An important 47.5-acre parcel of land along the upper York River was recently acquired by Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in a unique partnership between York Land Trust, Maine Coast Heritage Trust and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Read the article below to see how this collaboration came about following a private landowner’s efforts and willingness to work toward conservation of this ecologically significant parcel of land.
Holiday Pop-Up Shop Now Open!
"A Deepening Friendship"
A big thank you to Lauri Monroe-Hultman at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for writing this piece on our inspiring helmsman Bill Durkin! It features the important role the Friends, and particularly Bill, have played through the years and highlights our expanding partnership opportunities in the future headquarters on Brown Street in Kennebunk! Read the article here: https://www.fws.gov/story/deepening-friendship
Shrub Potting Volunteer Opportunity!
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is holding their annual shrub potting volunteer event, just a few days after Earth Day 2024. They will be receiving a large order of bareroot native shrub seedlings and will get to work potting nearly 1500 shrubs as fast as folks can get to them. This is great opportunity to get your hands dirty, learn about growing container stock, and check out the greenhouse in Wells! They have selected specific native shrubs with habitat goals in mind for the New England cottontail- many of these shrubs will be outplanted for early successional/young forest habitat restoration projects.
Wednesday, 4/24/24:
The plants will be picked up in Dover, NH in the morning, so they should be ready to start planting at the greenhouse at 12:00 PM.
Thursday, 4/25/24
There will still be plenty of plants to get potted, so they will start at the greenhouse at 9:00 AM and go until they run out.
Garden gloves, sunscreen and hats are recommended, and they will have extra gloves and sunscreen for those who need them.
Please contact Colin McKevitt at colin_mckevitt@fws.gov if you are interested in helping out, even for just an hour or two. He will be sending a follow up email to anyone interested to firm up the details.
Planting for Climate Resilience: A Presentation by The Wild Seet Project
Together with Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, we are very excited to be hosting members of the Wild Seed Project in the Community Room at Graves Library on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 5:30pm.
In addition to helping to sustain vital pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, native plantings offer countless other benefits that are indispensable in the age of climate change. When created and maintained with ecologically attuned landscaping practices, they can minimize flooding and storm water runoff, shade and cool cities, survive droughts, and facilitate carbon storage more effectively than the landscapes dominated by turf and mulch that blanket so many of our communities.
Andrea Berry from the Wild Seed Project will talk about the actions you can take to make your corner of the world more biodiverse and resilient to the effects of climate change. Andrea joined Wild Seed Project as the organization’s Executive Director in 2021. She also serves on the Board of Directors at Momentum Conservation and Resources for Organizing and Social Change.
Colin McKevitt, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Biological Technician, will address habitat management and native species planting. This includes shrubland habitats, salt marsh field surveying and restoration, and monitoring and managing invasive species. Colin is a key member of the Refuge team and is the manager of the Refuge native plant greenhouse. He instructs interns as well as community volunteers.
Copies of the publication "Planting for Climate Resilience" will be available for sale at the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport. For further information, please call 967-2778 or visit www.graveslibrary.org.
Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library
18 Maine Street Kennebunkport, ME 04046
Earth Day Volunteer Opportunity!
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is celebrating Earth Day, Monday, April 22nd, by hosting a volunteer event to clean debris from the marsh! This is a great opportunity to get outside for Earth Day and help your local landscape. Recent storms have washed up lots of debris into the marsh and we could use your help!
Waterproof shoes and work gloves are recommended. Extra work gloves will be available if needed. We will provide bags for trash and will have a few trash picker tools.
Please RSVP to kelsey_herold@fws.gov if interested in attending.
*There is potential for an afternoon clean-up session (12:30 PM – 3:30 PM) at a different location in Saco if there is high interest!
HQ Construction in the news!
Check out page 15 and 16 of the Kennebunk Village Magazine March 2024 edition to find out more about the construction underway for the new Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters!
Temporary Online Gear Shop! (Updated)
The Friends of Rachel Carson NWR are offering a temporary online store to give our supporters the opportunity to purchase custom designed, refuge-themed logo items!
Hats, jackets, tees, and vests are available in a variety of colors and with a choice of one of the logos shown below that spotlight the plover, egret, and blue goose which is the representative logo of the National Wildlife Refuge System to which our refuge is a part. Deadline on purchases is Monday, April 1, 2024 and delivery or Biddeford pick-up available two weeks later. Spread the word!
Visit the shop here: https://rachelcarson24.itemorder.com
We thank you for your generous support!
A recent Borealis broadcast included a segment on accessibility on our very own Rachel Carson trail with Ranger Tom Wall presiding! You can find more on the Spina Bifida Association of Greater New England here: https://sbagreaterne.org/
National Public Lands Day Volunteer Opportunity at Rachel Carson NWR!
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is hosting a Rabbitat Planting Party on Saturday, September 23rd to celebrate National Public Lands Day. This year’s event will include planting native shrubs, managing invasive plants, and trimming overgrown young trees to create and restore shrubland habitat for the endangered New England Cottontail in Kittery, Maine. Activities will include digging holes, planting shrubs, using clippers or hand saws, and chatting about local wildlife and conservation. Fee-free National Park day passes will be available to all volunteers.
Please refer to the attached flyer for event times and contact Sarah at sarah_dudek@fws.gov for registration and more information.
