Approximately 45 volunteers and Maine Island Trail Association staff boarded the schooner Angelique in Camden May 27, and made their way up West Penobscot Bay to Warren Island State Park for a day of trimming and clearing invasive brush, and cleaning the island.

The collaborative effort was the first time MITA ever partnered with a vessel from the windjammer fleet to help steward the islands of its network. MITA is a member organization dedicated to the enjoyment and stewardship of Maine’s wild islands. Founded in 1988, MITA oversees the Maine Island Trail, a water trail that serves as a model of sustainable recreation and encourages volunteer stewardship.

Founded in 1988, MITA started with 30 islands; today, there are  227 island and mainland sites and spans the entire coast — 375 miles — from New Hampshire to Canada. MITA’s philosophy of handshake agreements with public and private landowners to provide stewardship centered around recreational use and access has proven to be a powerful model for maintaining healthy coastal lands for over three decades, according to a news release.

Each season, the Maine Island Trail Association mobilizes over 1,000 volunteers to perform stewardship on the Trail, often traveling to the islands in work groups using the organization’s iconic fleet of 18-foot red aluminum skiffs.

Angelique is a 130-foot windjammer that carries guests on multi-day traditional expeditions, mostly on Penobscot Bay. The owners of the Angelique invited MITA staff and volunteers on their ship as a way of giving back to MITA.

"I have wanted to do something with MITA for years," said Dennis Gallant, owner and captain of the Angelique. "All of us in the windjammer fleet use these islands, and every single time we bring our guests out there, we leave the islands better than we found them. It's a huge privilege that we can sail to and visit these places, and I'm thrilled that we could do something really beneficial for the Maine Island Trail today. We wouldn't be able to do what we do without it."

Additional MITA staff traveled to the island from Belfast in a pair of MITA's 18-foot aluminum work boats. Once anchor was dropped at Warren Island, skiffs shuttled volunteers ashore. Volunteers were divided into groups, and were dispersed to four different sites on the island where they trimmed and uprooted invasive bittersweet and honeysuckle. 

In a few hours, the large group cleared major swaths of the invasives, creating space for native species to grow and flourish in what is Maine's only state park that was designed to be accessed by boaters, the release said. Volunteers then had lunch at Warren Island State Park's pavilion and returned to Angelique for a sail home to Camden.

"We had such an amazing day sailing on the Angelique and doing important stewardship work on the Maine Island Trail," said Ben Dougherty, executive director of MITA. "It is such a joy to gather with people who share a love of the wild islands of Maine and to work together with partners to ensure that these magical places remain accessible and cared for. We are grateful to the crew of Angelique and all of our volunteers for making it such a fun and productive day."