Somerset Woods Trustees

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Somerset Woods Trustees

Building Community through Land Conservation Since 1927.

08/31/2026

Have you discovered the Story Book Trail at Whitten Woods in New Portland? The New Portland Community Library installed this fun family feature at the Wire Bridge Trailhead. Now’s the perfect time to go enjoy a walk in the woods paired with a good story.

08/31/2026

Last week Somerset Woods Trustees hosted students from Skowhegan Outdoors C.A.N.O.E. program for a few days. C.A.N.O.E. stands for Career Access through National Service and Outdoor Education; it’s a program that combines Americorps service with career development for aspiring young professionals.

During their time with Somerset Woods, students got a hands-on introduction to the world of land trusts, and the many forms that conservation can take.

Stay tuned to our next few posts to learn about how this group of students made an impact!

08/31/2026

Whitten Woods on Middle Road in New Portland features more than 450 acres of woodlands, 2 miles of Carrabassett River frontage, diverse wetlands and … apples! These heirloom trees were loaded with pollinators this spring, and now they are heavy with apples for wildlife and foragers.

08/29/2026

We enjoy our long-standing collaboration with the Maine Grain Alliance, growing rye and other grains at Jackson Woods in East Madison and Taylor Field in Skowhegan. This year’s bonus: the rye harvest provided clean straw for our stewardship activities. Thanks Rich Roberts!

08/28/2026

Why do we delay our field mowing until late fall? Monarch butterflies are one reason! Parkman Hill Farm has a hardy population of milkweed, and it is once again filled with monarch caterpillars. Jennifer spied 11 cats of all sizes on a recent walk through the field below our office. Come enjoy the trails created and maintained by Ayden, and experience the magic of monarchs for yourself.

08/27/2026

Have you ever seen the Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)?

This striking red plant can be found growing along streams, lakesides, or in marshes here in Maine. This specific plant was found growing along the Carrabassett river on the SWT property McClean Woods (Embden) in July. Hummingbirds often pollinate these plants, as pollinating insects have a hard time with the long tubular necks of the flowers.

Visit some of our properties before summer ends and see what interesting finds you come across!

GoBotany: https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/lobelia/cardinalis/
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=loca2

08/26/2026

Conserved! We are honored to work with the Parsons Family to forever conserve managed woodlands at Parsons Bridge in New Portland earlier this month. This 175-acre property, with extensive frontage on both sides of Gilman Stream, is an important link in the regional snowmobile trail system, plus it offers hand-carry boat access to Gilman Stream just above the confluence with the Carrabassett River. With a beautifully productive vernal pool, imperiled freshwater mussels in Gilman Stream, and a rich history, Parsons Woods & Waters is an ecological and recreational gem.

This conservation purchase - our second in New Portland - was made possible by the generous support of community members, the Parsons Family, Land for Maine's Future Program, Ram Island Conservation Fund at Maine Community Foundation, Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and the Somerset County Matching Grant Program.

08/25/2026

Are you looking for volunteer opportunities this fall that help serve those in your community? Consider volunteering for a Somerset Woods Share event!

The Somerset Woods Share is a program of Somerset Woods Trustees that provides small allotments of firewood for those facing heating insecurity or emergencies during the winter. The Woods Share has reached just over 10 cords of firewood processed for distribution this winter and we are looking for more volunteers to help us reach 20 cords of processed firewood by November.

Events are scheduled every Saturday (excluding weekends with national holidays) from 9AM to 12PM. Volunteers are welcome to join us for any amount of time in this 3 hour period to help split and stack firewood. No previous experience is needed to volunteer for these events! Somerset Woods will show you how to use tools such as the wood splitters and will have extra PPE such as gloves, ear, and eye protection available if needed!

Interested in helping? Sign up using the link below!

Woods Share Volunteer form: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/iR300KMmVo5YMFOLIv4vhA
Learn more about the Woods Share: https://www.somersetwoodstrustees.org/somerset-woods-share

Skowhegan Community Matters Volunteer Maine

08/24/2026

Recently Jennifer enjoyed a property tour at Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm on School Street in New Portland. Founder and farmer Sam(antha) Burns practices regenerative agriculture, in the process rebuilding the soil and ecological health of this land. Forty of the farm’s 53 acres have been under a 50-year USDA/NRCS conservation contract since 2020, protecting brook trout habitat, an endangered freshwater mussel, and Canada lynx habitat. This means Runamuk earned ‘first to conserve’ status - before Whitten Woods! There are also public-access trails available for walking, snowshoeing, birdwatching, and picnicking and a farmstand and CSA! With our mutually supportive goals, we hope Runamuk Acres and Somerset Woods collaborate in the near future. In the meantime, Sam has invited Jennifer to join her on an upcoming episode of her Substack podcast, Talking Dirt! Learn more about Sam and Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm at https://runamukacres.com/conservation/ and at https://runamukacres.substack.com/p/start-here

08/23/2026

Please welcome Patric Moore to Somerset Woods! Patric joined the team in July, providing support for shrinking our backlog of conservation acquisitions and working with our executive director, Jennifer, on special projects to advance our commitment to putting conservation to work for our communities. Learn more about Patric on our web site https://www.somersetwoodstrustees.org/p-moore

Address

PO Box 833
Skowhegan, ME
04976

Telephone

+12076797306

Website

http://somersetwoodstrustees.org/

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