Before I moved down the coast to this part of the state I was a trifle spoiled. I had Acadia National Park pretty much in my backyard. In fact, in one house I lived in, that was the literal truth. I hiked a lot.
Leaving all that behind was the hardest adjustment of the move.
Brunswick resident Heather D. Martin wants to know what’s on your mind; email her at heather@heatherdmartin.com.
One of the small rewards of this past year has been an awareness that my lack of hiking here in my new community is not so much due to lack of places to explore, but general sulkiness over the loss of the familiar. So I’ve been grabbing dogs and heading out some.
A few weeks back, the family and I explored Green Point Wildlife Management Area. According to the National Resources Council of Maine, spring, summer and fall are the best times to visit. We were there in the heart of winter, so I suppose we were missing the peak, which just makes me think, holy smokes! I’m not sure I can take it in the summer. It was not a challenging hike by any means – OK, it was not even a hike, more of a stroll – but what it lacked in challenge it more than made up for in sheer, straight up, make-your-soul-sing beauty.
The point itself juts out into the Kennebec River and the afternoon we were there we saw five – yes, five – bald eagles together and a sixth that, while likely an immature bald eagle, might just have been a golden eagle. That one was larger than the others and they have been spotted in the area, so it could have been.
Between the birds and the wetlands and the ice on the river, well, I am smitten.
This place, along with all the other special spots in this amazingly beautiful state we call home, is front and center on my mind this week as the Legislature prepares to consider LD 489, aka the Pine Tree Amendment, which would recognize and establish the right to a healthy environment.
Maine would not be the first state to take such a step. Pennsylvania and Montana have both adopted such measures – and there are 11 other states considering the move as well. So we wouldn’t be the first, but I sure hope we are the next.
Our state is so beautiful. We are so fortunate. I think March is a hard time to remember that, what with the start of mud season and snow and/or ice still occasionally hanging around, but really. Wow. The rocky coast, the majestic western mountains, the loon calls on lakes, the smell of warm pine needles underfoot, the abundance of birds and wildlife – we are rich beyond measure.
LD 489 is a step towards protecting and preserving our wealth. I look forward to its passage.
More importantly, perhaps, I look forward to the passage of similar bills in states where understanding the right to a healthy environment is desperately needed, where clean air to breathe and clean water to drink are not a reality. So I hope we are the next, but not the last.
Here’s to a healthy future together.
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