42: Panoramic Sweep

Wells Barren Preserve, Wells, Maine


W E L L S,  M E

Maine has always been high on the list of states of intrigue.  Its corner-of-the-country location and wild geographic diversity are as intriguing as any other travel destination, and as even more intrigue, has some very appealing Nature Conservancy preserves.  What a great place to pick off some great additions to my 100 by 60 goal.

My wife Allison generally understands my fascination with The Nature Conservancy, but as we turn onto Meeting House Road five minutes from Wells Barren Preserve, I launch into a rehearsed explanation of why I like TNC properties:  In summary, they all have uniqueness.  Some are bold like Ice Mountain and its ice vents or Ramsey Canyon and its humming birds; others are much more subtle like here at Wells Barren.  The open plains might just look like an abandoned farm field; however, it’s a rare and naturally occurring globally significant sandplain, home to unique vegetation and an important migratory bird nesting area.  One thing I don’t tell her?  It’s also home to the black racer snake. 

Wells Barren is especially unique in its abutment to such a dense forest; a forest where we park our car and walk through before entering the plains.  Immediately one of Maine’s great attractions is apparent: blueberry bushes in bloom abound.  Still wet from the morning dew, the berries glisten and entice a macro shot from my camera. 


A little further along the trail there’s a side path leading to a sand dune on state land.  It’s impressive and we can’t help traipsing to its middle surrounding ourselves with the fine crystals and letting the cameras take off in feeble attempts to capture the undulations and starkness of the monochromatic imagery.

On our walk out, I pause at the intersection of the red and yellow blazed trails.  The vibrancy of greenness captures my eye.  I turn in a panoramic sweep to let the vastness of the plains sink in.  It’s this property’s best, though subtle and most-germane view.  I ingrain the image before plucking a few ticks from Allison’s pants. 

No black racers have been spotted.  Not a bad thing considering Allison’s fear of snakes.  Knowing this unique preserved habitat gives them the room to thrive though is satisfaction enough.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TNC’S WORK AT WELLS BARREN HERE.

Location: Wells Barren Preserve, Wells, ME

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

93: Unfragmented Wildness

Image
  W I N K L E M A N,  A Z Awareness of Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness emerged years ago.   Amazing imagery of a fertile desert oasis burrowed deep into my imagination.   And that to hike the canyon requires a permit, and a willingness to tramp right through its ankle-deep perennial stream, dug even deeper into my imagination.   In 2016 on sabbatical in Arizona, I visited 7B Ranch – a Nature Conservancy (TNC) property acquired in conservation credit swap with a copper mining company.   Property Manager Celeste Andresen led me on a private tour of 7B, but also questioned my judgment.   7B is a mere 45 minutes from Aravaipa.   If coming to this part of Arizona, why not include Aravaipa?   (Apparently, she and her husband were super-hikers, aware of all the best places, so their recommendations should have been heeded.) At the time, I didn’t realize how smart that question was.   Yes, I had considered Aravaipa, but as a solo hiker, I was hes...
Read more

27: What Lies Beneath?

Image
Mill Creek Cave near Blacksburg, Virginia B L A C K S B U R G,  V A I’m following the State of Virginia’s Karst Protection Coordinator up a steep mountainside slope toward a cave opening.  Wil Orndorff is also Virginia’s number one cave expert.  We’re getting closer, but I see nothing that qualifies as an opening big enough for two six-foot-tall, slender and graying guys to slip through.  Wil stops when we reach a granite wall.  We can go no further.  He kicks dead leaves and fallen branches away from a hole in the ground about the width of a five gallon bucket.  About a month ago Wil asked if I wanted to go underground during our tour of Mill Creek Springs Natural Area Preserve , the first of four private preserves I’ll be visiting during my sabbatical - all others will be publicly accessible.  It took about three weeks to respond to his question.  I have never been caving and wasn’t sure how I would respond to the claustrophobic ...
Read more

Three Steps Forward, South Bay, Virginia (#110)

Image
After three hours of harvesting, I discover the best approach to collecting eelgrass seeds is to simply let go, allowing the current to take me. I’m in a wetsuit for the first time in my life off the coast of Virginia in South Bay.  In the bed of the bay is a vast underwater meadow of eelgrass – a once nearly extinct species making a world-renowned comeback with the help of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and volunteers like me today eager to hunt for seeds.  About one in twenty shoots of eelgrass hold seeds, and those shoots are the prizes us volunteers are searching for.   Most of the eelgrass blades are long and flat, like linguini.  The seeded shoots, though, are rounded, like spaghetti.  Our task is to find the spaghetti among the linguini, then pluck and place them in a mesh bag strapped over our shoulders.  Those shoots will be brought ashore and placed in holding tanks in Oyster, Virginia. There are different techniques for harvesting the seeded s...
Read more