October 5: AROOSTOOK APPLE DAY- Beginning at 10am, this year's Aroostook Apple Day will feature interesting workshops, fruit tastings, displays, fruit tree sales, and delicious coffee and pastries available from the Cup Café. Dee Cote will be on hand from 10am - 1pm with a hand-crank cider press so bring clean apples and pears and containers to press some fruit. The event is FREE and open to the public and will take place at the Unitarian Church, 61 Military St in Houlton. For class topics and times, please click SCHEDULE or check out the "Education" tab at the top of this page. For more info or to request special accommodations, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
OTHER HAPPENINGS
July-Sept: "SoilYourUndies" soil health experiment. Check out SASWCD's Facebook page as we begin digging up the "planted" underwear and posting the results. We've been surprised at the level of decomposition thus far and are looking forward to viewing all 6 pairs from SASWCD's board member's farms. It's been a fun diversion for us and a good way to get the soil health message out through social media.
In this "SoilYourUndies" August 28 photo, potato farmer Jimmy Fitzpatrick of Houlton digs up what's left of "his" underwear after 9 weeks in the potato field.
October 23: Fall Forestry Workshop: Managing the Forest for Wildlife -This workshop will focus on wildlife management strategies and techniques used by Maine IF&W, Irving Woodlands, and various small woodlot owners. The class will include indoor presentations and field site visits. The workshop is free but pre-registration is required due to limited seating. 7:30am (breakfast included) to 12:30pm at the Houlton Community Golf Course in New Limerick. For a complete agenda and/or to pre-register, contact Angela Wotton at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 254-4126. Forestry credits are available.
November 2: Women's Chainsaw Safety Class - Introductory workshop to provide women the fundamentals of safe chainsaw use. Location and class details forthcoming so please check back!
BIG TREE CONTEST - The SASWCD and Maine Forest Service are continuing to encourage people of all ages to appreciate the value of trees and
forest with a fun competition, "Big Tree Contest". It is easy to participate. If you know of a tree that fits the "Big Tree" criteria, simply fill out a nomination form and submit it to the SASWCD. District Forester Dan Jacobs will follow up and measure the tree, recording its dimensions based on a formula. Competition will be held from January until October, with a complete list of nominated trees and measurements available at that time. It's a good excuse to get outside! You may download a Tree Nomination Form here. A list of native Maine trees can be found on the Maine Forest Service website at Forest Trees of Maine. It's a great resource as it includes photos of our native tree species.