Guided Walks 2010

Our walks are leisurely and educational in tone. We invite you to enjoy these special outings without charge. As the Phippsburg Land Trust is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization, we welcome all to become members.

What to Bring:

We suggest long pants, long sleeves and sturdy shoes with socks. Bring a sweater, raingear and hat if weather suggests. Insect repellant is a must. Some walkers like to bring water. Walks go rain or shine (except in downpours).

"Totman Tide Pools"
Totman Cove Preserve

Friday, June 26, 8 am – 11 am
Ronnie Kamphausen, Naturalist, Leader

Families Encouraged!
Join Ronnie on this special walk at the very low tide at Totman Cove. Come meet the snails, clams, hermit crabs, and sand dollars that live in the intertidal zone. Ronnie recommends wearing water shoes or bare feet. This walk is especially great for children. Meet at the parking area at the Totman Cove Preserve.

FMI: 443-5993

^ Back to Top of Page

MOUNTAIN LAUREL MAGIC
Bijhouwer Forest Preserve

Sat., June 26, 9-11 am
Levi Wark, Leader

Tour this well-maintained preserve with naturalist Levi, who will guide you past seasonal waterfalls, huge cliffs, streams and, of course, the highlight of the walk: one of Maine’s largest stands of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), which should be in full bloom!

Meet at the parking lot at the Phippsburg Town Hall, Rte, 209, to carpool to the preserve, which has limited parking. The walk to the mountain laurel is fairly easy; the full loop trail of the Bijhouwer Forest is a moderate walk, with some ups and downs.

FMI: 443-5993

^ Back to Top of Page

MORE HIDDEN TREASURE IN PHIPPSBURG
Fuller Mountain

Wed., July 21, 9-11 am
Gary Howard, Leader

Gary's walks are very popular! Don’t miss this opportunity to find some really wonderful mineral or semiprecious specimens if you have sharp eyes and an explorative spirit. Meet at the parking lot at the Phippsburg Town Hall, Rt. 209, to carpool to the site. This is an easy walk, but could involve some scrambling around and over rocks, so wear sturdy shoes.

FMI: 443-5993

^ Back to Top of Page

HISTORY'S MYSTERIES: THE GREENLEAF PRESERVE

Sat., July 24, 9:30 am - 11:30 am
Brenda Cummings, Leader

This is one in a series of walks on the human history of Land Trust preserves. The Greenleaf preserve has a foundation and a large earthern dam; we'll explore some of the human stories behind these ruins. Meet at the parking lot at the Phippsburg Town Hall, Rt. 209, to carpool to the site. This is a short and fairly easy walk but does have one significant downhill section.

FMI: 443-5993

^ Back to Top of Page

IN THE SPIRIT:PLEIN AIR PAINTING
Spirit Pond

Sat., July 31, 9am-12 noon
Dan Dowd and Steven Perkins, Artists, Leaders

Join landscape artist Steven Perkins for plein air painting at Spirit Pond. If you wish to join in, please bring your own materials for painting or sketching. This is not a "how-to" class; participant artists should have some experience. However, even if you are not an artist, you are welcome to come and enjoy the walk and the beautiful shores of Spirit Pond. Meet at the parking lot at the Phippsburg Town Hall, Rte 209, to carpool to the site, as there is very limited parking. The walk is mostly flat, with some ups and downs.

FMI: 389-2689

^ Back to Top of Page

PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED!
TRACKING AND MAPPING: AN INTRODUCTION TO GPS AND GIS
Phippsburg Town Office

Sat., Aug. 7, 9:30 am -1 pm
Brenda Cummings & Tim Richter, Leaders

Wondering what all the fuss is about? GPS is a Global Positioning System, and GPS devices can tell you where you are...and where you are going. GIS stands for a Geographic Information System, and can help you show others where you’ve been — and what’s there. Brenda and Tim will introduce you to the features useful to walkers on a DeLorme GPS device and show you how to use free mapping programs, like Google Earth, to show others where you’ve been.

Part of this workshop will be held inside. Meet at the Phippsburg Town Office. If you have a GPS device, feel free to bring it along (along with your user manual) for some hands-on help with how it works. Walks will be short and nearby. Limited to no more than 8 participants.

FMI: 443-5993

^ Back to Top of Page

THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD OF MUSHROOMS
Location to be determined

Wed., Aug. 11, 9:30-11:30 am
Orman Hines, Leader

Join Orman Hines for a walk into the mysterious world of fungi. Mushrooms are one of the most prolific and diverse forms of life one sees during a walk in the woods; they come in every color, shape and size. Meet at the parking lot at the Phippsburg Town Hall, Rte 209, to carpool to the site, which will be chosen based on the best available hunting grounds.

FMI: 443-5993

^ Back to Top of Page

SHORE BIRDS OF SEWALL BEACH
Bates/Morse Mountain Conservation Area

Fri., Aug 20, 9 am - 1 pm
Ron Joseph, Leader

Join our annual meeting speaker Ron Joseph (THURSDAY, AUG 19, 7 PM AT SEBASCO RESORT) for an insider's guide to the shore birds of Sewall Beach. Ron Joseph is a newly retired wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and has been a consultant to the Bates/Morse Mountain Conservation Area for many years. Meet at the Morse's Mountain parking area.

FMI: 443-5993

^ Back to Top of Page

PITCH PINE WONDERLAND
Ridgewell Preserve and Phippsburg Town Forest

Sat., Aug. 28, 10 am-2 pm
Nancy Sferra, Nature Conservancy, Leader

Pitch Pine forests seem pretty common in Phippsburg, but it turns out they are very rare world-wide and becoming less common in Maine. What makes them special? Why are they so rare? Join Nancy Sferra for a walk on the Ridgewell Preserve and the Phippsburg Town Forest, through a large and fascinating ridgetop Pitch Pine forest. Bring a bag lunch and we'll have a picnic at the top of the ridge, where on a clear day Seguin Island can often be seen.

This walk is moderately strenuous, with quite a bit of up and down. Meet at the parking lot at the Phippsburg Town Hall, Rt. 209, to carpool to the Preserve.

FMI: 443-5993

^ Back to Top of Page

THE STORY OF "BIG ROCK"
Bijhouwer Forest

Sat., Sep. 11, 9-11:00 am
Peter Goodwin, Geologist and Historian, Leader

The so-called “Big Rock” at the Bijhouwer Forest dwarfs human visitors. It’s surrounded by large chunks of this outcrop that have fallen away over the years. Peter will tell us what’s behind the “Big Rock” at the Bijhouwer Forest. Meet at the Phippsburg Town Hall parking lot on Route 209 to carpool to Bijhouwer Preserve, which has limited parking. The walk to the Big Rock is about 20 minutes and is fairly easy, with one up and down section.

FMI: 443-5993

^ Back to Top of Page

Preregistration required!
HAWK WATCH 2010
Morse’s River

Saturday, Sep. 25 or Oct. 2, 9 am
(Rain dates: Sep. 26 or Oct. 3)
Larry Barnes, Leader

Join Larry for a view of the world of raptors, swooping by Popham and Small Point on their annual migration route. The 2009 Hawk Watchers saw both peregrine falcons and golden eagles.

Please preregister with Larry, and he will let you know which weekend we will be meeting at the Popham Beach State Park parking lot at 9 am. Bring binoculars if you have them and a lunch if you wish; flight patterns can vary depending on the weather patterns, and peak viewing times can be unpredictable.

FMI: 380-5552.

^ Back to Top of Page