Linda Andrews is working on bringing a dog park to South Berwick

South Berwick has dogs and South Berwick has people who love their dogs but we don’t have a dog park. Linda Vaillancourt Andrews, a lifelong south Berwick resident and dog lover, didn’t even know such a thing as a dog park existed until she and her husband went on a work assignment to Washington state where they stayed in an apartment with their dogs. It was then that Linda discovered dog parks and realized how great they were for dogs and their companion people. Now she has made it her mission to bring a dog park to South Berwick.

Linda's dog, Achilles

LLL

Linda describes her vision of a dog park as a centrally located piece of land between 2 to 5 acres that would have some open field but also a tree line for shade and variable terrain to make it interesting. The area would be fenced in so dogs could be let off lead with no danger of them running off or getting into trouble. Linda sees the benefits as multiple. For dogs, it provides a place for safe vigorous exercise which results in better behavior and health. They also get to socialize with other dogs in a safe setting. For people it provides a safe place to exercise dogs and for getting to know other dog owners. She says dog parks can be especially helpful to those who live in apartments with no yard and for those who have difficulty walking, since a dog park means they can let their dog off lead for a good run without having to keep up with them.

Linda has done quite a bit of groundwork toward establishing a dog park in South Berwick. She is in the process of setting up an LLC, Dog Bone Central,  to manage the dog park and has gotten Animal Welfare Society of Kennebunk to sponsor the project so that she can accept tax deductible donations. Linda has visited area dog parks to learn about their layout, the rules, and how they are funded and governed. She has been before the South Berwick Town Council to present the idea, where she received a favorable although cautious response, the Council expressed support for the idea but reluctance for the Town to take any responsibility for a dog park.

Linda's dogs, Faelan, Jack, and Shadow poolside

The idea has generated enthusiasm among townspeople, especially dog owners who would love such a resource. Linda says occasionally someone questions why a dog park is important when we have so many open areas available for walking. Linda describes the dangers inherent in walking an unleashed dog in open areas. She says even well behaved dogs can be attracted by animals and end up running off. Off lead exercise is important particularly for large dogs who can’t run full out on a leash.

Other dog parks have established rules for clean up and behavior that result in places that are safe and pleasing for both dogs and people. Dog parks can help keep dogs out of places like cemeteries and school yards, where dogs are not always welcome.  One of Linda’s goals is to establish a Board of Directors to help with setting up the rules and governance and to help maintain the dog park. The Board will also need to raise money for fencing, materials and other costs for maintenance. Linda is now looking for volunteers who are interested in helping to make Dog Bone Central: South Berwick Dog Park a reality.

She lists her immediate needs:

1. Land—She is looking for a piece of land for the dog park. In some towns the Town has allowed dog parks on town owned land, in others the land has been leased from the town or individuals. Some dog parks are on land that individuals have donated. Linda is interested in looking at any option and urges those with ideas or land to contact her.
2. People for the Board of Directors and to volunteer. She needs help to bring the dog park to fruition and is looking for people interested in doing hands-on work of planning, finding land, and fundraising.
3. Donations – Funds are needed for all aspects of the dog park. Through Dog Bone Central alliance with Animal Welfare Society, all donations are tax deductible.

Linda urges anyone interested in helping or who has any ideas about potential land for a dog park to contact her. She can be reached by phone at 207-332-4565 or email at weluvmutts@yahoo.com. She can also be found at the Marshwood Holiday Bazaar on December 4 where she will have a table for information, donations and with doggy treats for sale.

November 7, Sunday, 10 am-noon.  Hike Tatnic Hill with Joe Hardy, author of Settlement & Abandonment on Tatnic Hill: An Eclectic History of Wells, Maine 1600-1900.

Meet on Hill Road, off of Tatnic Road in Wells. No raindate.  For more information:  info@gwrlt.org .

Both great horned owlets were admitted this spring due to injuries sustained from falling from the nest. They received medical attention and once stable were put outside with the Center’s permanent foster great horned owl Galileo. Once fully flighted and at the stage where they would fledge from the nest they were put in a 100 foot flight enclosure to build up strong flight muscles and practice hunting (owls move to hunting grounds in the fall to practice hunting with supplemental feeding from parents). Both birds are now 100% recovered and are fierce great horned owls ready for release. They have been banded them and have had their wing-chord, tail, and habitat information officially recorded thanks to a partnership with Biodiversity Research Institute. They are ready to go!

The Kittery Land Trust’s Cutts parcel is 22 acres of upland forest and wetland given to the Trust in the 1980’s by John Oliver Cutts. The land will provide ideal habitat for these two young owls as they begin their life in the wild!

Directions: From Rt. 1 in Kittery, turn onto Haley Road, go about 2 miles. There is a small sign at a driveway that reads “Cutts 501″; The house is a grey cape. (Note: the nearest mailbox across the street on Haley road is #492 and can serve as a landmark). Visitors may pull in and park on the grass on either side of the driveway.

Find out more at the Center for Wildlife’s website www.yorkcenterforwildlife.org .

Find out more about Kittery Land Trust at their website www.kitterylandtrust.org

The Mt A Conservation partners will be at the lodge for this glimpse of what is to come when the Learning Lodge is established as a beacon of environmental education at the summit of Mount Agamenticus.

There will be ongoing activities such as multiple raffle drawings with some wonderful prizes, children’s activities to include wildlife identification and track casting, and scheduled guided walking tours.

Schedule of Guided Walks:
Mount A guided trails exploration:   10:45am – 12:00pm
Guided bird & nature walk:              11:00am – 12:00pm
Orienteering Presentation:               12:00pm – 1:00pm
Guided hike to Vernal Pool:             1:00pm – 3:30pm
Mount A guided trails exploration:   1:30pm – 2:30pm
Raptor identification presentation:  2:00pm – 2:40pm
Tree identification walk:                   2:45pm – 4:00pm

The event is free and can be enjoyed by all ages.  The Mount Agamenticus Steering Committee and Friends of Mount A. welcome all to join them for the day.  For more information please visit www.agamenticus.org.

Timely information from Great Works Regional Land Trust about what to do when you see a turtle in the road:

Turtle Migration is here – please keep an eye out for turtles and help them across the road if you can.  Our region of southern Maine has some of the highest populations of rare and threatened turtle species in the state.   Maine IF&W recently flipped up the Turtle Road signs to alert motorists of the turtle migration.

If you happen to see a turtle crossing the road or about to:

- please give him or her a hand by moving it across the road (in the direction it was headed).

-Do not move the turtle to a new location.  Turtles follow the same routes year after year and are “programmed” to the same locations to nest and estivate.  Moving a turtle to a new location will just cause it to travel further to its final destination.

A new website to report wildlife/road sitings (not just turtles):

There is new initiative in the state to document wildlife/road interactions.  Maine Audubon in partnership with UC Davis, Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and Maine DOT recently launched an online reporting tool to record wildlife/road encounters.  They are encouraging Mainers to record and report any wildlife/road encounters on the new website.  http://www.wildlifecrossing.net/maine/

Using a Google-based mapping tool the website allows users to report what, where, and when an animal was observed.  Documentation photographs can also be uploaded to the site.  Data  will be instrumental in addressing concerns related to both wildlife and public safety on roads networks.

If you have an itch to learn more about turtle, the Center for Wildlife has a program just for you:

June 26, 2010 – Why Did The Turtle Cross The Road?
Center for Wildlife
Saturday, June 26th 2:00- 3:30pm

Native Turtles 101.  Meet caregivers and turtle ambassadors from the Center for Wildlife to learn Blanding’s and Spotted turtles’ survival threats and state-of-the-art turtle rehabilitation techniques. Reservations required. Visit,  www.yorkcenterforwildlife.org/news.htm.

Staff and volunteers at Center for Wildlife ~ the region’s largest wildlife rehabilitation and education center ~ are looking forward to welcoming visitors on each of the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Pick up a gift or two for the holidays.  Enjoy delicious baked goods, hot beverages and festive music.  Meet and learn about some of the Center’s feathered, furred, quilled and scaled non-releasable wildlife education ambassadors by seeing them up close.  Help support native wildlife this winter and Answer the Call of the Wild in your community.

Dates:   Sat/Sun Nov. 28/29, Dec. 5/6, 12/13, 19/20
Time:    Noon – 4pm
Location:   Center for Wildlife, 385 Mountain Road, Cape Neddick, ME
FMI:   Call the Center at 207-361-1400 or send an inquiry to outreach08@yorkcenterforwildlife.org

CFW is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, established in 1986, whose mission is to counteract human-caused harm to wildlife by rehabilitating and returning injured animals to the wild, broadening general public awareness of how to support the well-being of native wild animal species and their habitats, and providing a variety of environmental learning programs with live animal ambassador “teachers” to individuals, schools and other community organizatons. CFW gratefully accepts tax-deductible donations on its website at www.yorkcenterforwildlife.org or by mail to: Center for Wildlife, PO Box 620, Cape Neddick, ME 03902.

Do you know that South Berwick has a town forest?

On Monday, November 9, 2009 the town council accepted the forest management plan written by David Parker, of Parker Forestry Associates LLC.  John Spezia, Eagle Scout candidate, has just completed a crossing over one of the wettest areas in the forest.

The Conservation Commission is sponsoring a walk on Sunday, November 22nd at 1:30 with a rain date Sunday November 29th.  Come meet David who will talk about the management plan and John who will talk about building the crossing. Members of the South Berwick’s conservation commission will also be there.

The town forest is located on Knight’s Pond Rd, across from 114 Knight’s Pond Rd then follows the signs to the parking area.

Read about the forest management plan and wood harvesting in the town forest:
South Berwick to sell its forest timber | SeacoastOnlinecom — The town forest is getting some much-needed maintenance, while providing South Berwick with a one-time revenue stream, …

Read about John Spezia’s bridge building project:
Teen leads bridges project at South Berwick forest | SeacoastOnlinecom — Residents and outdoor enthusiasts have local teen John Spezia to thank for two new bridges in the 88-acre town forest. . ,

FMI Pat Robinson 207-337-2792