FSM Blog and News

Greenville Memories

April 30, 2018 By FSM

One of FSM’s friends spent much of her childhood in Greenville, Maine as a young girl in the 1940s. Our friend was kind enough to share some stories with us. Here is an excerpt about a winter trip to Moosehead Lake.

Dear Mary,

I bet you’ll have an Easter egg hunt this Easter. I want to tell you about one I had when I was ten years old. It was not Easter, but April. I had been invited to spend a few days with a friend at their camp—just three of us girls. We rode to Lily Bay with the mailman, who also had a lot of food to take to a logging camp up that way. We met a logging truck on a curve just as we hit a patch of ice causing us to slide into a snow bank. The truck tipped onto its side, but we were not hurt, only shaken up. Walter, our driver, was able to open his door and help us climb out into the soft, deep snow. Everything had fallen out of the truck—big sides of beef, heads of cabbage, and 57 dozen eggs, as well as the mail enclosed in four large bags. The logging truck had not seen our mishap, so had gone on.

Walter told us we would have to help him. Somehow we got the truck back right side up. The old trucks were not heavy, so we could push and Walter was strong. He did tell us to be careful as we struggled with the large pieces of beef and veggies. The mail was okay in the bags, but the eggs? They had fallen out of the cartons and had to be found!

It was some hunt to find as many eggs as we could. The snow was soft and deep and we formed a line, moving together as we dug for eggs. Many were close together and unbroken, but others had been tossed about as the truck rolled onto its side. We found 30 dozen easily, but it was harder finding the next 27 dozen. We looked at each hole in the snow as we spread out hunting. It was not a cold day and we were dressed warmly. It was not a bad time for us girls, but Walter knew the loggers and the cook needed those eggs. We had their food for a week!

We spent quite a lot of time hunting and placing the eggs in unbroken cartons as we found them. Would you believe we found only a few broken eggs? We knew that from the shells and yellow snow. We had spent most of that morning looking, and no car had passed. Walter stopped at Lily Bay to let us out and then went on to meet a man with a sled and horse to take the food to their camp. We knew we had missed finding a little over a dozen eggs in all that snow! It was a great camping trip.

Read the rest of the story here.

Alan E. Hutchinson Memorial Campaign

April 30, 2018 By FSM

FSM is pleased to launch the Alan E. Hutchinson Memorial Campaign. As you know, Alan served as the first executive director of the Forest Society of Maine (FSM) and did so for 20 years. Under Alan’s leadership, FSM helped to conserve one million acres of forestland through an inclusive approach that brought together people who have diverse views but share a common goal of sustaining the unique forested landscape of Maine’s North Woods.

To honor Alan, FSM intends to double its Conservation Opportunities Endowment Fund by raising one million dollars. This fund provides FSM with an annual source of revenue to help with the costs of conservation project development and realization. We are striving to reach the campaign goal by August 27, 2018—the one year anniversary of Alan’s passing.

Thank you very much for considering participating in this very special effort to commemorate a man who was a rare leader and who did so much for the conservation of Maine’s North Woods. Your contribution will recognize Alan’s past efforts and will help FSM fulfill the vision for the future that Alan hoped for. This vision is reflected in FSM’s long-term strategic plan, which is based on input from many of you.

To make a contribution you may send a check made out to FSM with Hutchinson Campaign in the memo line, or you can click here to make a secure gift online. You may also make a gift of stock, but please contact Janice at our office for more information: (207) 945-9200 or info@fsmaine.org.

Honorary Campaign Chair
Terri Hutchinson

Campaign Committee
Ian Burnes, Gordon Hall III, Lynn Harrison, George Jacobson Jr., Chris Livesay, Craig Watt, & Henry Whittemore

Staff Liaison
Karin Tilberg

Attean Region Conservation: Part of the Big Picture

April 29, 2018 By FSM

The state of Maine is fortunate to have a variety of habitat, everything from rocky coastline to acres of forests dotted with ponds, and a great deal in between. One could argue the whole state is special, yet there are several areas in Maine that really stand out from an ecological perspective. The Attean Pond region in western Maine is one such place.

Blackburnian warber. Photo by Pamela Wells — Blackburnian warbler. Photo by Pam Wells.

This region has been identified by experts as a focus area because the landscape supports many habitat types in a concentrated area: mountains, wetlands, streams, rivers, ponds, and woodlands. This diversity is a boon for wildlife who can find different habitats in close proximity. The land in this region remains largely undeveloped, thanks to conservation easements and fee purchases by FSM, other conservation groups, and the state.

In 1984 FSM was created to hold an easement around Attean Pond. This year FSM hopes to add a missing piece to the 50,000 acres already conserved in this region through its Little Big Wood Pond project. We have an opportunity to conserve 4,000 feet of shoreline that, under current zoning, could be developed into 16 residences. Conserving this missing piece will protect the south shore of the pond from development and also help to maintain the wetland complex adjacent to Little Big Wood Pond, preserving water quality and fisheries habitat for species such as brook trout.

Number 5 Bog near Attean Overlook is a special feature of the area. — Number 5 Bog near Attean Pond.

This article was originally published in Forest View, Spring 2018.

Karin Tilberg Appointed FSM’s Executive Director

January 18, 2018 By FSM

The Forest Society of Maine Board of Directors named Karin Tilberg as the organization’s new executive director during their December board meeting. The Forest Society of Maine (FSM) is a land trust with a focus on conserving forestland throughout Maine’s North Woods. Karin has worked for FSM since 2011 as the deputy executive director to oversee and implement FSM’s expanded presence in the Moosehead Lake region and to work with forestland owners to design and implement forest conservation projects. In her new role as executive director she will oversee the entire organization and help guide its continued growth as Maine’s land trust for the North Woods.

According to George Jacobson, FSM Board President, “Through her previous work Karin has developed a keen awareness of the struggles, challenges, and opportunities facing forestland owners and communities in the North Woods. She has worked with businesses, local leaders, outdoor organizations, and others in designing and completing complex conservation projects intended to enhance public access, fish and wildlife habitat, and sustainable forestry.”

“We at Robbins Lumber have always been big supporters of the Forest Society of Maine. They were the primary organization that helped us put a conservation easement on our land near Nicatous Lake. We and they believe in preserving the working forest and access for public recreation. The Forest Society of Maine has always been blessed with great leadership. Karin Tilberg has a great conservation background and we are sure she will provide continued great leadership to FSM in the future. We are excited about her appointment and look forward to working with her,” said Jim Robbins, Sr., retired president of Robbins Lumber.

Karin earned a B.S. in wildlife biology from the University of Vermont and a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law. Before joining FSM, Karin worked in state government as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and as a senior advisor for Governor John Baldacci. In these positions, she worked with numerous landowners, NGO partners, and community leaders for conservation outcomes. In addition to her work throughout Maine, she is an active outdoorswoman and has spent her adult life working and recreating throughout Maine.

“I am very grateful to be named the new executive director of Forest Society of Maine,” stated Tilberg, “I am dedicated to building on the strong foundation created by my predecessor and inspiring conservation leader, Alan Hutchinson. This new role will give me the chance to further the mission of the Forest Society of Maine, and to reach out to all who have a connection to Maine’s North Woods –whether it be through land ownership, work, recreation, or pure enjoyment.”

Read the article that appeared in the Portland Press Herald.

Remembering Alan Hutchinson

January 16, 2018 By FSM

The man who took FSM from a file box on his kitchen table to a million acres conserved.

It’s hard to imagine the Forest Society of Maine (FSM) without Alan Hutchinson. In truth, FSM really wasn’t an active land trust before he arrived. In 1984 FSM existed on paper, so that a conservation organization in neighboring New Hampshire could hold easements in Maine, but there was no staff, no office, and no new activity in Maine for more than a decade.

It wasn’t until 1997 when large tracts of Maine forestland were changing hands, that a group of landowners, conservation professionals, and scientists realized that Maine’s North Woods needed a dedicated land trust. They decided to bring FSM to life and hired Alan as the first employee and executive director. Before coming to FSM, Alan served with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) doing impressive work in various roles, but after 24 years he took a leap of faith and left IF&W to guide a fledgling organization. For the first several months he worked from his kitchen table, boxes of files stacked around him.

Soon after FSM upgraded to office space in downtown Bangor, Jim and Jenness Robbins of Robbins Lumber Company walked through the door. They wanted to discuss conservation options for 23,000 acres they’d purchased around Nicatous Lake. At the time it was a project of monumental proportions and a big test for a new executive director and a young organization. Working with numerous partners, (a practice that Alan made standard operating procedure for FSM), the Nicatous project became the first of many conservation successes.

If I was to use one word to describe Alan it would be ‘credibility.’ He exemplified it.” Maine forestland owner, Jim Robbins

Although completing projects was an important part of what Alan did, he did so much more to help make FSM a leader in conserving Maine forestlands. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was building an organization with a clear mission and vision for the future. It was slow work that required patience and tenacity, and depended in large part on his ability to bring people with diverse views together around the same table.

One of Alan’s amazing talents was to create an environment where there was deep, mutual respect for each other, and an openness to discuss some controversial topics in the most professional manner.” Former FSM board president Bob Burr

Alan was fond of saying, “We have a big tent,” meaning that people from all of the pillars of FSM’s mission–the economic, recreational, ecological, and cultural–could meet and find common ground. He recognized that helping Maine forestland owners and forest products businesses succeed is crucial to forestland conservation. He was also a good listener who could talk to anyone, because he knew that everyone had something to contribute.

Alan was the epitome of great leadership. He had a gracious way of making everyone feel a part of the project—and what incredible projects happened under his leadership. He was a real inspiration.” FSM friend Tarun Johns

Today, FSM has a staff of eight and a monitoring program for large forest easements that is highly regarded nationally. There is an active board of directors and advisory council, who are experts in forest resources, outdoor recreation, natural sciences, Maine history, land trust development, and more. Alan was very proud that FSM was among the first land trusts in Maine and the nation to become accredited through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. He was deeply aware of FSM’s ‘forever’ commitment to Maine lands, and worked hard to make FSM a strong and resilient organization.

I think the most difficult thing to be in the current state of our world is moderate. It takes day-in and day-out personal courage because you are constantly being criticized and questioned from all sides; yet, moderation is often the key to making progress. Alan had that personal courage; the unfailing ability to be calm, to be rational, to listen to all sides; and then to take firm, courageous, but moderate positions.” FSM partner Dick Spencer

One morning last year Alan told a young member of FSM’s staff that his generation had done a lot, both good and bad. “Now,” he said, “it’s up to your generation. It’s up to you.” His statement was a fair challenge, but it is only partially true: regardless of your generation, it is up to all of us to keep going, to keep making the changes we want to see in the world a reality, and to practice the tenacity, patience, and willingness to listen that Alan set as an example for us. Let’s honor Alan and further his legacy by continuing to come together around our shared goal of keeping Maine’s forests as forests for many generations to come.

Article originally published in Forest View, Fall 2017.

Top photo of Alan Hutchinson by Bruce Kidman.