Events in the coming months

The following items have been forwarded to us and we have tried to keep them in one place. For more information contact the person indicated in the calendar item. If that isn't us, we aren't going to be able to provide you much more information that is included here.

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A crowd of over 350 people delivered a standing ovation to filmmakers Jason Mann and Cecily Pingree, and to the farmer "movie stars," [Paul Birdsall-Hancock County, Dan Tibbetts-Kennebec County, and Bussie York-Franklin County],on the evening of the Meet Your Farmer Premier in Rockland. In the week after, Maine Farmland Trust has received statewide requests to show these eight short documentaries of Maine farms in local theatres. See it at Brunswick's Frontier Cafe on Thursday July 29th at 6 pm and 8 pm or at Northaven at Waterman's on August 9th. The time will be announced.

Click here for a press release on the Meet Your Farmer Premier.

Click here to visit the Meet Your Farmer website.

To purchase a Meet Your Farmer DVD, call the MFT office: 207-338-6575.

 Check our website periodically for upcoming screenings in theatres near you:

www.mainefarmlandtrust.org 

For more information about Maine Farmland Trust and current events and programs, please visit us at www.mainefarmlandtrust.org, or 97 Main St, Belfast, ME 04915

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The 30 Mile River Watershed Assoc. paddle from Mt. Vernon to Wayne. Planned for August 7 starting at Lake Minnehonk in Mt. Vernon at 7 a.m. that Saturday. The 14th is a rain date.  Contact Lee at 897-1112 or paddle@30MileRiver.org.  Or check their website at www.30MileRiver.org

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Maine Farm Days --

August 20th and 21st at the Barker Farm in Leeds. As more details about the two day event are available, they will be posted here.

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Kennebec Woodland Partnership

October 21 & 22.  Check out their website for details as they are developed.

Need Help fixing your private gravel road?

 Most private gravel roads need repair every spring.   Owners/users need to bring in loads of gravel to replace what washed away over the winter and during spring rains.  Where does that gravel go?  Some folks think it stays in the ditches but it washes out of those as well, straight to the nearest brook, stream and lake. 

 According to Wendy Garland with DEP, “Year after year MDEP assists local associations with watershed surveys documenting pollution sites in lake watersheds, and year after year the biggest, most common problems are related to roads.  If we are going to improve or protect the water quality of our lakes, we need to address erosion issues from our roads.”

 Some of the most challenging roads to fix are those that are privately owned with or without a road association.  “The ones without a road association can be particularly problematic as they don’t have a formal organization to help raise funds to get the needed work done”, adds Kristin Feindel, also of the DEP.  This is where the Guide to Forming Road Associations can help.

 While both Garland and Feindel say it is not hard to form a road association, they admit it takes time and commitment.  To make the job easier, DEP, with the help of the local Soil & Water Conservation Districts, will be offering workshops introducing the Guide at various locations around the state.  To determine the workshop locations DEP is asking interested residents of private roads to contact Sue Miles at MDEP, 207-764-0477 or sue.miles@Maine.gov and provide basic information.  As Garland explains “We will look to hold the workshops where there is strong interest and schedule the workshops to maximize the number of roads we can assist.”  DEP will compile a list of interested roads up until June 18^th, 2010 and will schedule the workshops for July and August.  Workshop locations will be posted on www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/training/index.htm

 The Guide and appendices can be found on DEP’s web site.  Look for the link to Camp Roads at www.MaineDEP.com.

 The single largest pollutant to Maine lakes is soil and the greatest source is private unpaved roads.  Is your road one of them?  Learn what you can do to ensure your road isn’t harming your lake visit www.MaineDEP.com.

*Coming this fall - Kennebec Woodland Partnership a collaborative partnership to focus attention on the critical role of woodlands in Kennebec County. The three day conference is being scheduled for October 21-23.  Check here periodically for details as they become available.

Also check out the Kennebec River Initiative page for activities along the Kennebec River. Click here