More of this, please!!!

#RockportME - #Midcoast nonprofits team up to preserve historic #farmland — and build new #housing

Maine Public | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published November 29, 2025 at 8:31 AM EST

"Two midcoast nonprofits are teaming up to preserve a historic dairy farm in Rockport — and build new affordable housing on site.

#MaineCoastHeritageTrust has owned more than 160 acres south of Route 90 for the last 15 years. The #EricksonFieldsPreserve has #WalkingTrails and a #CommunityGarden, where students have learned to grow produce for nearby #FoodBanks.

Recently, the Heritage Trust secured the farm's remaining six acres across the street, where the old farmhouse and dairy barn are located.

When a family member living in the farmhouse passed away a few years ago, Aaron Englander with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust said the nonprofit began to think about how the property could be preserved for community benefit.

Housing, Englander said, emerged as a clear need. The Heritage Trust acquired the six-acre property and plans to preserve five of them. It has donated the remaining acre to the #MidCoastRegionalHousingTrust, which plans to develop one and two-bedroom apartments.

The housing shortage is being felt throughout the region, said Jonathan Goss, president of the housing trust. Knox County needs nearly 1,300 new homes by the end of the decade.

'Services are being cut back or being lost because of a lack of employees,' he said. 'Everybody knows someone who either grew up here or had been living here who is not able to live here any longer.'

The housing trust plans to renovate the old farmhouse on site for rental housing first, and then construct eight new apartments for working families there later on. Goss said these are families with teachers, public safety officers, nurses and others who earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing, but not enough to afford a median-priced home in the region, which now surpasses $450,000.

Housing development is sometimes pitted against land and environmental conservation efforts. But Englander with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust said this project could serve as a statewide model for balancing those interests.

'[This can] show people that yes, you can conserve wildlife habitat, you can conserve farmland, soils and agricultural know-how, and you can create access to public lands and outdoor educational spaces all in one property,' he said."

Read more:
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-11-29/midcoast-nonprofits-team-up-to-preserve-historic-farmland-and-build-new-housing

#SolarPunkSunday #LandPreservation #AffordableHousing #PreservingWildlifeHabitats #Farmland #Conservation #Maine #MainePublic #PublicBroadcasting

The Walking Trails of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne by Veronica Smith

I am fortunate to live in the Spa town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne in Normandie, north-west France. The town lies in the middle of the Forest of Andaine, which is perfect for walking trails and cycling.

The town itself offers plenty of sporting activities. There is an outdoor swimming pool; tennis courts, which host national tennis tournaments; archery classes; Tree-Aerobics (including acrobatics while suspended from tall trees!); bicycle-hire; Nordic Walking and many more seasonal delights.

The old railway track , heading north between Bagnoles-de-l’Orne and Briouze, has been converted into a graveled walking and cycling track, crossing an area of conservation with rare marsh-land plants. Or you can go westwards through unspoiled forest towards the medieval fortress-town of Domfront. Eastwards, the spectacular Gorges de Villiers hides ancient monuments. Some trails link to medieval pilgrimage routes, such as the one to Mont Saint Michel.

I am lucky enough to live on the edge of town, surrounded by forest. It is easy for me to access several of the trail routes. Instead of going with an organised group, I prefer to walk at my own pace. Just being amongst the trees and nature is a balm to the spirit. It not only tones up my physical body but helps to clear my brain from stress and calms down my emotions.

The only time that this does not work is during the Hunting Season! For six months, from September until the end of February, if you go down to the woods today, you are likely to get shot by La Chasse! Every year there are accidents and fatalities because, let us not forget, these are people toting powerful weapons with high-caliber bullets. What amazes me is that hunting is classed as a “Sport”! Calming? No! Eco-friendly? No!

There I was, naively thinking that the woods existed to provide fresh air to the planet and to provide a last refuge for creatures other than humans but evidently the forest is just another tourist asset. Oh dear!

Hopefully it will be safe to walk in the woods again come March………!

https://youtube.com/shorts/cxG7wmIN34c?feature=share

ENDS

Tonight and tomorrow night in #IpswichMA !

#CraneOutdoors: Dunes by the Light of the #FullMoon

Castle Hill on the #CraneEstate

Sunday, September 7, 2025, and Monday, September 8, 2025

About CraneOutdoors: Dunes by the Light of the Full Moon

"Transformed and illuminated by the glow of the full moon, the beach and dunes of Castle Neck are a stunningly beautiful landscape. To experience this special place at this magical time, join us for a unique hiking experience.

"We’ll start with the beauty of a sunset while taking an evening walk along Crane Beach when most visitors have packed up and gone home for the day. We’ll have ample time to take in the 'Cape Ann light' that has been the inspiration of many artists over the years. Then, we’ll then head into the dunes where we’ll explore the trails of Castle Neck under the light of the full moon. You’ll enjoy the quiet of Pitch Pine groves and catch glimpses of the Atlantic as you crest the dunes. You might even see some cranberries in the Neck’s naturally occurring cranberry bogs.

"Please note: Our standard Full Moon Hike is suited to kids aged 12+ and/or who can comfortably hike 2-3 miles. For families with smaller children, or those looking for a slower pace, please look for our CraneExplorer: Family Full Moon Hike offerings, which are shorter and go at a gentler pace.

"Bring water and dress for the weather to maximize comfort. You are welcome to bring a flashlight or headlamp, but we may ask for moments of total darkness to fully enjoy the moon and the shadows it makes on the dunes."

$30pp

https://thetrustees.org/event/441279/

#SolarPunkSunday #LunarPunkSunday #TrusteesOfReservations #CraneEstate #WalkingTrails #MoonlightWalks #Nature
#Massachusetts #MassachusettsEvents #SpendTimeInNature #LandPreservation #LandTrusts

So, the Crane Estate is the place I based my #SolarPunkSunday microfiction piece on. While it doesn't have the #SolarArray of Star Island or a #WindTurbine (yet), it is making good use of a cistern that was installed there by the original owner -- which catches rainwater off the roof for future use! Also, there was a wind turbine on nearby Eagle Hill, but it was damaged in 2018 by an electrical fire, and is being torn down rather then repaired. However, both Eagle Hill and Castle Hill would be good places to catch sea breezes from the Atlantic Ocean!

The Trustees of Reservation Have A Mission…

November 22, 2011

"When Chicago industrialist Richard T. Crane, Jr. built his palatial summer home in 1928, he planned carefully for the estate’s water needs, using state-of-the-art technology-after all, the Cranes made their fortunes manufacturing plumbing supplies. As part of a plan that included wells throughout the estate, he arranged to harvest rainwater from the roof of the Great House and store it in an underground cistern next door.

"Over the years, that cistern was forgotten, says Robert Murray, superintendent of the Crane Estate, as water lines easily brought potable water up Castle Hill. The echoing chamber stood empty, just below the surface, for perhaps 60 years, until plans got underway for a major replanting on the Allee-the storied tree-lined lawn that rolls from the Great House down to the sea.

" 'As we were planning for the Allee restoration, we knew that we had to make provisions for irrigation in the event of a mandatory town-wide water ban,' Murray says. A drought would be the undoing of the substantial investment in new trees along the half-mile landscape. The organization estimates they could collect 180,000 gallons of rainwater a year from the roof-enough to take care of those young trees until they can stand on their own.

"The cistern revival is symbolic of a rethinking of the mission and goals of the Trustees of Reservations, a 120-year-old organization dedicated to preserving and protecting more than 100 special places in Massachusetts-some 20 of which are found on the North Shore. It was one of the first land trust organizations in the country, so shifting its time-honed methods wasn’t a natural move. But in response to changing times that demand more agile environmental action, the Trustees launched its 2017 Strategic Plan to make the organization more relevant in an age of eco-upheaval. The emphasis on the environment is not just a feel-good plan-the Trustees have 75 miles of coastline property that they are the first to admit could very well be radically altered by global warming."

[...]

"These properties feature, in a relatively small geographic area, a range of natural, cultural, and historic resources that are representative of the Trustees’ broader network of properties: historic structures like the Great House on Castle Hill, the Paine House on Greenwood Farms, and the Old House at Appleton Farms; important historical collections; significant natural and planned landscapes; coastal habitats, grasslands, marshlands, and agricultural lands."

Read more:
https://www.nshoremag.com/faces-places/the-trustees-of-reservation-have-a-mission/

#SolarPunkSunday #LandPreservation #Massachusetts #LandTrusts #HistoricBuildings #WalkingTrails #NewEngland

Areas frequented by tourists often have nice wide sidewalks and lots of spaces to walk. https://lttr.ai/AetXE

#WalkingTrails #Walking

If the local mall near you hasn't shut down completely, you can take a walk inside it. https://lttr.ai/AekQj

#WalkingTrails #Walking

12 Places to Take a Walk for Free
▸ https://lttr.ai/AefRb

#WalkingTrails #Walking

Just a half-hour during your lunch break provides a decent cardio workout. https://lttr.ai/AefBt

#WalkingTrails #Walking

Relax and unwind at Belmont Park Exeter—green space in the heart of the city! 🌳✨

#belmontpark #exeter #visitdevon #ukparks #natureescape #familyfun #outdoorlife #devonexplore #greenspaces #walkingtrails

🔗 Discover more

https://makeitspecialdevon.co.uk/listing/belmont-park-exeter/