Maine Coast Heritage Trust

10/09/2026

MCHT's stewardship group and staff volunteers recently teamed up with Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) to clean up the shoreline at Malaga Island. The south side especially needed attention, as that's where most of the sea garbage washes up.

We found boat batteries, rope, lots of Styrofoam, plastic bottles, empty barrels, laundry detergent containers, children's toys, shirts, and other treasures. When pieces of Styrofoam and rope get stuck in seaweed or tucked under rocks, they pose a danger for sea creatures who try to eat these items or get tangled up. In all, we filled two boats with garbage, totaling about 850 pounds!

We're grateful for partners like MITA and volunteers to help us take care of special places and keep Maine's coast beautiful and healthy.

10/06/2026

The other day, our friends at the Nature Conservancy across the river in Brunswick snapped this stunning photo of Bowdoin Mill Island. Our offices are on the second floor, just above the Sea Dog Topsham restaurant.

Thank you, The Nature Conservancy in Maine for capturing such a beautiful moment. 🌈

10/05/2026

Indigenous Peoples Day is October 12. In the spirit of honoring the Wabanaki people and their homelands within what is now Maine, we're sharing information about a few events coming up to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. In lifting up celebrations like these, we're living our organization's values of enduring commitment, respect for all, active collaboration, and continuous learning, What additional activities are happening in your area? Please share them in the comments.

𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀' 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗶 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
Monday, October 12, 2026, at 10:00 AM EDT
Capitol Park, Augusta | Free

A public gathering hosted by the Wabanaki Alliance to celebrate the presence, culture, and community of Wabanaki people alongside tribal citizens, allies, and friends. More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/capitol-park/indigenous-peoples-day-a-celebration-with-the-wabanaki-alliance/2403403787134206/

𝗪𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗶 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 11:00 AM
Waterville Creates (93 Main Street, Waterville) | Free Admission

Preceded over the holiday weekend, this event features storytelling by Mi’kmaq storyteller and flute maker David Lone Bear Sanipass, a weaving workshop with Passamaquoddy artist Eric Otter Bacon, a Wabanaki Artisan Market, drumming by Turning Eagle (emceed by Chris Newell and Dwayne Tomah), and a film screening at the Maine Film Center. More info: https://www.watervillecreates.org/shows/wabanaki-artisan-celebration/

𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀' 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲
Monday, October 12, 2026 (All Day)
Portland Museum of Art (7 Congress Square, Portland)

Free admission all day alongside special screenings like the free film Aanikoobijigan. More info: https://www.portlandmuseum.org/event/indigenous-peoples-day-open-house/

Photo courtesy: Jared Lank (Mi’kmaq, born 1991), Still from Bay of Herons, 2023, single-channel video with sound, 7 minutes and 15 seconds. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. © Jared Lank.

10/03/2026

Have you ever driven down Russell Avenue in Rockport and wondered to yourself, “Where are the cows? Why can’t we see them in the pastures right now?” The answer changes every few days.
Learn why ➡

Visitors to Aldermere Farm often ask, "Where are the cows?" With 19 grazing pastures, the herd moves from one to another every few days.

10/02/2026

09/30/2026

Late summer into fall is an important time for pollinators, as they store up nutrients for the winter. Goldenrods and asters are especially nutritious and provide the best food for bees, butterflies and other insects. Cousins River Fields & Marsh is just one of the many MCHT preserves where you can observe our winged friends feasting away this time of year.

Have a field of your own that you mow in the fall? Consider holding off on mowing until all flowers are finished blooming. The pollinators thank you for keeping their favorite foods available to them as they prepare for their long cold-weather hibernation.

09/28/2026

⚓As seasons change, Anchor donors provide MCHT with steady support for conservation year-round. A simple monthly gift helps sustain our work, is better for the environment, and makes every dollar have a greater impact. Give monthly for healthy habitats, thriving wildlife, and greater outdoor access possible across Maine.
https://www.mcht.org/get-involved/ways-to-give/monthly-giving/

📷 Chris Bennett Photography

09/26/2026

Our marsh restoration program manager, Tatia Bauer, spent this past week at the Restoring America's Estuaries conference. She presented a seminar on the work that MCHT and the Maine Tidal Marsh Restoration Network are doing here in Maine. Since we are celebrating National Estuaries Week this week, it's the perfect time to showcase how Maine's efforts fit into the broader national conversation around estuary restoration and resilience. Together with conservation organizations all over the country, we are working to restore and protect estuaries and prepare these ecosystems for sea level rise and climate change, and to thrive as critical habitats.

09/26/2026

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸! 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀?

1. Get to know the estuaries you are close to or care about.

2. Learn about the people and organizations taking care of Maine’s estuaries.

3. Live in Southern Maine? Join us for Meet the Marsh.

4. Give to our Marshes Initiative or Rivers Initiative at mcht.org/give.

Thank you!

09/24/2026

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸! 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

At Maine Coast Heritage Trust, we’re focused on protecting and restoring coastal rivers and tidal marshes, which are both connected to estuaries! The health of estuaries and the coast depend on the health of inland landscapes, and we partner with other organizations that share a commitment to coastal conservation to protect ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes, and forests to maximize mutual benefit to all coastal ecosystems.

Through two major statewide initiatives, MCHT’s Marshes for Tomorrow Initiative and Rivers Initiative, we’ve worked with partners to identify and prioritize the protection and restoration of 67 of the state’s most resilient marshes and five major coastal rivers. If we can protect and restore these places today, we can make sure the coast supports lives and livelihoods in the decades to come.