WELCOME

Blandings Park Wildlife Sanctuary Blandings Way
Biddeford ME 04005

WELCOME ... We hope you will enjoy your visit to our website and that you will find the information here helpful. Please feel free to email us with any questions, comments or concerns. You can always reach us at any time at bpws@maine.rr.com or you can go to the CONTACT BPWS page and write to us from there.

Roger Gobeil took some pictures out in Blandings Park in late 2010 and set them in a slideshow just for us.
Click here and when the page appears, hold the control key down on the link for the slideshow.

A BRIEF BACKGROUND ... Blandings Park is the result of a dedicated group of every day people, just like you, who had a dream that has now become a reality. There are no federal, state, or City funds involved. We are a grassroots, all volunteer, 501(c)3 public charity land trust created and dedicated to preserve and protect all species through conservation, education, recreation, and research for the betterment of all ... we began our work in 2006, and we have accomplished much in a short period of time. For this we owe you our thanks and gratitude for your help, understanding, support, and much needed contributions.

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT to go to our NEWS AND EVENTS page so you don't miss anything

MARK THESE DATES:

Sunday, November 18, 2012 from 1 pm to 3 pm Join Us for our QUARRY QUEST Walk in the Woods sponsored by the Biddeford Pool Community Club. We will share our historic Quarry Report and take you off trail to 4 - 5 of the old quarries in our focus area. We will meet at the entrance to Blandings Park at the end of Blandings Way. Please wear comfortable shoes/boots, dress for the weather, and wear ORANGE if possible.
Saturday, 7/21/12 for the Seaside Fair at the Biddeford Pool Community Club from 10 am to 3 pm and visit our Community Outreach Table. We'll have lots of material on Invasive Insects and Hemlock Woody Adelgid as well as giveaways and tatoos!
Monday, 7/23/12 for our 2012 LIFE LECTURE from 7 pm to 8:30 pm
for A WILDLIFE ADVENTURE, a program especially for the young at heart. Come and learn about (and maybe touch) some of the rescued exotic species from around the world.

Our goals are simple: we wish to save as much land as possible in our designated focus area surrounded by Pool Street, Guinea Road, West Street, and Granite Street in Biddeford, Maine. The exterior of our focus area is already well developed, mostly by single family homes.  Our real focus is the interior portion which is very different and contains over 1,000 vacant acres of land. Most of this land is privately owned as small landlocked old wood lots, private residential lots, larger tracts belonging to builders and developers, about 160+ acres held by the City of Biddeford, and over 200+ acres now forever preserved in Blandings Park. While some land in our focus area is still suitable for future development, a large area is home to several endangered and threatened wildlife species, including the Blanding's turtle and the spotted turtle. The interior of our focus area has been designated by the state of Maine as a significant wildlife habitat, rich in upland forests and valuable vernal pools.

Our mission is to protect and preserve as much of the interior land as possible for the purposes of conservation, education, recreation and research:

    CONSERVATION -- We now have 200+ acres of land forever preserved, as well as agreements and active negotiations on about 100 more acres for possible BPWS acquisition.  For this we can thank the generosity of surrounding landowners, developers, folks like you, and the City of Biddeford.  A valuable tool used by us and many land trusts is limited conservation development. It has always been our philosophy to cooperate with fellow landowners to create a win-win situation for all. You can learn more about our achievements on our ALL ABOUT BPWS page.

    EDUCATION -- We began our educational outreach in 2008 which was so well received and attended that it has now become our annual LIFE (Learning is Fun and Educational) Lecture series. These are Summer Events for kids of all ages, well publicized, free, and open to the general public.   In 2010, we developed an internship for a University of New England environmental studies student. Please take a moment to read the research report on the History of Granite Quarrying in our focus area. Be sure to watch the NEWS AND EVENTS page for up to date information.

    RECREATION -- Blandings Park is open every day from dawn to dusk. Many miles of trails exist out in our focus area. They are well marked, color coded, and you can pick up a map at the entrance. We also schedule
many 'Walk/Hike/Snowshow/Geocaching" events throughout the year so please check out the NEWS AND EVENTS page for up to date information.  We held our Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on February 15, 2010 to announce the completion of Blandings Way and the dedication of Terrapin Trail, our first groomed trail.  Much work remains to connect these trails, groom them, and make sure they are safe for the general public to enjoy. We welcome volunteers interested in this hard but rewarding outdoor work.   We held our first official fundraising event on 10/16/10 with the help of Saco Bay Trails (www.sacobaytrails.org) and the Biddeford Recreation Department. We hope to continue TURTLE TREK Adventure Races to challenge the athlete in all of us and provide outdoor fun for the whole family.

    RESEARCH -- Our Land Stewards Committee is in the process of researching the possibility to one day have Terrapin Trail redesigned to be wheelchair accessible so that everyone can enjoy the Sanctuary. During the winter months of 2008-2009, we participated in a research project with Americorps volunteers connected to the federal New England Cottontail study. This small rabbit, a species once plentiful in our area, is now on the endangered list.  We are hoping to offer some of our BPWS land to the rehabilitation and/or reintroduction of this species. Dear to our hearts is the research that has been done on nesting habits of the Blanding's and spotted turtle. We hope to incorporate many of these ideas in our Sanctuary to aid in the saving of these two endangered and threatened species.  Important work ahead for all of us at BPWS!

PLEASE JOIN US IN OUR EFFORTS ... AND BECOME PART OF THE DREAM ... BPWS depends on folks like you to continue our mission. Consider making a donation today.

CLICK HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PRINT A TRAIL MAP TO TAKE WITH YOU

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