The Maine Audubon Society, Falmouth, Maine

Hello hello, and welcome back to the Blog Cabin for the second to last site visit. This visit took place at the Audubon Society/Gilsland Farm is Falmouth ME right off of Route 1. The visit was quite nice other than having to deal with an extremely cold wind raging through the air. I had been to the trails and society before but this was my first time with a camera and history on the mind. I took quite a few pictures and I hope you enjoy.
The Maine Audubon Society, Falmouth ME
Visited December 11, 2009

One of my favorite aspects of living in Portland is its very real urban feel that can be escaped in 20 minutes on a bike. I can have my coffee shops, comic book stores, thai food, and Laundromat all within walking distance and at the same time surround myself in trees over looking the water without a building in sight in just a short distance from the city. The Audubon Society is one of those precious natural retreats just outside the city. The society is now located off of Route 1 heading north out of Portland on a farm called Gilsland Farm. It started out first as the Portland Society of Natural History in 1843 where it held offices in Portland until 1936 when is acquired Hog Island where it set up a camp dedicated to wildlife education. The society then moved to its main operations to its current location in Falmouth on Gilsland Farm in 1976.

The farm is a beautiful old building with a huge barn next to it with a garden behind that. The main buildings for the society are somewhat buried back behind the farm accessible by a dirt road. There are miles and miles of walking trails that weave around and through the property. The paths sometimes cross marshy areas, long rolling hills, meadows and even through dense woods. The paths are open year round during daylight hours, but the trails can sometime be hard to find under the snow. Regardless of weather conditions it is hard not to enjoy yourself if you have any sort of passion for nature.
B.
Sam Shupe
Libby Bischof
HTY 360
December 14, 2009

Historical Significance of
The Maine Audubon Society, Falmouth ME

The Maine Audubon Society has been working to educate citizens, preserve, and genuinely enjoy Maine wildlife since it’s conception in 1843 as The Portland Society of Natural History. They have survived for well over a century by establishing museums and places where people can learn about what makes Maine so naturally unique. They have reached the hearts and interests of Mainers all over the state and now operate under the Audubon Society name in Falmouth among other locations all over the state. Offering everything from adult classes to summer camps for children, The Maine Audubon Society has been an enormously helpful force in preserving Maine’s natural beauty through education and passion.

Through the mid to late 1800’s The Portland Society of Natural History had been mostly focused on attaining new members, preserving and collecting specimens, and eventually establishing a natural history museum. All had been well since it’s beginning in 1843 and the society had received a great deal of enthusiasm from the community of Southern Maine, however almost nothing in Portland was safe from the great fire of 1866. The Society had just blown out their entire budget on purchasing a new building next to City Hall, which was no exception to the falling in line with the 1800 buildings that burned in the great fire. Despite being broke, burned, and setback, the society came through with their true Mainer spirit and refused to quit. By the late 1800’s the society had generated enough money, artifacts, books, and enthusiasm to build a new museum and headquarters.

The rebuilding of the societies infrastructure came from the local community, greater New England community and from generous loans made by the Portland Academy. The Society has forever been grateful for the enthusiasm and support they have seen from Maine and New England and have made every effort to show their appreciation. Using their history as one of the first organization by the people to preserve natural history/science in the country, the Audubon Society has kept their appreciation and drive alive. They began calling themselves an Audubon Society in the 1930’s and joined the ranks of the national Audubon Society in 2000, during which they have made countless efforts to inform Mainer’s about smart environmental decisions, conservation, and preservation of what makes Maine so unique, our natural surroundings. The Society has buildings all over Maine dedicated to educating and celebrating the great state of and judging by their building and grounds in Falmouth; they are still doing a remarkable job to this day.

Consulted Resources:
http://www.maineaudubon.org/