Sunday at Aroostook NWR

It gets daylight here really early...  by 4:30 am.  We're only about 5 miles from Canada (New Brunswick) to our east, and they are in a different time zone.  In fact, we are so close to Canada that we don't use our cell phone here.  The Canadian towers are close and while we could use the phone, we are charged for an international call. We learned this the hard way, and while we did get reimbursed for those charges, it's just more trouble than it's worth.  So...  friends and family....  if you need to call us, call the Refuge Office ...  207-328-4634.

What we saw from the rig's window last evening.  That's my hummingbird feeder in the foreground...  the bear is less than 400' from us...  Made me remember that I have to take down my feeders at night.


I was surprised at the many comments from my recent blogs.  The ones about volunteering I'll try to get more information and answer soon.  Thank you all for your interest....  I know, I'm biased about this place, but believe me, it's a perfect fit for me and Bill.


My blog yesterday was actually kind of misleading.  The entire refuge is NOT off limits.   There are 5 separate parcels of land that add up to over 5,000 acres.  Only a small portion of this is closed to the public.

Chapman Pond

Today, Bill & I took a drive to 4 of those 5 parts of the refuge.  Above is Chapman Pond...  while no fishing, boating, swimming, camping or motorized vehicles are permitted, there are several trails that are great for hiking.  During the winter months crosscountry skiing is a popular sport.  There is also a photo blind overlooking the pond.  

While there I remembered to look for this beautiful flower..

Yellow Lady Slipper

I was thrilled to find a whole area of them blooming profusely.  Most years we arrive here too late to enjoy them.

On our drive over to the Ouellette parcel, we spotted this guy...

As you can see, he was as curious about us as we were about him.

The Ouellette area was the site where someone dumped several barrels of roofing tar last year.  We watched the hazardous waste clean-up crew clean it up.  Quite a fascinating experience...

This is what that site looks like now...  that crew did a great job in cleaning up that mess.  Too bad the people who dumped the waste were never caught....

That area is rather remote...  maybe 10 miles from the Refuge Headquarters.  It is a fairly new acquisition, and slowly, but surely, it is being cleaned up...

There are still areas that were used to dump trash.  Not pretty, is it?

Well, that's only part of the picture....

Vandalism!

That very nice (and expensive) sign showing the entrance to this area is riddled by bullet holes.  What can I say?

On our way home, this guy ran out in the road in front of us...

We were on the refuge and going very slow... he came running out of the woods and down the road.  Look at those antlers he's sprouting!  What a rack that will be!

Each morning I take a drive through the refuge.  I was excited to check my game cameras this morning, but was disappointed that all I got was photos of us putting them up and me checking them.  Maybe tomorrow...

But...  even better...

These 2 guys were ambling down the road towards me.  They were well over 100' in front, and I was in my car....  no danger there.  They looked to be 3 years old or older.

I came across some Upland sandpipers this morning...

They like grassy fields ...  their nest is on the ground.  That's why mowing (or even walking) is not allowed in these fields until mid July.

Upland sandpiper.... in flight.

Our rig is parked at the old maintenance shop.  It's not really an RV site, as such, as we run an extension cord into the shop for our electric and move the rig about 50' to dump.  But we're the only resident volunteers here and it's really no inconvenience for us.

Can you see us?  Taking this picture, I'm standing at the entrance to the bunker area about 1/4 mile away.  The white building is the old maintenance building, that little black dot on it is one of the garage doors, and we're parked next to that.  Hmmm...  maybe I'll take a closer picture and post it soon....

So, you ask...  what does Bill do here?

Well, Bill gets to play with the big toys.  He is an equipment operator and is certified with FWS to operate about any piece of equipment they have.  I just asked him what he likes the best...  he said the end-loader with the excavator coming in second.  Here he is using the backhoe.  Some guys ran their truck through a brushy area right beside a locked gate.  Today Bill loaded up a pile of logs and made a barricade.  It's temporary, but will work for a while.

We generally start work at 6am here....  work until 4:30 pm.  That's for a 4 day workweek.  Bill loves playing with those toys so much he works a "few" other hours as well.  

Today I think the temps got up to 60 degrees F.....  the mosquitoes are bad...  the black flies are worse...  and the no-see-ums are horrible.  Yes, we're wimps...  we wear veils to keep the darned things off what little bit of exposed skin we have.

And on that note...

That's All for Today...

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Aroostook NWR... a Gated Community

Aroostook NWR - Limestone, ME

Did I mention that we live in a gated community?

Our "summer home", otherwise known as our motorhome,  is parked about 2 miles down this road. 


Wildlife Refuges are special places.  Here it's "animals first, people second".  Refuges are established to protect and provide habitat for endangered species....  that species could be an animal, fish, or even a plant.  Here at Aroostook the Upland Sandpiper nests.  Since it is an endangered species much of this refuge is off limits to the public until after nesting season, which generally ends July 15th.

Bull and Cow Moose


Most refuges do not have camp grounds.  There are exceptions...  Bosque del Apache NWR in NM has a campground that is used only for educational groups.  Buenos Aires NWR in AZ has primitive camping for hunters. (yes, some NWRs allow hunting).  Those are 2 examples where we've volunteered, but I am happy to 
write here that this refuge allows neither.


But refuges need public support and most have very good educational programs, photography opportunities, wildlife observation and other outdoor and recreational opportunities.  Federal funding is hard to come by so public interest is very important.

Common Merganser


This refuge is rich in history...  not as a refuge but as the place where nuclear bombs were stored during the cold war.  Many of the visitors that come here come because they were once stationed here.  There are still about 50 bunkers left here, but the land they are on is now the nesting grounds of the upland sandpiper.

One of the 3 deer we saw today.


There is a beautiful Visitor Center here.  It has a very large, very nice gift shop.  Everything sold is either made in Maine or pertains to nature or outdoors.  It is totally manned by volunteers.  During the winter it is open 3 days a week from 1-4 pm.  Bill & I are the only volunteers here so I'll pick up 2 additional days and take the Thursday as one of the volunteers takes the summer off.

Mama (common) goldeneye and her 8 chicks.  Have they grown since yesterday? 


Next Saturday is the annual Fishing Derby.  One of the ponds will be stocked with trout.  They have to wait until the evening before, or better yet, the day of, the derby as a family of otters can clean out 50+ fish in just a few nights.   The derby is for kids 16 years or younger.  It is a fun event and gives people another opportunity to see "beyond the gate".

This cow was about in the same place the bull was yesterday.  This pond is a very popular spot.


We saw 7 moose today...  mostly cows, but a couple of bulls.  I like to keep track of how many moose and bear we see.  I think we saw 4 bear.  While we see a fair number of animals we are cautious.  Most of the time these critters are afraid of us...  the only time they would be a danger would be if we messed with their young.  And even the young learn real fast to be afraid of humans.

This is one of my favorite spots.  It's called "Moose Marsh", but because of beaver activity the water level is getting too high and it's more a pond than a marsh now.

Speaking of beaver, I saw this guy late this afternoon.  I have no idea what he has in his mouth, but beavers are vegetarians, so it's not a fish.


I didn't get my bird feeders put up until this morning.

Within minutes I had this pair of goldfinch and (I believe) a female purple finch.  They haven't touched the thistle feeder yet....  nor have I had any takers at the hummingbird feeder.  But I bought a  RED petunia hanging basket today, so that might help attract the hummers.

Just another moose...  I saw this cow up at the Weapons Storage Area around 6:00 this morning.


Around noon today, Bill & I took our 2 game cameras out to a couple of my favorite areas that have been "critter crossings" in the past.  I'm looking forward to checking on them tomorrow to see what's out there this year.


Although we don't "officially" start work until Monday, Bill was busy clearing brush and weeds today.  A new road is being proposed...  one that will avoid the nesting areas of the sandpipers.  Since we are the only volunteers here our hours are very flexible.

The sunsets here can be spectacular!  Not in the way they are in the desert in Arizona, but in a way that is purely Maine.


This is a beautiful place...  I am always happy to come back.


That's all for Today...




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Mainly Maine

We left Texas on Saturday, May 12....  that was 2,891 miles and nearly 3 weeks ago.  I'm way behind reading my favorite blogs since much of that time we did not have internet.  Of course I kept a log of how much gasoline the motorhome used; how much it cost; what the tolls cost and all that data that retired financial people do.  I'll tell you right now that we didn't stay in an RV park even once.  


Our goal was to visit all the kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and my siblings that we could along way and still get to Maine by June 1st.  We did just that...

We actually entered Maine on Wednesday, May 30.  But a stop at the Cabela's in Scarborough was on the agenda.  We bought a mosquito zapper.... (we'll see how THAT works)...  a new Garmin Nuvi (this one has lifetime map updates!), and I saw a t-shirt I just couldn't live without.

From there it was away from the coast and up I95, around Bangor, over to Houlton...

Yep!  We're in Maine...  

And finally we get into Aroostook County...

I feel like I'm almost home.  BUT...  Aroostook County is HUGE!  It's the largest county in any state east of the Mississippi.

We always stop at this Rest Area...  

That's Mt Katahdin...  Baxter State Park... in the background.  Today was an exceptionally clear day and the view was outstanding!

We stayed that night at Wal-Mart in Houlton, which is only about 60 miles from our final stop.

There is the neatest thing at the Visitor Center in Houlton...  the "end" of the solar system.  Huh?  you say...  well...  the University at Presque Isle has "duplicated" our solar system...  the sun is at the biology building on campus there, the planets are placed along the highway from Presque Isle to Houlton...

This is Uranus...

They are placed according to scale in size and distance apart.  (The Sun is in Presque Isle; Pluto is in Houlton)....  it's fun to find all the planets on this trip.

Aroostook is mostly agricultural.  POTATOES!!!

Most of the potatoes grown here are raised for restaurants like McDonalds for french fries.  Some are raised as seed potatoes.  You won't find Maine potatoes sold in the grocery stores. But later this summer, we will be able to buy them at roadside markets.  And, trust me!  they are delicious!

We arrived yesterday morning at our "summer place".  No, we don't own a vacation home here.  We volunteer at...

This will be our 6th summer to volunteer here...  our first time was 2003.  Aroostook NWR is a fairly "young" refuge...  established in 1998.  It was formerly the "Caribou Air Station"...  the home of the nuclear bombs during the cold war. I'll do another blog about the bunkers and contaminants; security; etc...  from the late 1940's until the 1960's...  (that's a story all in itself!)

Anyway, our first year here was 2003...  Bill helped take down chain-link fence back then...  the place slowly became open to wildlife.  I always time how long it takes for us to see a moose and a bear after our arrival.  Last year we saw both within 24 hours.

That record was broken this year...

Saw this cow moose less than 4 hours after we got here.  

We stopped at the office to talk with Kirk, who has been here since the Refuge was established...  then drove down to set up our rig...  then went for a drive.  We came across this cow almost immediately.  Yep!  A new record!

I always check out the ponds to see who's around...

A Common Goldeneye with at least 8 chicks....

Lots of ring-neck ducks here....  

Oh Boy!  Lots of good stuff!  Saw a pair of Canada Geese with 4 chicks...  haven't seen any wood duck or merganser chicks yet.  Saw some black ducks....  but, hey, we've not been here long.

Oh yes...  how long until we saw a bear?

Not a great picture...  but this black bear crossed the road later in the day...  around 3pm.  So...  didn't even take 12 hours to see some of my favorite critters.

Yesterday we saw a total of 3 bear and 4 moose....  not bad for a beginning, huh?

Today the Refuge is closed to the public.  I headed up the road around 6:30am to do some laundry (the washer/dryer is in the maintenance shop about 3 miles up the road)...

This guy was going to cross the road, but changed his mind when he saw my car.  He's probably 2 or 3 years old....  

After I got the laundry started I headed over to Delima Pond...  I almost always get lucky there...  Sure enough...

This bull moose was having breakfast... 

Here's a close-up of him...

You can see his antlers...  just starting to grow below his ears...  He'll have a gorgeous rack by fall.  There are a couple of ring-neck ducks in the water near him.

Bill & I were already busy today...  We spent a few hours mowing and weed-whacking.....  After so many days on the road it's nice to be active again!  (I hope I remember I said that when I wake up tomorrow all stiff and sore ;-)

The flies, mosquitoes, blackflies, no-see-ums have already found us.  But then, isn't it always a fact that the most beautiful sites have a price?  (scratch...  scratch)

I guess you can tell already what the next 3 months of my blogs will be like....  yep!  We're in paradise and I hope to share it with any of you who want to come along.

That's All for Today!

Grand Old Man of Nature

Way back...  back in the dark ages of my life, probably before the invention of the wheel, I was a "stay-at-home-mom".  I read voraciously...  and most of the books I read were about nature, being outdoors, and living close to the land.  I read Thoreau...  I read books by John Muir and John Burroughs....  Aldo Leopold....  I read Edwin Way Teale......  Edward Abbey was one of my favorites.  The list goes on and on....


Shortly after I turned 30 I enrolled at the community college in the Recreation and Wildlife program.  I wanted to be a naturralist.  I thrived!  Entomology, Ornithology, Field Biology, Forestry....  I loved it!  


Since I was a "non-traditional" student (over 25 years of age) I could skip the required classes like English, Math etc and take only the classes I wanted.  I planned to pick those all up later.


Well, later never came. My life took some unexpected turns and I dropped out of college and got a full-time job which I ended up working at for 20 years.


My love of the outdoors never diminished.  Early 1982 I met Bill who also had a great love of nature and the outdoors.  It's no wonder we fit in so well as volunteers at National Wildlife Refuges.


We are currently visiting our daughter and family who live in the Hudson River Valley.  Yesterday Donna asked me if I'd like to hike to Slabsides, which is the cabin John Burroughs built in 1895. John Burroughs was a naturalist and an essayist.  He was a teacher as well, and eventually also a bank examiner.  But, he is best remembered because of his interest and influence as a conservationist.  He was friends with Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and John Muir...  all men who were aware of the need to preserve our land.

 That's me...  standing on the porch of Slabsides...

It's been so many years since I read about John Burroughs...  about the train excursions that he and his friends would take up the Hudson River to see what wildflowers were blooming or what birds had migrated, that it never occurred to me that this place would be only about 10 miles north of where my daughter lives now.

 Side view of the cabin John and his son Julius built in 1895...

The cabin is only open to the public once a year....  on John Burrough's birthday

So here's the peeping toms...   Bill & Donna looking in the window

The cabin and the land it's built on are now an Historical Site.  There are trails leading to some of the places that John Burroughs cherished....

 The swamp or bog has a boardwalk so you can easily walk across it....

 There are numerous waterfalls....  and with last night's rain, they are bountiful!

 A lot of water means a lot of wildlife...

  The ponds were still today...  we didn't see any birds...

 Donna and Glenn....  at the top of Julius Rock

 The flags were still blooming alongside the cabin...  gorgeous blue!

 We came across some wildlife...  including this little toad...

 The Squawroot was prolific here...  I hadn't seen squawroot in years!

 And this frog was at the edge of one of the ponds...

(Warning.... Snake ahead)

One of my favorites...  this 4' black snake seems to be the keeper of the cabin these days.

And here's Bill & me....  at the end of our hike.

John Burroughs died in 1921, but his legacy lives on in his writings and in his conservationist views.  He is known as "The Grand Old Man of Nature".  I felt in awe to be able to walk the paths that he once walked.  

I am so happy that our daughter and son-in-law took us on this adventure today.  Thank you, Donna and Glenn!

That's All For Today...