Summertime is a busy season for York Land Trust stewardship staff. But what exactly is stewardship? Land stewardship refers to the responsible and sustainable management of land and its resources. It involves practices that aim to conserve and enhance the health, productivity, and biodiversity of land ecosystems while considering the needs of present and future generations. It also plays a crucial role in addressing environmental challenges such as habitat loss, biodiversity decline, climate change impacts, and water quality issues by promoting sustainable land management practices. York Land Trust has conserved nearly 3,600 acres of treasured community lands, including Public Access Preserves, Limited Access Preserves, and Conservation Easements on privately owned lands in the York region.
Stewardship is a team effort, and we could not accomplish this important land management work without a dedicated group of staff and volunteers. That is why we are thrilled to announce the hiring of York Land Trust’s new Stewardship Coordinator, Evelyn Brown, who came onboard in June. Evelyn brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position, and she works closely with YLT’s Stewardship Director, Liz Walworth. Evelyn holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from The Ohio State University and previously served as a crew member with Utah Conservation Corps, a Marine Fisheries Observer with NOAA, and a Team Lead at North Spore. In addition to land management work, she will lead YLT’s stewardship volunteer program and develop opportunities for environmental education and research. We hope you will join us in welcoming Evelyn! (Cover Photo L to R: Evelyn Brown, Stewardship Coordinator, Liz Walworth, Stewardship Director)
Love Maine Trails
June was an exciting month for YLT. We participated in the third annual Love Maine Trails Month (LMTM), organized by the Maine Trails Coalition. LMTM is a month of statewide events bringing people and organizations together to care for Maine’s beloved trails. LMTM brings visibility to the substantial resources and effort required to maintain Maine’s beloved outdoor trail network.
“Recent increased use of our trails has highlighted both how much our community needs our trails, and how much our trails need stewardship from our community,” explained Liz Walworth, Stewardship Director, York Land Trust.
York Land Trust hosted several LMTM events, kicking off the month with a trail stewardship workday on one of YLT’s Limited Access Preserves, followed by a boardwalk building workday at Smelt Brook Preserve. In fact, you may have seen YLT featured in the news for LMTM on NEWS CENTER Maine, in Seacoast Online and The Weekly Sentinel!
Field Season Projects
This has certainly been a summer of stewardship. YLT’s stewardship team, with help from a dedicated volunteer group, replaced all the boardwalks at our scenic Smelt Brook Preserve. Because of this wonderful group effort, Smelt Brook Preserve is now open and operational again after all the storm damage this spring.
Stewardship also hosted a bog bridge workday at Hilton-Winn Preserve where they worked along with a group of volunteers to rebuild six bog bridges and reposition an existing boardwalk. Bog bridging and boardwalks are not only important for making our trails more enjoyable and accessible to walk on, however, they are also important for maintaining the original hydrology of the area and protecting fragile areas like wetlands. Stewardship is also hosting a workday this summer at Hilton-Winn Preserve to improve stream crossings to maintain a safe visitor experience.
York Land Trust, in partnership with the Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative received a $7,000 grant from Cornell University to be used for field restoration work and habitat enhancement for field nesting birds along the Upper York River. Restoration and enhancement efforts will focus on restoring native vegetation to the area and improving soil health. YLT will also use funds to educate and promote bird-friendly field restoration and management practices among local partners and landowners.
First Annual Online Stewardship Fundraiser
As we work diligently to care for conserved lands and place more land in conservation, our stewardship needs have significantly grown. That is why YLT is launching its first online stewardship fundraiser which kicks off on July 18th and runs through July 28th. Visit https://givebutter.com/c/ylt to help YLT care for conserved lands in York.
“This idea was born out of the need to support our growing stewardship efforts like staffing, resources, and active land management,” explained Amelia Nadilo, Executive Director, York Land Trust. “We take the responsibility of stewardship seriously, and we also wanted to create opportunities for the community to support tangible projects that they can see results from immediately.” The online fundraiser helps fulfill YLT’s ongoing strategic goals of caring for YLT’s current properties, improving user experiences on the trails, and increasing accessibility. “Being a nonprofit, we are only as strong as our support base, so we are so grateful for all the ways our community supports conservation,” she added.
Thank You Volunteers
YLT enjoys a dedicated stewardship volunteer community comprised of local residents who want to give back to the land and rich ecosystem that they love. From stewardship workdays to land monitoring, helping with building and grounds maintenance, leading guided hikes and serving as preserve ambassadors, our stewardship volunteers are a vibrant and critical part of our nonprofit organization, and we wholeheartedly thank them for all their work!
“Having grown up on a dairy farm in Maine, I learned to care for our animals and the land. Today there is no family farm, but volunteering for YLT has given me a similar opportunity by helping to protect York’s beautiful, but disappearing, natural resources. The Land Trust’s work is vital to ensure that my generation and all those that follow have access to undeveloped fields, forests, and waterways and that plants and animals have places to survive and thrive,” explained Gary Goss, a York Land Trust Stewardship Volunteer and major donor who is also a former YLT Board Member and currently serves on the YLT Stewardship Committee.
If you might be interested in joining our Stewardship Volunteer team and helping to manage treasured community land in York, please reach out to Evelyn Brown via email at ebrown@yorklandtrust.org.