Nosing Around Maine: Nature

Friday, July 13, 2012

Nature’s Place; Holbrook Island Sanctuary on Cape Rosier, Maine

© Copyright Gail J. VanWart, 2011 - All Rights Reserved

Cape Rosier, Maine on the way to Holbrook Island Sanctuary

Many visitors to Holbrook Island Sanctuary believe it rivals the beauty of Acadia National Park, without crowds or park fee. Most simply treasure its tranquility and the opportunity to witness the wonders of its natural environment and will return again. All can agree, Holbrook Island Sanctuary in Brooksville, Maine is a place where everybody, including the family dog, can escape from modern day stresses and relax. It’s a part of the world situated on beautiful Cape Rosier that will remain unaltered by modern park facilities or management techniques as natural forces alone will, forevermore, determine its future.

© Copyright Daniel B. VanWart 2011 All Rights Reserved

Blae at Holbrook Island Sanctuary

Dogs must be on a leash no longer than four feet in length, that’s one of a few simple and easy to follow rules and regulations visitors are asked to abide by. Others state the native plants and wildlife are not to be disturbed and remind visitors fires are not permitted in the park, nor is overnight camping. Observing the rules is certainly a small price to pay for the privilege of experiencing this sanctuary from 9 a.m. to sunset daily—thanks to the foresight and generosity of Anita Harris. The area resident acquired and donated 1,230 acres of Brooksville to the state in 1971 in order “to preserve for the future a piece of unspoiled Maine that I used to know.” What a gift she bestowed to us all. I for one have an overwhelming respect for both Anita and her priceless gift.

The park is maintained by the Maine Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands year round and can be enjoyed by cross-country skiers during the winter months, as well. You can also arrange for special group outings by calling 207-326-4012.

Kids can earn a free tee shirt at Holbrook Island Sanctuary. Here’s how:

For More Information:

Download a copy of the Holbrook Island Sanctuary Brochure

Friends of Holbrook Island Sanctuary

Maine Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands

You can read more about Maine events and attractions

in an issue of theSCENE, an entertainment magazine published monthly by

Courier Publications LLC in Rockland, Maine.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Craig Brook, a National Treasure

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, when Atlantic salmon return to Maine’s rivers after feeding for two to three years at sea in the cold waters off Greenland, they will always return to their own native river where they hatched four years earlier. If an Atlantic salmon can survive all its predators, it can repeat the fresh water and ocean migration cycle and spawn, several times, during its life span. In spite of this, the Gulf of Maine’s distinct population of Atlantic salmon is an endangered species and the last remaining population of its kind in the United States. My grandsons and I learned all of that in a short time through well presented educational displays and interactive learning aids at the Craig Brook Fish Hatchery and Museum situated on Alamoosook Lake in East Orland, Maine.

The facility’s hatchery was established in 1871 as the first of its kind in the United States. Its purpose then, as today, is to propagate and stock juvenile Atlantic salmon to support their population. Over time, the facility has expanded to include archives and resource center, a museum, seminar site, an Atlantic salmon living stream, boat launches, picnic area, beautiful nature trails and a volunteer group called Friends of Craig Brook. There’s so much more you can learn by visiting the link at the bottom of this blog. Right now, I’d like to give you a tour of Craig Brook through the eyes of my grandsons during their recent visits to this quiet out of the way National treasure.