October 2014

                                            

                                                                                                   JOIN US! 

 

Annual Meeting to Feature a Focus on Local Foods & Farms   

 

The Cape Elizabeth Land Trust is extending an open invitation to this year's Annual Meeting, November 2nd, from 5-7 p.m. at the Purpoodock Club.

 

CELT's Annual Meeting will feature a special keynote presentation from  

Ben Tettlebaum, a Rhodes Fellow working with the Conservation Law Foundation to strengthen Maine's local foods community through research and the creation of a wide variety of support services for local producers and distributors. Ben's talk entitled, "Can the Local Foods Movement Grow Without Losing its Soul?", raises critical legal and structural questions for both local food consumers and producers.  

 

The Annual Meeting will also feature updates from our Executive Director

Jordans' Farm by Mary Anne Cary.

Chris Franklin and Board President Kathleen Janick regarding our accomplishments over the past year, as well as future plans to continue the preservation of Cape Elizabeth's most iconic and important lands.  

 

This Sunday evening program is free and open to the public, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Richard Brothers Financial Advisors. The event will include a cash bar and light fare.

 

Please register by calling 767-6064 or emailing, info@capelandtrust.org. (Registration is limited to the first 150 people.)

In Support of Outdoor Classrooms - Research Shows That Going Outside Can Make You Smarter and Happier!   

 

A recent article by Richard Louv (author of the book, Last Child in the Woods) caught my eye, both as a parent and as an educator. It was entitled, "Want Your Kid to Go to Harvard? Tell 'em to Go Outside." A 2009 report by the National Research Council, Learning Science in Informal Environments: Places, People and Pursuits, "describes a range of evidence demonstrating that even everyday experiences such as a walk in the park contribute to people's knowledge and interest in science and the environment...." Students in outdoor experience, sometimes called "place-based education", programs typically outperform their peers in traditional classrooms. Researchers have discovered that children as young as age five show a significant reduction in the symptoms of ADHD when they engage with nature.

 

Also, according to another recently published study, "hiking makes [us] happier and healthier." Researchers found that nature walks were associated with significantly less depression in addition to mitigating the negative effects of stressful life events and perceived stress. Sara Warber, senior author of the study, recommends walking outside in nature at least three times a week to experience benefits. Short, frequent jaunts are more beneficial than long, occasional walks. "Walking in nature is a coping mechanism - the benefits aren't just physical." 

 

As a teacher, I can attest to the importance of experiential education as part of my curriculum. For example, there's nothing like studying aquatic biodiversity while knee deep in a tide pool. During recent quadrant studies at Two Lights State Park, one of my students exclaimed, "This is what I want to do with my life!" As a parent, I love watching my children light up at the discovery of bumblebees feeding on sunflower pollen, helping a wooly bear caterpillar cross the road, and searching for salamanders under rotting leaves.  

 

I'm thankful for the beautiful place in which we live, where we can take advantage of almost 600 acres protected as green space, and including two state parks. I feel truly blessed that educators who embrace outdoor learning as a part of their curriculum teach my son.  Students are encouraged to become ecologists on an owl prowl, gardeners whose food is eaten in their own cafeteria, and naturalists who watch the environment change through the seasons. There's no doubt children love nature, so let's keep bringing nature into the classroom. Being outside makes our kids happier, healthier, and smarter!  

                                                                                          - Erika Carlson Rhile, CELT Education Chair 

Meet CELT's New Membership & Development Manager

This past May, CELT had the good fortune to welcome Willa B. Antczak as the organization's first Membership and Development Manager.  Hailing from Vermont, Willa has a deep commitment to

environmental preservation and a love of the outdoors. (An avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast, Willa has been exploring Maine with her fianc� and two dogs since moving to the state in 2013.) She received her B.A. in environmental studies from the University of Vermont, and earned a Masters in Urban Planning from McGill University, where she specialized in Natural Resource Management and Watershed Policy.  

 

Prior to joining CELT, Willa worked as the Planning and Development Director in Waldoboro, where she led several environmental and land conservation projects, including a major rehabilitation of the Medomak River watershed - the state's most productive clam flat. Willa and her staff successfully secured a $250,000 grant to fund the rehabilitation work.  

 

Willa is thrilled to be working with CELT. This summer she played an important role in coordinating CELT's very successful Paint for Preservation as well as our final Tri for Preservation, both of which have become hallmark community events in Cape Elizabeth.  

 

Willa's priorities as Membership and Development Manager are to increase community engagement and to expand the range of programs to grow CELT's membership. She's been very impressed with the commitment and support she's received from staff, volunteers, board and committee members, and is looking forward to a very successful and productive year ahead.

Harvest Time    

During this bountiful season of cider and squash, when we enjoy the last of the summer vegetables as well as the harvest of hearty fall produce, we take stock. For the vast majority of Cape Elizabeth's history this has meant evaluating our own personal winter stock - locally grown foods preserved for the winter.  Many families still follow this tradition; many of our community's farmers have been doing so for generations.  In this modern era where local foods are regaining a stronger sense of cultural, economic, and environmental importance, we're at a fascinating crossroads where past traditions and modern technology are both contributing to a vibrant local foods movement.   

 

Here at CELT we view our agricultural lands (and our farming families) as an integral part of our  

Maxwells' Fields, by Mary Anne Cary
 

local landscape, and are working to bring new resources 

and a renewed appreciation of our treasured farmland.  

 

As a community that was nearly all farmland at one point, we have steadily replaced many of these fields with new homes. While residential growth is seen by some as inevitable, let's hope we don't go too far down that road.

 

At our Annual Meeting November 2nd (see above), we'll be excited to learn more about our local foods' past, present, and future!  We hope to see you there.

 

 

 

 

All our best, 

 

Chris Franklin

Executive Director

Cape Elizabeth Land Trust  

 

        (Our appreciation to Bob Harrison for the stunning photo at the top of this email.) 


Cape Elizabeth Land Trust | 330 Ocean House Road | Cape Elizabeth | ME | 04107