Frenchman Bay Conservancy

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Frenchman Bay Conservancy

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We protect the land you love!

FBC maintains 40 miles of trails and has conserved over 25,000+ acres in the Frenchman Bay and Union River watersheds, east to the Hancock County line.

28/10/2026

In 1988, Frenchman Bay Conservancy protected Little Tunk Pond — the first of many conservation successes since our founding nearly 40 years ago.

Can you imagine if FBC’s founders hadn’t worked hard to protect this special place? Today, our friends, neighbors, children, and grandchildren still enjoy this beloved spot — and FBC’s staff is still working diligently to expand the network of conserved lands surrounding Little Tunk, and so many other special places now under our care.

Have you made a donation to FBC this year? You make it possible to protect the land we all love, and the way of life that comes with it. Please give today: https://give.donationpay.org/frenchman-bay-conservancy/supportourwork/.

27/10/2026

There’s a whole world waiting to be discovered in our forests!

Join Frenchman Bay Conservancy and local mycologist David Porter for a guided Mushroom Hike at Jordan Homestead, part of Mushroom Week at Ellsworth Public Library!

As we wander the wooded trails, we’ll take a closer look at the fascinating world of fungi, searching for mushrooms along the way and learning about their important role in our forests. With David’s incredible knowledge leading the way, there’s sure to be something new to discover around every corner!

Whether you’re a mushroom enthusiast or simply curious about what’s growing in our woods, this is a wonderful opportunity to get outdoors, learn something new, and connect with your community.

🍄 Free and open to all!
This hike is part of Ellsworth Public Library’s Mushroom Week, featuring a full lineup of fungi-focused events and activities. Visit their website to explore everything happening throughout the week: https://www.ellsworthlibrary.net/

Register today on our website, and we hope to see you out on the trail!

22/10/2026

Do you know this story from the year FBC was founded?

In 1987, founding board member Steve Perrin was inspired to protect the lands, waters, wildlife, and people of Downeast Maine. He joined together with others like him — friends and neighbors who believed that soil, water, and all life are connected — to form the Frenchman Bay Land Trust Launching Committee, and soon after, Frenchman Bay Conservancy.

You make it possible to honor our founders and carry their values forward! Whether you’ve been part of FBC since the beginning or you’re meeting us for the first time today, we invite you to visit our website, frenchmanbay.org, to explore FBC’s trails, projects, and events, or make a donation in support of this land we all love.

Thank you for your support over the past 39 years. People just like you have shaped FBC from the start, and we can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish together in the years ahead!

20/10/2026

The Pumpkin Hike is returning to the Ellsworth Riverwalk, and we need your help to light up the trail! Carve a pumpkin for the trail for a chance to win a prize basket filled with prizes from local Ellsworth businesses, or even a grand prize valued at $150+. Read more below. 👇

🎃 Carve a Pumpkin at Tidal Falls -
Join us at Tidal Falls Preserve in Hancock on Sunday, October 25, anytime from 1–4 PM! Enjoy festive snacks and music while carving a pumpkin for the trail. Pumpkins and carving supplies are free, register online to reserve yours!

📖 Carve at the Library -
Join the Ellsworth Public Library for a night of carving on Tuesday, October 27, starting at 3 PM! Visit their website to learn more and register.

🏠 Carve at Home -
Can’t make either event? You can still join the fun! Carve a pumpkin at home and submit it to the Pumpkin Hike by Tuesday, October 27. Drop it off at the library or along the trail, with your name and phone number written on the bottom. Visit FBC’s website for submission details!

🏆 Vote & Win -
Pumpkin Hike visitors can vote for their favorites in four categories: Spookiest, Silliest, Nature-Inspired, and Most Creative. Each category winner will receive a prize basket featuring local gift cards, a waterproof nature journal, and FBC gear. The Adult and Youth carvers with the highest overall votes will each win a grand prize valued at $150+!

👻 Visit the Pumpkin Hike -
The jack-o’-lanterns will be on display and lit nightly from October 28–November 1, with our Grand Opening event taking place Wednesday, October 28, from 5–7 PM. Come stroll the trail and enjoy the glowing pumpkins! We can’t wait to see you all this Halloween. Visit our website to learn more!

🎁 Prize Donors -
A huge thank-you to the local businesses who generously donated gift cards for our prize baskets, including Sunday Society, Black Moon Public House, Fogtown Brewing Company, The Rock & Art Shop, Rooster Brother, The Grand, Union River Book and Toy, TOKO🌿, Finelli Pizzeria, Bud connection, and more! We couldn’t do this without you.

We’d also like to thank Bangor Savings Bank for sponsoring our event.

📸 Photos donated by Molly Hodgkins

19/10/2026

Look what’s growing at Jordan River Preserve!

Earlier this summer, volunteers joined us to plant more than 80 native trees as part of ongoing efforts to restore habitat along the Jordan River. Just a few months later, the results of their hard work are already becoming visible!

The young trees are thriving, while native plants are filling in the surrounding areas, bringing fresh greenery and new life to the site.

These changes are an important part of a much larger restoration effort. As the native vegetation matures, it will help stabilize the soil, provide food and shelter for wildlife, and support a healthier, more diverse ecosystem!

15/10/2026

Conservation doesn’t happen all at once. It happens because your support allows us to keep showing up!

In 1990, FBC protected our first property along Lower West Bay Pond in Gouldsboro. Thanks to you, FBC later conserved the Day Ridges Preserve in 2016, and in 2021 we opened one of our most popular hiking trails there. With your support, FBC continues to advance our work in this important stretch of the Schoodic-to-Schoodic corridor.

As the FBC team prepares to share more conservation successes from Schoodic and our entire region, we hope you’ll consider renewing your membership with a gift today. Your support allows FBC’s projects to keep evolving — acre by acre, year by year!

🔗 Give today: https://give.donationpay.org/frenchman-bay-conservancy/supportourwork/

13/10/2026

Recently, a little magic appeared over Tidal Falls! A double rainbow stretched across the sky, bringing an extra splash of color to one of our favorite views.

There is something special about seeing nature in a new light. The way the sky shifts, the colors emerge, and suddenly, a familiar view becomes something entirely different. Even in the places we know well, nature still finds ways to surprise us.

Often, the most memorable experiences outdoors are the ones we never see coming. A rainbow appearing after the rain, a glimpse of wildlife along a familiar trail, or the first signs of a new season.

These little surprises invite us to pause and pay attention, reminding us that no matter how many times we return to a favorite place, there is always something new waiting to be discovered.

08/10/2026

233 more acres conserved along the West Branch Union River.

Frenchman Bay Conservancy recently expanded the Captains Roll Conservation Easement in Amherst, permanently protecting more than 2,000 feet of river frontage from future subdivision and development.

These 233 acres are part of something much larger. From Graham Lake to Great Pond, 13 miles of the West Branch have been identified by Maine’s Beginning with Habitat program as an ecological focus area of statewide significance. The river remains largely undeveloped, providing important habitat for several rare and threatened species.

The land will remain privately owned, but the conservation easement ensures its conservation values are protected even if the property is passed down or sold in the future.

From Mariaville Falls to Captains Roll and beyond, we’re working to keep the West Branch wild, connected, and undeveloped for generations to come.

Read more about the this easement and the larger conservation story of the West Branch on our website under Blog.

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Telephone

+12074222328

Website

https://www.frenchmanbay.org/

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