Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District

05/12/2026

Pickup day is coming soon! 🌱

If you’re headed to the Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District pre-order plant sale pickup, be sure to stop by and say hello!

🤝 Both Soil & Water and UMaine Extension will be there all day on Friday, May 29 (10 AM – 6 PM) to answer questions, share gardening tips, and offer resources while you wait for your plants.

Didn’t place an order? You’re still welcome to stop by—our specialists will be available to chat!

Please note: Plants are not available for purchase today, all orders had to be placed in advance.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

05/07/2026

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖!
Don't miss your chance to order your favorites - we have a huge selection.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀, 𝗠𝗘.
*There are limited quantities of each plant, so get your order in early to get the best selection!*
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲:
oxfordcountyswcd.org/native-plant-sale/
This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and every purchase supports our ongoing conservation and stewardship work - thank you!

05/06/2026

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲!
Check out our selection of native and naturalized pants. Whether you're looking to support pollinators, add beauty to your landscape, or restore habitat, we’ve got a great list of native trees, shrubs, and perennials to support your goals.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀, 𝗠𝗘.
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲:
oxfordcountyswcd.org/native-plant-sale/
This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and every purchase supports our ongoing conservation and stewardship work - thank you!

04/22/2026

04/03/2026

𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀' 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻!
Check out our selection of native and naturalized pants. Whether you're looking to support pollinators, add beauty to your landscape, or restore habitat, we’ve got a great list of native trees, shrubs, and perennials to support your goals.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀, 𝗠𝗘.
*There are limited quantities of each plant, so get your order in early to get the best selection!*
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲:
oxfordcountyswcd.org/native-plant-sale/
This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and every purchase supports our ongoing conservation and stewardship work - thank you!

03/26/2026

Baby season starts this week. You're going to find baby animals in your yard. Most of them don't need your help.

Here's the decision for each one.

A baby rabbit alone in a grass nest — the mother visits once or twice a day for a few minutes, at dawn or dusk. She stays away on purpose because her scent attracts predators. The babies are not abandoned. Lay two thin sticks in an X over the nest and check in twelve hours. Sticks disturbed means mom visited.

A fawn lying alone in tall grass — the mother left it there deliberately. Fawns have almost no scent for the first week and predators can't find them. A fawn lying still with its ears up is hiding, not hurt. The mother returns several times a day to nurse. Contact a rehabilitator only if the fawn is walking in circles, visibly injured, or vocalizing continuously for many hours.

A baby bird on the ground — if it's feathered, hopping, eyes open, and roughly tennis-ball sized, it's a fledgling. Leave it. The parents are nearby and feeding it. If it's naked with eyes closed, it's a nestling that fell from the nest — put it back. The myth that parents reject a baby touched by humans is false. If it's visibly injured, contact a rehabilitator.

A baby squirrel that approaches you needs help — healthy babies don't approach humans. One sitting in a tree or on a roof is fine.

A baby opossum longer than about seven inches nose to rump is independent and on schedule. Smaller than that and alone, it may have fallen off the mother's back — contact a rehabilitator.

A baby turtle is independent from the moment it hatches. It never meets its mother. There is no such thing as an abandoned baby turtle.

🌿 The universal rule:

- Before touching any baby animal, call a wildlife rehabilitator. Describe what you see. They'll tell you what to do
- Most baby animals look abandoned because being alone is their survival strategy
- Wait and watch from a distance for a couple of hours before intervening — in most cases the parent returns on a schedule you can't see
- If a cat is near a fledgling, move the bird under a dense shrub within thirty feet. The parents find it by sound

The instinct to help is good. The information to help correctly is what makes the difference 🌿

03/20/2026

🌱 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘! 🌱
Its now easier than ever to place an order on our new online store! Whether you're looking to support pollinators, add beauty to your landscape, or restore habitat, we’ve got a great list of native trees, shrubs, and perennials to support your goals.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀, 𝗠𝗘.
*There are limited quantities of each plant, so get your order in early to get the best selection!*

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲:
oxfordcountyswcd.org/native-plant-sale/

This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and every purchase supports our ongoing conservation and stewardship work - thank you!

03/15/2026

You see your yard from five and a half feet. A robin sees it from two hundred.

A migratory bird passing over your neighborhood at altitude makes a landing decision in seconds. She's not looking at your landscaping. She's reading structure.

Mature trees register first. Each large deciduous tree is a potential food source, a nesting platform, and escape cover from hawks. A yard with two oaks reads completely differently from above than a yard with a row of ornamental shrubs — because the oak canopy supports hundreds of caterpillar species and the ornamentals support almost none.

Standing water is the brightest signal in the landscape. A birdbath reflecting sunlight is visible from surprisingly far away. A yard with visible water pulls birds in from a distance that a feeder alone can't match.

Structure diversity is what separates a yard birds land in from one they fly over. A lawn is one habitat type. A lawn plus a garden bed plus a shrub row plus a brush pile plus a wild corner is five habitat types in the same space. From above, each transition between types — lawn to shrub, garden to grass, canopy to open — reads as an edge. Edges are where food concentrates. More edges mean more foraging opportunities per square foot.

A yard that looks messy from the sidewalk often looks rich from two hundred feet. The wild corner, the unmowed strip, the dead stump you left standing — those are the structural features that register as habitat from above. A perfectly uniform lawn reads as empty from any altitude.

She processes all of this in the time it takes her to cross your property line. Trees, water, structure, edges, cover. Land or keep flying.

🐦 How to score higher from two hundred feet:

- One mature native tree matters more than any other single feature — if you have one, protect it. If you don't, planting one native oak or maple is the highest-impact long-term change you can make
- Add visible water — even a simple birdbath on the ground reflects light upward and signals from a distance. Moving or dripping water is even more visible
- Create edges by letting different areas of your yard do different things — a mowed section next to an unmowed section next to a garden bed next to a shrub row. The transitions between them are where the value is
- A brush pile, a dead stump, or a log left on the ground adds structure that a clean lawn eliminates. These features register as habitat from above
- Dense cover within ten feet of a feeder gives every visiting bird an escape route from hawks — that safety margin is part of the landing calculation

The difference between a yard birds choose and a yard they skip isn't the landscaping budget. It's structure, water, edges, and cover.

She decided in seconds. She chose yours 🌿

02/27/2026

This winter, keep an eye out for “blonding” on ash trees. Woodpeckers often feed on ash trees that are infested with Emerald Ash Borer and create patches where light-colored bark is exposed. https://youtu.be/SawDPmGrTPo?si=a4PBVyQ_YiKUJyyh

12/11/2025

Last Friday, we said goodbye to our Community Tree Steward, Haydn. Throughout his term of service, he was a great help to the district, our partner organizations, and local landowners. He certainly left his mark on Oxford County. Haydn will be headed home soon, and we want to congratulate him on completing his AmeriCorps term of service, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors! 🎉