HOPE — The community is invited to Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District’s Annual Banquet and Conservation Awards Celebration on Wednesday, Aug. 23, from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. The banquet will be held at Beaver Lodge, in Hope, with dinner by Megunticook Market from Camden, and homemade pies from D-Zerts by Daphne from Westport Island.

Following the awards presentation, the featured speaker will be Rebecca Jacobs, SWCD Program Manager, who will present: “Building Climate Resilience with Native Plant Species.” Jacobs will explain the critical role of native plants in supporting our environment with an emphasis on incorporating them into the built landscape and will share specific plant species for landowners to consider planting on their own property to support ecosystem health. 

Thanks to the business sponsors, the fee for the evening is only $25 (by mail)/ $28 (online).

For planning purposes, please register by August 11, visit https://www.knox-lincoln.org/2023-annual-banquet-meeting either online or please contact julie@knox-lincoln.org, 207-596-2040.

Business sponsors are The First National Bank, Viking Lumber, Sasanoa Brewing, Ames Supply, Sunrise Ecologic, Brooks Trap Mill and Union Farm Equipment.

This year’s Conservation Award Recipients are:

 Brodis Blueberries in Hope will be awarded the Conservation Farm of the Year for 2023. Brodis Blueberries has been recognized recently from many achievements. Gwen Brodis and her husband, Dick, purchased the farm from their parents in 1967. Ron and Sonja Howard are helping to manage the farm after Dick Brodis passed in 2016. Knox-Lincoln SWCD wants to recognize their achievements in conservation efforts ensuring soil health, water quality, moisture retention and a healthy habitat for wildlife. Among the numerous projects, two current projects are working with NRCS to design and install a water-use efficient irrigation system for 20 acres of blueberry ground. They are an early adopter of the Wild Blueberry Integrated Pest Management for Pollinators Practice. As a result, they will be a model for other blueberry producers in Knox County and help in the effort to get more acreage in Maine for the New England Pollinator Partnership Program. Brodis Blueberries is also participating in many University of Maine Cooperative Extension research studies. One project is through MECAP (Maine Climate Adaptation Practices). Brodis Blueberries is a Farm Project Partner to develop a water management plan for the farm focused on “too much water” associated with excessive water and extreme rainfall.

 Sharon G. Chadwick’s work with KLSWCD will be acknowledged with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Since 1996, Sharon G. Chadwick served on the Knox-Lincoln SWCD Board of Supervisors at first as an Associate and then as a Supervisor. Sharon lives with her husband, Gerald, at BenEva Farm in Warren and still operate as a conservation farm, raising commercial Black Angus beef. For several decades, Sharon helped with judging our Annual Poster Contest and at our Conservation Fair and Plant Sale. 

 Shelby Chadwick will be recognized with the 2023 Excellence in Conservation Education Award. Shelby, a Second Grade teacher at Camden-Rockport Elementary School (CRES), worked alongside the District to develop and offer our Pollinator Party program, which engages students through hands-on, place-based outdoor activities with pollinators and pollination. After first trialing the program for the CRES Second Grade with great success, Shelby’s advocacy and passion for nature-based education led to the expansion of the Pollinator Party program to Miller School in Waldoboro. Her efforts have strengthened environmental education resources at CRES and beyond, and she truly exemplifies excellence in conservation education through her philosophy and practice.