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Tell Us Why You #lovecelt...
Our #lovecelt campaign has been very popular this month. We've enjoyed hearing from so many of you about why you love your land trust and why you donate to CELT. Some of our favorite comments so
 far include:
"I #lovecelt because... Trundy Point is MY place. The rocks are so grounding and the vista is so expansive. Very inspiring!"
"I #lovecelt because... I love Cape and CELT preserves it!"
"I #lovecelt because... Its mission is broader than just
 preservation. CELT supports farms and education and recreation, which is great!"
"I #lovecelt because... Robinson Woods is a safe place to walk my dog."
About two dozen people braved the cold to enjoy some cocoa and cheer with us at the #lovecelt Hot Cocoa Reception on Saturday, February 13th. Many thanks to Cape's
C Salt Market for donating the delicious hot cocoa; it was heartily enjoyed by all.
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Paint for Preservation 2016 - Call for Artists
The Cape Elizabeth Land Trust has begun accepting artist submissions for Paint for Preservation 2016, our 9th
annual juried Wet Paint Auction and one of Maine's premiere art auction events. Artist entries this year will be juried by Elizabeth Moss, owner of Elizabeth Moss Galleries.
The Wet Paint Auction will be held Sunday, July 10th, at a new venue this year - Spurwink Farm, a scenic horse farm overlooking Higgins Beach and the Spurwink Marsh in Cape Elizabeth - and will be hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Phineas Sprague.
As one of the most anticipated art auctions in Maine each summer, Paint for Preservation showcases a diverse collection of
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"Kettle Cove" by Colin Page, 2015 Paint for Preservation
People's Choice Award Winner
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works by highly accom
plished artists. During the weekend of the event, selected artists will paint en plein air at designated public and private locations chosen to highlight Cape Elizabeth's natural beauty.
Sunday evening, guests and artists will enjoy a cocktail reception and live auction of the newly painted pieces. The proceeds benefit the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust's initiative, 'Saving Cape's Great Places', to permanently preserve local strategic conservation land.
will be updated frequently as we add information about our generous sponsors, selected artists, and ticket availability for the Wet Paint Auction. Artists are encouraged to view
the Call for Artists page for details.
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Come Join Our Night Time Owl Walk, March 10th
 Join CELT volunteers Erika Carlson Rhile, Lisa Gent and Tony Owens as we learn about and search for owls, the evening of March 10th (7 - 8:30 p.m.) We'll start the program with slides and recordings of owl calls, then carpool to several sites in town. Using an audiotape of owl calls, we'll stroll quietly while trying to locate owls by sound and sight. Bring a flashlight and wear quiet walking shoes or boots.
Participants should be prepared to stand outdoors quietly for 10-20 minutes at a time. (Sorry, but no children under the age of 16 can attend.) All participants must
register at least 48 hours in advance (and will receive notification of changes or cancellation).
More details are on our website.
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Our January Open House
Drew a Lively Crowd
CELT supporters, board members, and staff enjoyed a lovely evening of conversation at our Open House January 21st. Over the course of the afternoon and evening the CELT office welcomed close to 60 visitors. Conversation was lively, with visitors meeting CELT's new staff members, many for the first time.
Cindy Krum, CELT's E
 xecutive Director, enjoyed meeting such a large and committed pool of supporters and volunteers. She continues to be amazed by the engaged and dynamic land trust community. Linden Rayton, Education Coordinator, and Katye Charette, Membership and Development Manager, enjoyed meeting both long-time CELT supporters and newcomers to Cape Elizabeth who are excited to get involved for the first time.
"The fact that so many people came," remarked Linden, "helped me understand how important CELT is to the community and vice versa. It's an exciting time at CELT!"
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Naturalist's Corner
- Get Kids Outside Early and Often
I recently heard
Angela Hanscom, a New Hampshire pediatric occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook camps, give a presentation entitled, "Why Kids Need Nature." Being a medical professional, she brought an expertise and perspective to the table that I had not expected.
Our children's development is being negatively affected by their spending less time outdoors than previous generations. Turns out, children need to move in all different
directions on a regular
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photo courtesy of TimberNook
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basis for healthy development. This movement, most easily accomplished outdoors, trains the body's vestibular (balance) system, which directly affects the auditory, visual,
limbic,
and
proprioceptive systems. When kids are engaged in whole-body movement, the vestibular system is activated and so are all the other systems.
As an example, Hanscom compared the developmental value represented by a plastic balance beam, and a wet log outside
(complete with bare feet). The plastic beam has a textured, consistent surface. The log has a wet, variable surface, providing many sensations to those bare feet. A child walking the beam knows that he or she is contained within a structured environment. A child walking the log outside is...anywhere! Someone manufactured the plastic and it will likely end up in a landfill, while the organic log is simply waiting outside.
Hanscom had some concrete suggestions to help us give our kids back that precious developmental time in nature:
- Leave free time in children's schedules for unstructured play, preferably outside. Being overscheduled makes kids "afraid" of free time.
- Kids need to get dizzy, fall, play in the dark, and walk barefoot so that their various body systems develop properly. If we constantly prevent them from doing things, it ends up inhibiting much more than we might imagine.
You can learn more about these ideas in Hanscom's book, due out in April -"Balanced and Barefoot." I look forward to reading it myself! - Linden Rayton, CELT Education Coordinator
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An Innovative Way to Give: Stock Donations
A gift of securities not only helps the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, but may also provide tax benefits to the donor. If you would like to contribute securities to CELT, please review these instructions for transfer of securities to CELT
via DTC delivery and discuss your options with your broker.
Thank you for considering this mutually beneficial means of supporting your land trust!
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Volunteer Spotlight: Suzanne McGinn
Legions of Cape's youth have learned to more deeply understand and appreciate the beauty and bounty of our woodlands and shore lands thanks to the efforts of Suzanne McGinn. For 11 years she's led hundreds of student nature walks. For 9 of those years, McGinn (and her equally passionate co-hort Lisa Gent) co-chaired CELT's Education Committee. The two initiated the Environmental Resource Center at Pond Cove Elementary School, established the 1st and 4th grade nature walk programs and 'Natureland' at Pond Cove, initiated an environmental grant program for the schools, and supervised the annual spring 8th grade trail work projects. "We both wanted student
 s to better understand and appreciate the natural world in their back yards," McGinn says. "They'll be the future stewards of our world."
McGinn got involved with CELT when she and husband Neil and their three young boys moved here in 2003. She recalls being "captivated by the beauty of Cape Elizabeth. I could not believe how beautiful a place we had moved to, and I wanted to learn more about the natural world in Cape so I could share it with my kids.
"We immediately fell in love with Robinson Woods and spent hours there. Now I rotate where I walk: Great Pond in the winter, Dyer Hutchinson in the fall, Hobstone in the spring. Hobstone has an impressive grouping of vernal pools; I love to hear the sounds that erupt from the water." McGinn walks with her dogs or a friend, but also prefers to experience the woods solo, "just observing wildlife. And after a good snowstorm, I like to snowshoe on the trails.
"I chose to be a part of CELT because I see the importance of preserving Cape's special places, whether it's trails, vistas or farms. I know CELT will continue to do a great job, especially with so many committed and passionate citizens."
McGinn's dedication to her community extends beyond the land trust. She serves on the Fort Williams Advisory Commission, participated in the Shore Road Path working group, volunteers with Judy's Pantry, and for several years was a trustee with the Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset.
Though her tenure on the Education Committee has ended, she continues to be involved in CELT's outdoor experience programs. She also serves on the Executive Committee, assisted with the arduous accreditation process and currently chairs the Stewardship Committee. "More of my focus now is monitoring our 29 properties, and maintaining and improving the trail system. But I still love leading student walks."
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From Our Executive Director...
It is a lively time at CELT, with progress happening in many areas. Our education program held winter walks for local 1st grade students during a wonderfully snowy week. One leader told me of a moment where she used a recording to call in the chickadees. The students all laid back in the snow and were completely quiet while they watched numerous birds flitting above them.
Come spring, we're hoping to have Eagle Scouts working to replace the bog bridges at Runaway Farm. We recently signed off on the proposal, and are awaiting approval by the Boy Scout Council.
CELT is excited to help count alewives as they return to Alewife Brook. We plan to apply soon for a small grant so that we can assist with mon
itoring what we hope will be increasingly larger runs of fish.
Recently I attended a meeting of the Cape Farm Alliance to continue discussions of how CELT can best support our local farms. We will offer $10 farm gift certificates again this summer for all new and renewing land trust members.
Katye, Linden and I continue to be grateful for the warm welcome extended by so many CELT supporters. The exciting initiatives underway could not be happening without the great contributions of so many dedicated volunteers.
Cynthia Krum
Executive Director
Cape Elizabeth Land Trust
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