to “preserve land for migratory birds and wildlife,” ultimately to also benefit people. To fully appreciate these efforts, it helps to start with the beginnings of the refuge itself.

 PAST (1966 – 2018)

The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge   

In 1966 the Coastal Maine National Wildlife Refuge was established with 9 divisions extending from Kittery to Cape Elizabeth with an “acquisition zone” (habitat designated for protection but not yet protected) of 4,054 acres to preserve coastal salt marsh/estuarine habitat for birds and other wildlife. It was managed as a “satellite refuge” of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Massachusetts.

In 1970 it was renamed Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge to honor former Fish & Wildlife biologist, writer, editor in chief, and seminal environmentalist Rachel Carson, who summered along the Maine coast and wrote eloquently about the environment. The effort was initiated by former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall and spearheaded by author and journalist Ann Cottrell Free, who, in a 1969 Sunday newspaper supplement magazine’s article entitled “The Great Awakening,” described Rachel Carson’s impact on the country and the need to carry on her message. It encouraged a letter-writing campaign to have a Rachel Carson Refuge.

By the mid 1980s much of southern coastal Maine’s important wildlife habitat was under heavy development threats. Salt marsh edges, critical to the wildlife that use the marshes, were also seen as attractive places to develop. One such development project proposed in 1986 on the Saco side of the Goosefare Brook Marsh hoped to create a “city within a city” of 1000 units.  Concerned neighbors asked, “Can they do that?” as they thought it was part of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. They learned that while the refuge proposed to have 180 acres protected (acquisition zone) at its Goosefare Brook Division, there was less than an acre protected. Soon the Saco Citizen Coalition was organized by Saco residents Bill and Maryellen Silliker, Jr., Horace “Woody” and Phyllis Wood, Alan and Nan Cone, and Sue and Mark Sladen. Their slogan was “Save the Marsh,” their symbol was a Great Blue Heron, and their photographer was Bill Silliker, Jr. Bill, an amateur photographer at the time, used his camera to document and educate people about the importance of the Goosefare Brook Marsh for wildlife. 

Nearby towns were experiencing similar development pressures, some affecting equally important wildlife habitat with local town boards ill prepared to properly review the quantity of proposals. Soon thereafter the Saco Bay Federation organized to include, not only Saco citizens, but Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach, and Scarborough residents with similar concerns. Horace Wood headed the organization.

The Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

By 1987 the Saco Bay Federation sponsored the Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge to unite concerned citizens from each of the refuge’s nine divisions. Its primary goal was to assist the refuge in protecting important wildlife habitat in and around each of the salt marshes at the center of each division. At the time, the refuge had an acquisition zone of 4,656 acres of which 3,230 acres were protected. Bill Silliker, Jr. served as the group’s first president.  To the delight of the Friends and refuge manager Andrew French, the growing advocacy led to the refuge acquiring as much land in 1987 as it had in the previous five years combined. The Friends had gained the attention and support of Maine’s entire Congressional delegation of Senators Bill Cohen and George Mitchell along with representatives Joe Brennan and Olympia Snowe.

In 1988 the Friends and the US Fish & Wildlife Service co-hosted the dedication of the recently completed one-mile, completely universally accessible, interpretive nature trail at refuge headquarters in the Upper Wells division. Senator George Mitchell and Representative Joe Brennan attended along with aides from Senator Cohen and Representative Snowe’s offices.  Also attending were Kathryn McInnis, State Organizer of the Maine Association of Handicapped Persons, and Terrie Bonilli, Executive Director of Handicapped Resources. The Carson Trail was one of the first of its kind in Maine. 

Bill Silliker, Jr. continued as the Friends’ founding president through 1988. By 1989 his “hobby” of wildlife photography had grown into a profession. He and Maryellen moved to northern Maine for a while to be “closer to the critters.” Maryellen had served as the Friends’ first Treasurer. Friends Vice President Glenn Evans (Old Orchard Beach) became the Friends’ second president. Jackie McNabb (Saco) replaced Maryellen as Treasurer and served as the Friends’ Treasurer for many years until her death in 2018.

In 1989, thanks to the Friends’ support, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge expanded its acquisition boundaries by 2,850 acres (at the time an unprecedented 60% expansion of refuge boundaries). The Biddeford Pool division, with an acquisition zone of 345 acres, was added as a 10th division of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge thanks to strong support from Biddeford Pool residents and assistance from the Friends. In addition, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge staff grew by adding its first assistant refuge manager to help its refuge manager.

Also in 1989, the Maine chapter of the Nature Conservancy stepped in as an intermediary to purchase 314 acres on the Saco side of the Goosefare Brook division for $2.53 million until the refuge received anticipated federal funding, at the time the biggest single financial purchase by the chapter in its history. Soon thereafter, Congress appropriated $2.4 million to Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, the single largest allotment of money the refuge had received from Congress since its formation. Combined with the $1 million received by the refuge in its prior year, the total amount received in 1988 and 1989 equaled how much the refuge had received over its first 20 years of existence. The Goosefare Brook division, which once had an acquisition zone of 180 acres with less than an acre protected now had an acquisition zone of 517 acres with 425 acres protected. By the end of the year the Friends received the “Outstanding Contribution Award” from the US Fish & Wildlife Service for “dedication to the principles of conservation and wise resource stewardship.”

The year 1990 brought a very important milestone for the refuge and the Friends. First, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge gained independent status. As its own refuge, it was no longer a satellite of Parker River NWR in Massachusetts. Long a goal of the Friends, independent status gave the refuge improved standing to gain more funding and personnel. Second, the Friends gained the incorporation they had applied for in the previous year. This strengthened the organization and allowed it to be more aggressive in its work. Third, thanks to continued support from the Friends, the refuge gained $2 million for land acquisition and $300,000 toward planning for improved interpretation and for a visitor center. To date, $5.4 million of the $7 million the refuge had received for land acquisition since its founding in 1966 had been received in the past three years. The visitor center was to be in southern Maine as a gateway to Maine’s national wildlife refuges while playing a key role in building an environmentally literate citizenry.  Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge stood to benefit. 

Throughout the 1990s the Friends continued advocating for land acquisition funding for the refuge. At the time it had an acquisition zone of 7100 acres with 4600 acres protected. In 1991 Friends advocacy led to the refuge receiving $2.4 million for land acquisition in its 1992 budget and another $2 million for land acquisition in 1994. From 1988 – 1994 the refuge had obtained $9.8 million of the $11+ million it had gained since its inception in 1966. During the 1990s, Glenn Evans (Old Orchard Beach), Devon Hutchins (Kennebunk), and Jay Dwight (Kennebunk) each served as Friends President. During this time the Friends gained all important 501(c)(3) tax exempt status to further encourage its growing membership to donate in support of their operating budget.

Also during the 1990s, the Friends began recognizing special refuge supporters with a “Friend of the Refuge Award.” Award recipient winners included:

Calvin and Marion Hosmer (Brave Boat Harbor)
Mrs. Doris Houston (Moody Division)
Nancy Guignard (Biddeford Pool)
Horace Wood Jr. (Goosefare Brook)
Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy (general)
Mrs. E.B. Sewall (Mousam River)
Mary Ellen Libby (Spurwink)
George Kelly (Spurwink)
Elisa Tripp (Biddeford Pool)
David Houghton (former assistant refuge manager)

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge 25th Anniversary Celebration

The year 1995 was a time of celebration for the refuge, as it marked the 25th anniversary of its being renamed for Rachel Carson. Speakers included US Fish & Wildlife regional director Ronald Lambertson, Roger Christie (grandnephew and adopted son of Rachel Carson), US Fish & Wildlife Deputy Regional Director Cathy Short, Executive Director of the Rachel Carson Council Dr. Diana Post, Assistant Director of the Fish & Wildlife Service Robert Streeter, and Friends President Jay Dwight. Ron Lambertson noted that the two most important years in the history of the refuge were 1970, when it was renamed Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, and 1987, when the Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge organized. Roger Christie read from a series Rachel Carson authored for the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1948, “…the preservation of wildlife and of wildlife habitat means also the preservation of the basic resources of the earth, which men, as well as animals, must have in order to live. … We in the United States have much to accomplish before we can feel assured in passing on to future generations a land as richly endowed in natural wealth as the one we live in.” Dr. Diana Post emphasized that the pesticide-use problems that Rachel Carson had warned about were still not solved. Cathy Short noted that Rachel Carson’s convictions that “healthy people were the direct result of a healthy environment” influenced the Fish & Wildlife Service to grow beyond its earlier history to become a “broader more comprehensive organization.”  Robert Streeter further highlighted the lasting legacy Rachel Carson had on the Fish & Wildlife Service. Jay Dwight questioned, while the federal budget deficit and refuge funding is always a balancing act, “What about the deficit of your grandchildren deprived of the beauty of the outdoors?”

The following year (1996) Ward Feurt was hired as the new manager of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. Since the Friends founding in 1987, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge had had three refuge managers (Andrew French, Richard Steinbach, and Debra Kimbrell-Anderson). The Friends considered continuity of refuge management important. Ward did not disappoint, as he eventually become Rachel Carson NWR’s longest serving manager until he retired in 2018.

Early into the new millennium the total amount of funding for Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge land acquisition had surpassed $20 million. While funding for land acquisition had remained strong through the 1990s, funding for the visitor center had not, despite outdoor recreation planner Cheryl Brannagan’s herculean efforts to work with Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve to house a visitor center there. Nevertheless, the goal of improved interpretation at the refuge was greatly enhanced through “Watchable Wildlife” sites and well-designed interpretive panels at its various divisions, allowing visitors to better appreciate and understand the importance of salt marsh/estuarine ecosystems for wildlife and humans. However, a full visitor center for Rachel Carson NWR had been put on the “back burner.”

In the early 2000s Devon Hutchins (Kennebunk), Sue Foley Ferguson (Scarborough), and Bill Durkin (Biddeford) served as President. Bill Durkin has continued to serve as President, including the present.

In 2003 former and founding president Bill Silliker, Jr. tragically died of a heart attack while leading a photography group in Baxter State Park. At the time of his death Bill was considered one of, if not the top wildlife photographer in the state of Maine, having sold photos to many publications, published books, hosted and produced television shows, and taught nature photography classes. In 2004 a memorial panel to recognize Bill and all he had done for the Fish & Wildlife Service was produced to fittingly adorn a wildlife observation platform in Saco at the mouth of the Goosefare Brook where Bill’s love for wildlife photography was initially ignited.

Thanks to the Friends’ steadfast advocacy and the full support of Maine’s congressional delegation, the refuge continued gaining Land and Water Conservation Funding from Congress through the mid-2000s (1996 – 2006), allowing it to continue protecting important wildlife habitat. However, the Service’s onerous land acquisition procedures threatened the refuge’s habitat protection efforts. A close partnership with the Trust for Public Lands, who had access to Congress and willingness to purchase and hold properties, greatly assisted the refuge’s efforts to preserve important wildlife habitat.

In 2007 the Rachel Carson NWR Comprehensive Plan was updated, something national wildlife refuges are required to do periodically, replacing the refuge’s 1989 Environmental Assessment that had served as a comprehensive plan. The new Comprehensive Plan expanded the refuge’s acquisition boundaries of 9,125 acres by 5,558 acres to 14,684 acres. At the time there were 5,293 of 9,125 acres within the acquisition boundary protected. Part of the expanded acquisition boundaries included proposing and accepting a new York River Division (York) as the refuge’s 11th Division.

About this time a prime habitat along Smith Brook in Kennebunkport (Goose Rocks Division) nearly went unprotected. The Service could only pay fair market value (as determined by Service land appraisal) and the landowner held out for a higher price. Kennebunkport Conservation Trust stepped in and paid the difference between Service appraisal and the asking price.

A memorial bench for Horace (Woody) Wood, Jr., who died in 2008, was placed along the Atlantic Way Trail on the Saco side of the Goosefare Brook division to recognize his long-standing conservation efforts in the Saco area, including sponsoring the genesis of the Friends of Rachel Carson.

Timber Point Is Protected

In 2011 Timber Point on the Biddeford side of the Little River Division was protected. Lying between the Atlantic Ocean and Little River Estuary, its 97 acres provide valuable habitat to birds, as well as a variety of other wildlife. A 1.4-mile loop trail was soon after completed to allow visitors easy access to much of it. Later, an environmental assessment determined all existing buildings were listed on the National Historic Register. More recently a pollinator garden was established at Timber Point. The all-native plants attract pollinators (largely solitary bees), and the interpretative signs help visitors identify the native plants.   

Protecting Timber Point involved partnerships in the true sense of the word. Prior cultivated relationships with the Trust for Public Land and the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust came into play. In this case the Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge worked with the Trust for Public Land, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and Kennebunkport Conservation Trust to galvanize support and raise funds to help the Fish & Wildlife Service protect the land. The Friends were instrumental in helping secure $3 million from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund of the $5.2 million needed to protect the land. Friends President Bill Durkin played a critical role throughout the process, including testifying before Congress in 2009 about the need for Land and Water Conservation funding to protect “this exceptional coastal property.”  Today, Timber Point is considered one of the premier bird habitat sites in southern coastal Maine for both migrating and resident birds, very much the heart of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge’s mission.

In 2016 the US Fish and Wildlife Service approved the Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge dedicated to protecting and managing shrubland habitat for early successional wildlife in the Northeast, such as the New England cottontail rabbit, prairie warbler, blue-winged warbler, American woodcock, and brown thrasher. Spread over multiple states, six different refuges manage the portions of the Great Thicket refuge that are near them. Due to its location, Rachel Carson NWR manages portions in Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Kittery, York, Berwick, North and South Berwick, and Eliot in Maine.

In 2017 the first parcel of land in the York River division was protected. Thanks to help from the York Land Trust, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge gained an important 90 acres of wildlife habitat.

PRESENT (2019 – 2023)

In 2019, the Friends sharpened their goals. Longstanding efforts of advocating for land acquisition funding and helping the refuge monitor their divisions remained of utmost importance. However, to help the refuge better protect wildlife and serve visitors, the Friends determined to put renewed efforts into establishing a visitor center for the refuge, offering education and outreach opportunities, and fundraising to support the infrastructure for those education/outreach efforts. The Friends began considering having a small part of the visitor center for coordinating refuge volunteers and offering a nature store to help visitors better understand the refuge, Rachel Carson, and her message. 

Also, importantly, the Friends formally entered a partnership agreement with the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, allowing the Friends to better work with the refuge to pursue their broader goals. New refuge manager Karl Stromayer, who replaced the recently retired Ward Feurt, represented the refuge in this important agreement. 

In December of 2019 the refuge purchased the former home of Mrs. Elmina Sewall in Kennebunk within the Mousam River Division to provide the space for Rachel Carson NWR’s first visitor center. The 11,000 square foot home will be remodeled to serve as an office and visitor center for the refuge and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Gulf of Maine Coastal Program. This facility will have a spacious exhibit space and a multipurpose room that can seat up to 45 people. During her life, Mrs. Sewall had the thoughtfulness and foresight to donate land and her home to the Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy for eventual grant to Rachel Carson NWR. While the refuge could accept the land, circumstances at the time would not allow the refuge to accept the home. The Nature Conservancy ultimately could not keep the home and sold it. After passing through a couple different owners, the refuge was finally able to purchase it.

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge 50th Anniversary Celebration     

While 2020 was a COVID year, it did not prevent the refuge and Friends from organizing a yearlong series of events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the refuge being named after Rachel Carson. Among the activities organized by the refuge with the support of the Friends were a “Rachel Carson Conservation Champions: Businesses for a Greener Future,” the Sense of Wonder Art Contest, the Sense of Wonder in the Field blog, and Exploring Nature’s Connections (an educational series).

An outgrowth of the 50th anniversary celebration was the initiation of an annual photo contest for an annual Friends of Rachel Carson Calendar. Photographers are encouraged to submit their photos of the refuge and its wildlife as part of a contest organized by current Friends board members Patti Gardner and Anne Post Poole. Top photos are selected to grace a beautiful wall calendar that is sold to support the Friends of Rachel Carson’s efforts to help the refuge.

Thanks to board members Katie Conroy and Natalie Lord, in 2021 Tributary Brewing (Kittery) crafted a Gose made with salt water from the Brave Boat Harbor division. The cans included the Friends logo. The proceeds were dedicated to enhancing the trails at Rachel Carson’s Brave Boat Harbor division (Kittery, York). The Friends and refuge organized an event for the public at the Brave Boat Harbor division and Tributary Brewery.

At about this time, Friends board member Anne Post Poole and husband Matt began offering photography workshops to encourage appreciation and understanding of wildlife and its habitat. In the spirit of acclaimed wildlife photographer and Friends founding president Bill Silliker, Jr., the workshops were well received and helped spread the message of protecting important places for wildlife, like the Rachel Carson NWR, while gaining better appreciation for wildlife.

In 2022, Tom Wall was hired as the first refuge ranger. Tom coordinates many of the refuge outreach activities for the public, such as the Discover Your Wild event first held in October 2022. Free and open to the public, it involved several facets, including live falcon shows, archery, nature journaling, canoeing, and interactive games. It was held on the site of the future visitor center just off of Brown Street in the Mousam River division within Kennebunk.

In 2022, Friends board member Patti Gardner organized Team Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in the Walk for the Wild to help raise needed funds for the Friends. The 5K self-guided walk took place in October during National Wildlife Refuge Week and raised awareness for National Wildlife Refuges and Rachel Carson NWR, as well as funds for the Friends. This event will continue annually.

Today (2023), the refuge’s acquisition boundary is 14,684 acres with 5,776 acres (39%) protected. Refuge habitat management plays critical roles supporting and protecting such important at-risk species as piping plovers, least terns, saltmarsh sparrows, and the New England cottontail rabbit, as well as important pollinator and turtle species. 

Plans for the multipurpose office/visitor center off Brown Street are underway. They include universally accessible trails and possibly a kayak launch, archery range, and observation tower. The visitor center will include exhibits about Rachel Carson and Maine’s endangered and threatened species such as piping plovers, saltmarsh sparrows and New England cottontail rabbits. It will highlight the importance of the salt marsh ecosystems from Kittery to Cape Elizabeth. There will also be a very important education component spearheaded by the refuge ranger, which will include bringing schoolchildren to the refuge, as well as outreach to local underserved communities.

Currently, Bill Durkin serves as the Friends President, Glenn Evans as Vice President, Ward Feurt as Treasurer, and Patti Gardner as Secretary. Other board members include Anne Post Poole, Sarvi Maisak, Bob Hamblen, Katie Conroy, Natalie Lord, and Jeanne Walsh.

 FUTURE (2024 - )

The new multipurpose center, geared for visitors as well as refuge staff, is set to be complete and open to the public in 2025, a refuge goal for over 30 years. The multipurpose center will supersede the current refuge headquarters in Wells. Once the former home of Mrs. Sewall, it will be refurbished to include a true visitor center with displays along with a nature store and office space for not only the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, but also the US Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Coastal Program (current offices in Falmouth) and the Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. A beautiful overlook of the Mousam River/salt marsh and a covered foot bridge over wetland habitat will provide important education and viewing for visitors. A universally accessible trail will connect these and other important areas on the property. The Friends look forward to enhancing outreach to refuge visitors by organizing the nature store within the building. The nature store will further visitors’ educational experience and knowledge about the environment, as well as Rachel Carson’s foresight about protecting wildlife habitat and maintaining a healthy livable environment through sales of Rachel Carson’s writings and other memorabilia. Store proceeds will help support the refuge’s Education and Research programs. As the Friends grow, they hope to work with the refuge’s visitor services ranger to create a youth education and recreation program. The Friends are especially eager to connect with the underserved communities of York and Cumberland Counties and bring an appreciation of nature to students of every age. As public knowledge and support grows for the Brown Street headquarters, the Friends of Rachel Carson NWR volunteer presence in the nature store will evolve into a paid position to help coordinate volunteers and raise funds to improve visitor experience and understanding of the coastal Maine environment.

Over time, as the Friends continue to grow and adjust to assist the growing needs of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, the refuge will move closer to better achieving the legacy of its namesake, Rachel Carson.