Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes the highly anticipated Spring Market and Plant Sale at Viles Arboretum in Augusta, Maine. This annual event draws gardening enthusiasts from all over the state, eager to stock up on a wide variety of plants and locally made products to support a good cause.
Augusta, Maine- Viles Arboretum, driven by its Alternative Energy Committee, has recently joined Powermarket, an innovative renewable energy platform, in its efforts to transition to sustainable and clean energy. As part of this initiative, Viles Arboretum will purchase 85% or more of its electricity from a local solar farm in Otisfield, ME.
Join the Count: Good For You, Good For Birds
Positive vibes go both ways when people connect with birds.
New York, NY, Ithaca, NY, and Port Rowan, ON—The 26th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20. Bird and nature lovers everywhere unite in the effort to tally as many of the world's bird species as possible over these four days. Combined with other bird counts, GBBC results help create a clearer picture of how birds are faring—whether individual species are are declining, increasing, or holding steady in the face of habitat loss, climate change, and other threats.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry recently approved Viles Arboretum as a host site for its 2023 MCC Environmental Stewards Program. MCC stewards volunteer for a 45-week, 1700-hour term of national service. They serve individually with nonprofits, state or federal agencies to increase organizational volunteer capacity and aid in the development and implementation of host sites’ land management plans. We are excited to welcome Harrison Lobb to the Arboretum team.
Viles Arboretum will be accepting bid proposals for our Boardwalk project through March 12, 2023 at 8:00am. Bids submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
For complete details and submission info, please click the link below.
Invitation_to_Bid_Viles_Arboretum_Boardwalk_Project_RTP2225.pdf
I’d like to preface this by saying that no, not all forestry practices across the world can be considered sustainable. There are even some current practices in the State of Maine that couldn’t receive that level of praise. As with all industries, there are some groups that do better than others in considering the well being of the ecosystems they depend on for their products. However, there has been a lot of rhetoric recently which claims that we could replace our need for forest products all together with fast growing crops such as hemp or bamboo. While the use of these products for fiber has merit, and should be considered, it is not likely that these products will be a sustainable option to replace the need for forest harvesting here in Maine.
The “Forest of the Future '' collection at Viles Arboretum is a series of tree installations designed to take visitors through an immersive, placed-based journey into Maine’s future woodlands. A whimsical concept, grounded in cutting-edge science which demonstrates many of the practices and technologies that Maine landowners can adopt as our State mobilizes to adapt to the impacts of climate change. This collection will have three planting sites, each of which demonstrates key technologies and tools in our fight against climate change.
Our members are a critical component to the success of the Arboretum. In 2022, over $30,000 was raised through memberships, which helped to support:
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- Free, year-round access to our trails and botanical gardens.
- Youth programs and summer camp
- Educational programs and events for adults and children
- Free ski and snowshoe rentals for children
- Interactive and educational exhibits
- Maintenance of dozens of botanical collections
- Development of new climate research project
- Conservation of our natural environment
There is no better way to beat cabin fever than digging out your skis, snowshoes or hiking cleats. As we finally begin to see snow accumulation here in Maine, more people will be seeking opportunities and recreate outdoors. Even on one of the many mild winter days we have experienced this winter when the sun is shining and temperatures hover around 40 degrees, it is important to take safety seriously and be prepared for you activity.
If you have been in our Visitor Center recently you may have noticed we recently received a generous donation of fall bulbs from a local retailer that wasn't able to sell them. While the best way to a bounty of spring flowers from bulbs such as tulips is to sow them directly in the ground in the fall, past seasons bulbs can still be planted for future blooms in the spring.
