Conservation Commission

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Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 6:00 p.m. — monthly meeting of OHCC at Owls Head Village Library.

What to do if you come across WILDLIFE that you think is orphaned, sick, or injured

• Call the Town’s Animal Control Officer:

Troy Peasley
(207) 390-5410 | tnpeasley@hotmail.com

OR

• Visit the State Fish and Wildlife Service  for recommendations and resources.
  

This year’s Pumpkin Walk on October 28 & 29 was a great success thanks to generous donations by the following businesses: Plants Unlimited, Beth’s Farm Market, Hannaford’s, Shaw’s, Lowe’s, and the Knox County Sheriff’s Department. Thank you all very much.

We couldn’t have done it without the many efforts of neighbors, who carved their own pumpkins as well as the Baptist Church group, home school group, and the amazing Girl Scout Troop 191, who carved over 40 pumpkins. So many individuals helped to make the evening a truly special event.

The Owls Head Conservation Commission is committed to strengthening community through the experiences we can share with nature; come walk the Plaisted Preserve!

HALCYON STRING QUARTET‘s performances combine imagery, art, data, and music to cultivate environmental stewardship and raise awareness of the impacts climate change is having on Midcoast Maine. Performances are often designed in collaboration with local partner organizations and the community. A schedule of upcoming performances can be found on their website.

SEA LEVEL RISE AND FLOOD RESILIENCE PLANNING FOR THE TOWN OF OWLS HEAD
As an advisory body for the town’s Select Board, the Owls Head Conservation Commission (OHCC) has been gathering information and looking into resources available to assist in developing an understanding of our town’s vulnerability to sea level rise. The state, county, and several nonprofit organizations such as Island Institute have resources to assist us. Several other coastal towns are working on a similar process.

An informational meeting for the entire community was held in July, 2021, to better understand the areas of the town which may be significantly impacted over the coming years. Knox County has assisted us in providing interactive maps of Owls Head with varying levels of sea level rise (click to access), or with storm surge levels associated with hurricanes. In addition, there is a second tab which has the Maine Climate Council’s recent reports. An understanding of this information will help the town develop plans to address flooding resilience with practical measures such as emergency vehicle access.

The interactive maps have menu buttons that allow one to select sea level heights (with the highest astronomical tide of 2018 as a baseline). It takes a minute for each layer to be plotted, so it’s best not to select multiple layers at once. Feel free to explore the County’s interactive maps to see how sea level rise and storm surge can affect your neighborhood!

Maine Association of Conservation Commissions  is committed to connecting communities to each other and to the waters, woods and wildlife of Maine. Explore their website to learn what their members are doing to make their towns a better place for all. MACC is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping members educate, advise and organize.

Maine Conservation Voters cultivates and uses political power to conserve and protect Maine’s environment. MCV helps pass laws that protect our environmental legacy, elects pro-environment candidates to office, and holds our elected officials accountable, without regard to political party.

Parks – Public Lands – Water Access – Hiking/Walking Trails

• The sites described here can be located by number on the map below.

•  Unless otherwise noted, all sites listed are property of the Town of Owls Head.

• Properties described as “street-end” (4, 8, 9, 10, and 12) have limited to no parking. Please respect abutting neighbors’ property and privacy.

• “Beach” in Maine is an elusive term–most beaches in the mid-coast are rocky, rarely sandy, and walkability is dependent on tidal variation. By Maine law, shore property owners may prohibit access to adjacent intertidal area, except for “fishing and fowling”.

• All properties are likely to have a significant tick population, so it’s best to remain on established trails. Wearing light colors, tucking in shirts and socks, using insect repellent, and checking your body during and after spending time on these sites will help to minimize the likelihood of infection with Lyme or other tick-borne diseases.

1. Ash Island 47-acre island with rocky shoreline and views of Mussel Ridge Channel and islands; accessible only by water, closest launch site at Birch Point State Park (see below) with ample parking. For More Information (FMI): Ash Island (Maine Coast Heritage Trust).

2. Ash Point (Trails End) Water access at the end of Ash Point Drive with views of Ash Island and Mussel Ridge Channel, approximately 100’ wide with parking for 3-4 cars.

3. Ash Point Preserve 34-acre preserve with trails through coastal forest to 2,140’ granite shoreline; parking for several cars in lot off Ash Point Drive. FMI: Ash Point Preserve (Georges River Land Trust).

4. Ballyhac Road Water access at road end, limited/no parking.

5. Birch Point State Park State-owned with admission fee in summer, closed in winter months. Entrance off Ballyhac Road; sandy beach and picnic tables with expansive views of Mussel Ridge Channel and islands. Parking for 20-30 cars. FMI: Birch Point State Park.

6. Crescent Beach Public access approximately 70’ wide to large pebble beach on Mussel Ridge Channel; parking for 6-10 cars located at end of Crescent Beach Road.

7. Crocketts Beach Public access to a short rocky/sand beach at end of Crocketts Beach Road; views of Mussel Ridge Channel; limited parking.

8. Harborside Terrace Street-end water view of Rockland Harbor, road-width wide, with limited parking.

9. Knowlton Avenue Street-end water access to Rockland Harbor; limited/no parking.

10. Knowlton Place Street-end access with views of Rockland Harbor and bay; no parking.

11. Monroe Island 225-acre island with hiking trails and 2 camp-sites; 5 freshwater ponds, forest, bold rocky shoreline with views of Penobscot Bay and islands; access only by water, closest launch site at foot of Main Street with public parking in adjacent Owls Head Harbor Park. FMI: Monroe Island–Owls Head (Maine Coast Heritage Trust).

13. Owls Head Harbor Park (Carver Park) waterfront park of 3 acres with pebbly beach, wetlands, and walking path through meadow to freshwater pond; an ADA compliant pier was recently completed, providing water access for small craft; ample parking in lot off Lighthouse Road with additional spaces in lot next to pier accessed from Main and Wharf Streets.

14. Owls Head Light State Park Located at the end of Lighthouse Road; lighthouse and keeper’s house are Federal property maintained by Friends of Rockland Harbor Lights, while the light itself is maintained by the US Coast Guard; both the light and the keeper’s house are accessible to the public; shoreline is mostly steep and rocky with some pebbly beaches; ample parking with lighthouse a few-minute-walk away FMI: Tour Owls Head Light.

15. Plaisted Preserve Seventeen+-acre property off North Shore Drive near the fire station, with 1/2 mile of trails through spruce forest and beds of moss and ferns; water access to Broad Cove; parking for 4-5 cars.

Purchased in part with funds from Land for Maine’s Future, protected by George’s River Land Trust and owned by the Town of Owls Head.

Photographs ©2020 Lauren Swartzbaugh