'Taking concrete steps'

As I turn up the road to Winter Hill Farm in Freeport, Maine, I glimpse baby pigs in pens and cows grazing next to the driveway. Outside the barn, I stand and look out over the flowers waving in the fog while Sarah Wiederkehr finishes wrapping up fresh cheese.

I'm here at Winter Hill, a diverse animal and vegetable farm protected by an agricultural easement with the Freeport Conservation Trust, interviewing proprietors Sarah and Steve Burger about their experiences and observations of environmental change. Shrouded in fog, we talk about the third year of drought conditions, bugs and changing weather patterns. As a graduate student at Boston College, I am interviewing farmers, fishermen and foresters for my dissertation about environmental change. My hope is that through these interviews I can connect global climatic changes to the everyday experiences and livelihoods of people who work the land and the sea.

Here in Maine, the effects of climate change are already being observed. The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99 percent of the world's oceans; weather patterns are shifting; and we are beginning to see impacts of sea level rise. Talking about these changes and brainstorming local interventions is critical. And area land trusts are helping lead those conversations.

As owners and managers of both coastal and on-shore properties, Maine's land trusts are uniquely positioned to discuss climate change and local solutions. The Royal River Conservation Trust in Yarmouth, for example, is focusing on framing its dam removal projects "in the context of resilience anticipating future unknowns," says Executive Director Alan Stearns. On Islesboro, the Islands Trust sees climate change education as one of the most important things it can do as a land trust, according to Director Stephen Miller. And inland, the Maine Woodland Owners Association is building in flexibility on harvest management due to shifting weather patterns.

Each of these land trusts — and many others — are finding ways to connect the local effects of climate change to local solutions. They are also using their position as stewards and close observers of the land to initiate community conversations. Stearns says that as "more people come to the table," the community can "talk about taking concrete steps to adapt to the obviously shifting climate." By creating space for conversations and opportunities for adaptation, land trusts can collaborate with their communities in new ways and offer clear examples of opportunities for taking action.

Kate Olson is a PhD candidate at Boston College who lives in Freeport, Maine. She is a board member of the Freeport Conservation Trust.