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SUPERVISOR ELECTION NOTICE

Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor Election

Tom Doore of Augusta was elected for another term to the Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors. Voting was completed on Tuesday, November 26, 2024..

Registered voters within the boundaries of the Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District were eligible to vote.

 

Kennebec Workshops

USDA Funding for Kennebec & Lincoln counties: How Should Money be Spent?

The Kennebec and Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs), in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field office in Augusta, will host a public meeting of the Kennebec-Lincoln Local Working Groups (LWG).

Taking into account local resource concerns, these Local Working Groups make recommendations to NRCS on how to spend USDA Farm Bill funds for conservation practices on private lands. This year’s meeting will be held in-person on December 17, 2024 from  noon- 2 pm. This meeting is intended as an in-person event and will accommodate for online participation, if requested.  We will meet at the meeting room at the City of Augusta located at 16 Cony St  near Old Fort Western in Augusta, ME. If you are an agricultural producer; forester, logger or private woodland owner; member of an environmental or watershed organization or land trust; knowledgeable in soil, water, plant, wetland or wildlife sciences; and/or are familiar with agricultural and natural resource concerns in Kennebec or Lincoln counties, we invite you to attend this meeting to help 1) identify and prioritize local conservation concerns; and 2) recommend how local funds for USDA Environmental Quality Incentive Programs (EQIP) will be distributed by NRCS to alleviate problems. To attend, please contact your local soil & water conservation district to register and get more information. For Kennebec County contact Dale at 207-480-3927, dfinseth@kcswcd.org. For Lincoln County contact Julie at 207.596.2040, julie@knox-lincoln.org. If you are unable to attend, you may send comments to your local soil & water conservation district.

FMI about LWGs, please visit        https://www.knox-lincoln.org/events-workshops/lwglincoln

USDA and SWCDs are equal opportunity providers, employers, and lenders.

 

Small “backyard” farm workshop—   Somerset County SWCD is currently scheduling a workshop similar to this for late summer, early fall of 2024.

 

Buffer Retrospective.

Here is a review of 18 year’s of buffer development. It is a review of an old project installing a buffer on the West Branch of the Sheepscot River and how it has weathered.  Take a look  Conservation Buffer 2024 FINALFeb28 (002)

We have hired our new Executive Director! Stacy Taylor will be joining us at our office and begin learning her new duties. She will take the opportunity to introduce herself shortly.

Currently we are getting her set up with equipment and contact information. Stay tuned.

The Kennebec SWCD and the USDA  are co-located  at 2305 N. Belfast Ave. in Augusta. That is on Rts. 3, 9 and 202. Our new building is right across the street from Knights Farm Supply. You can give us a call at the NRCS shared number i.e. 622-7847 x3.

As the new USDA Service Center for Kennebec & Lincoln Counties. It includes offices for Natural Resources Conservation Service [NRCS]; Farm Service Administration [FSA]; and Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation District.

Given our Covid 19 procedures, you are still asked to call ahead before stopping by the office.

Covid-19 notice.  

Our office is currently open.

Our Board of Supervisors has begun meeting on the second Monday of each month at 1:30 pm. You must call ahead to receive materials and the needed meeting arrangements.

The Maine Forest Tick Survey is a collaboration between The University of Maine and volunteer landowners in southern and coastal Maine. Together, we are studying the relationship between land management and tick populations and tick-borne pathogens. Volunteers will collect ticks from their wooded properties, and we will identify and test them for pathogens. All volunteers will get a personalized report on which tick species and pathogens are present on their land. Online training sessions will take place in June and tick collections will occur on three separate days in July. Volunteers need to own between 5 and 1,000 acres of wooded land and live in one of the following counties: Androscoggin, Cumberland, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, York.  For more information, and to sign up, please visit: umaine.edu/ForestTickSurvey

 

OTHER INVASIVE INFORMATION

**Wondering what to plant in your yard? Choose native plants to safeguard Maine’s native habitat for the birds and pollinators. Check out the Wild Seed Project, a Portland based nonprofit, for native plant inspiration! https://wildseedproject.net/

**Did you know that certified heat-treated firewood is the only firewood that is safe to travel with? All other wood may contain invasive insects & diseases. If you plan to camp somewhere far from firewood sellers and decide to bring wood with you, buy USDA certified heat-treated firewood. Look for labels with “certified heat-treated firewood” that had been heated to 160 degrees for at least 75 minutes to make sure your wood is pest free!https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/map/maine/
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Spotted Lanternfly isn’t picky – it has over 120 host plants it uses (and that’s just the lists of plants we have here in Maine).

Right now you should look for their egg masses (which look like mud splotches) on trees, vehicles, buildings, outdoor equipment, and other surfaces. For more information: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/php/caps/slf/index.shtml
Asian Longhorned Beetle is attracted to trees like maples, birches, elms, willows, and horsechestnuts. These trees are common in Maine and make up over half of Maine’s annual harvest. Keep your eyes open for signs of Asian Longhorned Beetle: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/php/caps/ALB/ALBdamagepics.shtml
Trees provide environmental services by filtering our air and water and anchoring our soil. We don’t know what we would do without them (and we don’t want to find out!). What’s your favorite kind of tree?

**One of the invasive species that’s spreading closer to Maine is Oak Wilt. Oak Wilt is a fungus that kills all oak trees, with red oaks being very vulnerable. Red oaks can die within months or weeks of infection, while white oaks die slowly over the course of several years, increasing the potential for the Oak Wilt to spread to other trees.

**It’s National Invasive Species Awareness Week!  Maine has more invasive forest pests than we would like, and they harm our economy, environment, culture, and health. We can reduce the spread of invasive forest pests by not moving firewood and by checking our trees for signs of infestation and disease. Each day we’ll post on an invasive forest pest we’re trying to stop from harming Maine’s forests

**Have you checked your trees recently? Now is a good time to check and prune for Browntail Moth webs and Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, as well as to safely prune oak trees while oak diseases, like oak wilt, are less likely to spread. https://youtu.be/LiCK8XBtXAU

**Oak Wilt is a fungus that kills all oak species once infected. This fungus can be spread by sap beetles, root grafts between oak trees, and moving infected wood. https://youtu.be/hFThVO7kLB0

**As you’re enjoying Maine’s woods this winter, prevent the spread of unwanted forest pests! Find local firewood at https://firewoodscout.org/resources/ME

**Locally cut trees and holiday plants can be put in your brush pile or taken to your transfer station for mulching

**90% of Maine’s forest is privately owned. Help prevent the spread of deadly invasives by checking your wood lots for signs of pests & diseases!

 

This invasive beetle has been found as close as Boston and Worcester, MA but luckily has not yet made it’s way to Maine. Asian Longhorned Beetles easily spread by hitchhiking on firewood. Every tree infested with Asian Longhorned Beetles eventually die. #BuyLocalBurnLocal #DontMoveFirewood

The Asian Longhorned Beetle looks very similar to our natiive “Pine” Sawyer…

See More

  • Asian Longhorn Beetle (ALB): Pest Survey (CAPS): Division of Animal and Plant Health: Maine Agriculture, Conservation, Forestry (DACF)
    DACF Home → Bureaus & Programs → Bureau of Agriculture → Division of Animal and Plant Health → Pest Survey (CAPS) → LHB Resource Page
  • Asian Longhorn Beetle (ALB): Pest Survey (CAPS): Division of Animal and Plant Health: Maine Agriculture, Conservation, Forestry (DACF)
    DACF Home → Bureaus & Programs → Bureau of Agriculture → Division of Animal and Plant Health → Pest Survey (CAPS) → LHB Resource Page
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OTHER BIG NEWS

Check the link below for more Envirothon news.

The Maine State Envirothon 2024 was in late May this year. The Spruce Mt. Green team took 1st place and represented Maine at the National Envirothon in Geneva, NY.
Check   www.maineconservationdistricts.org/envirothon for more info.  

The 2024-25 Envirothon season has started. Plans are for three Fall Field Day events.  9/10/2024 in Presque Isle. 9/27/24 in Sebago. 10/18/24 in Orono.  We will be holding a Spring Forestry Training at the UMOrono campus in March.  Maine Envirothon events will be held in the spring of 2025. Locations and dates are currently being arranged.

In other news:

  • The Kennebec SWCD is currently completing the needed contracting for the newly awarded 319 Implementation Grants with the Maine DEP. Both a project in Togus Pond watershed and China Lake watershed began in January, 2024.
  • The Kennebec SWCD  has been part of a statewide group of SWCD’s providing  Forestry Pest outreach. Activities are primarily focused on digital outreach and providing materials to people and groups.
  • The Kennebec SWCD has received the award from Maine DEP for a new Watershed Based Plan for North Pond. That project is completed.
  • The Kennebec SWCD completed work on the grant to develop a Watershed Based Plan for China Lake. That work  completed early in the 2022 calendar year.