Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and the land we love is in the headlines, worldwide. To our KLT members and volunteers, thank you for your many contributions to land conservation in our own backyards. Our close-to-home conservation properties are helping people stay healthy everyday.
To recognize the significance of this anniversary, KLT was planning to host an afternoon of community service on the scenic 164-acre Howard Hill Historical Park. We were going to invite nearby residents, neighbors, youth groups, local workers, and school students to come together for a spring afternoon on the ridge, in the woods, and on the trails. As committed land stewards, we would work together to tackle invasive plant species while we celebrated the beauty of the natural world around us.
This community event was our proposed kick-off for a new land stewardship program, the “Friends of Howard Hill.” Unfortunately, we cannot gather in-person, but we will look forward to hosting this community service day in the future. In the meantime, we will continue to help organize the Friends of Howard Hill.
Thank you to the City of Augusta, Ansley and Janet Sawyer, KLT volunteers and interns, and the Maine Conservation Corps for your good work on Howard Hill to date! The project took many years of concerted effort, and the result is well worth every minute. It is inspiring to see hikers, young and old, enjoying the paths that you helped build.
If you are interested in Howard Hill, using the trails already, or live nearby, you are a great candidate for the Friends of Howard Hill! Please sign-up on our website, and if you have questions, please contact us at info@tklt.org. (Also, we have other volunteer opportunities throughout our service area).
In the meantime, today is a good day to celebrate and to take care of the earth!