Open Space Planning

An Open Space Planning Committee meeting is scheduled for June 25th at 7:00 p.m. The Conservation Commission will be joining this meeting. Public input is welcome and we encourage you to attend.

To Everyone Who Takes "Pride in Holden" . . .

Thank you to everyone who picked up litter on Saturday.

We collected an impressive pile of garbage!

Many thanks as well to Dunkin Donuts in Holden for the donuts.

Do you know what a vernal pool is? What lives there?

A vernal pool is a temporary shallow body of water lacking a permanent above ground outlet. It fills with water from the runoff of melting snow and spring rain. A vernal pool is often covered with ice in the winter and by late summer, is usually dry. Due to its periodic drying, it cannot be inhabited by fish.

Vernal pools are important because they provide a habitat for fairy shrimp, wood frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians. These little creatures need to spend part of their life cycle in a body of water where they will not become fish food!

Do you have a vernal pool near you? Go to http://www.vernalpool.org/ to learn more about what a vernal pool looks like and the fascinating creatures that depend upon it. If you have a vernal pool on your property, take special care not to destroy it or fill it in. You may also go to http://www.maineaudubon.org/conserve/citsci/v_guide.pdf to read the "Maine Audubon Society Citizen's Guide to Documenting Vernal Pools." This guide has a wealth of interesting information on vernal pools and their inhabitants.

Holden Community Learning Nature Trails

Attention all snowshoers! The snow is deep and beautiful making the Nature Trails the perfect place to go.

They are located behind the Holden Elementary School off Rt. 1A (Main Rd.). Turn into the school driveway and proceed all the way to the back. There, you will find a parking area for the trails. Maps are available in the trailhead information kiosk located next to the parking lot. The hiking trails all originate from there.

The graveled walkway begins over next to the baseball field. Although it is now snow covered, this path provides a flatter terrain than the hiking trails.

Conserve Land & Reduce Your Taxes!

The State of Maine has four Current Use Programs that can reduce your tax burden as well as conserve your land. One of these is the Open Space Tax Program. There is no minimum acreage required to join. It has four opportunities for land protection and tax reduction. They are:

• Ordinary Open Space (land that is not developed) - 20% reduction
• Permanently Protected (land that is covered under a perpetual conservation easement and cannot be developed) - 30% reduction
• Forever Wild (land that is protected permanently under a conservation easement that requires the land to remain unaltered except for fishing, hunting, fire and disease prevention, or providing the opportunity for low impact outdoor recreation, nature observation, and study) - 20% reduction
• Public Access (this allows public access by reasonable means) - 25% reduction

One or more of these categories can be used at one time with the tax reduction being cumulative. In other words, if your property met all of the requirements of the four categories, you would see a tax reduction of up to 95%.

More information may be found on this program in Property Tax Bulletin No. 21 which can be obtained either online or at the Town Office.

This programs carries certain restrictions and has penalties for withdrawal. If you are interested, please contact Carl Lowe, Town Assessor, to discuss the pros and cons of enrolling your property. Mr. Lowe is available on Thursdays from 1:00 to 5:00 at the Town Office (843-5151). You may also leave a message anytime during the week for him.

Contest Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Photo/Essay/Artwork Contest! Each winner received a prize of $25.

Betsy Spear
Alex Lakeman
Juliana Schoppee
Anna Maxsimic

Open Space Plan for Holden

The Town of Holden is creating an Open Space Plan that will outline the vision, priorities, and strategies for conservation and outdoor recreation in our community for the next 10 to 20 years. An Open Space Planning Committee has been been working on this plan for the last several months. Meetings are open to the public and we welcome your input. Meeting dates and times will be posted on this website.

My Piece of Maine

Brett Slater won $20,000 by winning the My Piece of Maine video contest sponsored by the Maine Association of Realtors. Most of the video footage (including a distant glimpse of Mt. Katahdin) was filmed in his backyard here in Holden. View video.