Recent News

New Director To Take Helm At Frenchman Bay Conservancy

Thomas W. Sidar, a former L.L. Bean, Inc. executive and longtime conservation advocate, will serve as executive director for Frenchman Bay Conservancy beginning May 1, 2008.

Sidar spent 29 years at L.L. Bean, where from 2001 to 2004 he was chief merchandising officer. Most recently, Sidar worked for the National Wildlife Federation as senior vice president for catalog, and as president of National Wildlife Direct, Inc., a catalog and web merchandising company that supports the National Wildlife Federation. 

Sidar has a long history of conservation leadership. During his tenure at L.L. Bean, he worked with business and environmental leaders in Maine’s paper industry to improve environmental practices in the industry and to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable forestry. A member of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s board of directors from 1995-2004, Sidar led a capital campaign that raised more than $34 million, the largest in the organization’s history. That campaign provided funds for the AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative, a purchase of 37,000 acres of land in the state’s Hundred Mile Wilderness region, near Moosehead Lake and Mount Katahdin. In 1997, Sidar was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission, where he served for six years and worked with park leadership and staff on issues related to commercial services, water resources, and trails.

Hancock County “is an outstandingly beautiful part of the country, a place of tremendous natural beauty, and a community that values nature,” said Sidar. “I’m excited to get to know people in the conservation community and the scientific community, and to learn new things from people in the area.”

Sidar’s appointment comes at an important time for FBC, which promotes conservation of the watersheds of both Frenchman Bay and the Union River.  Now in its twenty-first year, FBC protects more than 2934 acres of local land through a combination of conservation easements and conservancy-owned preserves. FBC has several conservation initiatives in progress, including creating saltwater and freshwater recreational access for the public, preserving and promoting working waterfronts, and conserving land along the Union River watershed and also between Schoodic Point and Schoodic Mountain. Board President Lisa Heyward comments, “At this point in our history when we are looking to take on larger conservation projects it is especially wonderful to welcome a man of Tom Sidar’s caliber to the position of executive director. We look forward to some exciting times under his leadership.”

Conservancy Honors Founder at Annual Meeting

Frenchman Bay Conservancy’s annual meeting on August 19 celebrated our twenty years of protecting land in the region.  The highlight of the day was the dedication of a granite bench inscribed to honor Oliver Crosby.  Oliver was one of the original signers of the Articles of Incorporation and he has served on the Board continuously ever since.  In her remarks, President Lisa Heyward said, “Oliver is truly the heart of Frenchman Bay Conservancy.”

“The fact that Oliver Crosby was there from the beginning is one of the main reasons that the FBC is here and thriving today. His even temperament and his distinguished diplomatic service in U.S. embassies all over the world were invaluable. He could see the pros and cons of each person’s argument. He refused to be distracted by non-essential issues that were often raised, but steadfastly brought us back to the matter of forging ahead to found and nurture a lasting organization.”  Sheila Denny-Brown, signer of Articles of Incorporation and founding Board member

“I remember  Oliver educating  us in the early days of FBC about the need to protect and conserve  land.  Year after year he’d stand up in the VIS Annual Meeting and give a report on the progress being made by the nascent FBC.  Everybody loved Oliver so we all tolerated it, but it took a long time and a lot of effort on his part before we really ‘got’ it.”  Barbara Kent, longtime Board member

Musselman Race Sponsored by FBC in September

The annual Musselman Race on the Union River was sponsored this year by Frenchman Bay Conservancy.  Twenty-six racers completed the course.  The Recreation Class racers paddled from the Ellsworth Marina to the Spindle and back, a distance of 4.5 miles.  The Racing Class racers paddled the same course twice.  The day was topped off by steamed mussels and prizes.

Race Results

Calendar

Monday Music at Tidal Falls  FREE

The Monday Music concerts in the summer of 2007 were a great success.  FBC sponsors the concerts as a gift to the community.  Watch this space for next summer's schedule, to be posted sometime in June.