#brunswickme — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #brunswickme, aggregated by home.social.
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"The Maine Gear Library Network exists to share resources and knowledge in order to grow equitable and low-barrier access to outdoor gear for communities across the state.
Gear libraries statewide:
Adaptive Outdoor Education Center – #BrunswickME
Katahdin Gear Library – #MillinocketME
#KindlingCollective – #PortlandME
Maine Bound Adventure Center – #OronoME
#MaineGearShare – #BrunswickME
Skowhegan Outdoors – #SkowheganME
#OldTownME / #OronoME Gear Library – In DevelopmentPartners:
#CurtisMemorialLibrary of Things – #BrunswickME
#Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness – #BangorME
Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation – StatewideThe Maine Gear Library Network is a growing coalition of community organizations working together to make outdoor adventures more #accessible, #affordable, and #sustainable.
From #tents and #backpacks to #snowshoes and #kayaks, gear libraries around the state are helping more people get outside, regardless of income, experience, or zip code. By sharing resources and knowledge, the Maine Gear Library Network is building a culture of collaboration and sharing, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to explore and enjoy Maine’s incredible natural places.
What is a Gear Library?A gear library is a community-powered lending program that provides low-cost access to outdoor equipment, such as kayaks, #bikes, backpacks, snowshoes, and more. Their models may differ, but these gear libraries share a common goal of supporting equitable access to the outdoors by removing the barrier of gear ownership, inviting more #Mainers to connect with nature."
FMI:
https://www.mainegearshare.org/maine-gear-library-network#SolarPunkSunday #BorrowDontBuy #SharingEconomy #SpendTimeInNature #Kayaks #Hiking #Maine #GearHub #GearLibraries #SpendTimeOutdoors #BikeTooter #Biking #Kayaking #Camping
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So, many years ago, my colleagues at the #WildernessSchool had permission to pick blueberries at the #BlueberryBarrens at #CrystalSpringFarms, and also foraged in the surrounding areas. It's a lovely place and I'm so glad that it's being preserved -- despite all the development in #Maine!
Summer Four Season Walk at Crystal Spring Farm
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
3:00 PM to 5:00 PMCrystal Spring Farm
277 Pleasant Hill Road
#BrunswickME, 04011 United StatesPre-registration required. Suggested donation $5-$20.
"Come walk the trails at Crystal Spring Farm in Brunswick as we get to know #NativePlants in summer.
Four season walks are a popular series and a staff favorite: each year, we pick a new location, and then take the same walk, once per season. We will all engage in observing and asking questions of our surroundings, and identify the varied plants, shrubs, trees, ferns, and wildlife along the trail. Each season brings something new and spectacular to look at. The goal of these walks is to foster relationships with place through relationships with plants, and encourage further #stewardship of our community spaces. Crystal Spring is home to a lovely blueberry barren #ecosystem that we look forward to visiting together. Thank you to #BrunswickTopshamLandTrust for hosting us!"
FMI and to register:
https://wildseedproject.net/events/summer-four-season-walk-at-crystal-spring-farm#SolarPunkSunday #MaineEvents #MidcoastMaine #SpendTimeInNature #LandTrust #PreservedLand #ObserveNature #PlantIdentification #NativePlants
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Checking out #GearLibraries just makes sense
Sharing equipment makes #OutdoorRecreation more accessible, equitable and #sustainable.
By Amy Paradysz, Winter 2025-26
"We're all familiar with the principle behind #libraries: The community shares a collection of books so we can all access media without having to buy, own or store it. Gear libraries are built on the same notion: Sharing equipment makes outdoor recreation more accessible, more equitable and more sustainable. And sometimes it just makes good sense: Do you really want to own that pull-behind ski chariot that you might use once or twice?
"Thanks to a new coalition called the #MaineGearLibraryNetwork, it’s becoming easier to access a wider variety of gear throughout the state. For example, although #KindlingCollective in downtown #PortlandME doesn’t have enough space to stock a wide variety of outdoor apparel, their members can borrow what they need through #MaineGearShare in #BrunswickME at no additional charge.
" 'The network is a growing coalition of community organizations that are working together to make outdoor recreation more accessible, especially for rural, low-income and historically excluded communities,' said Maine GearShare Advancement Manager Emily Mackeown. 'This means that more Mainers can enjoy the outdoors in all seasons.'
"The lending or renting model varies greatly across the network. At some gear libraries, members can check out items for free—and membership may be as simple as having a card to your local library.
"More commonly, there’s a fee to check out items, but gear libraries that are nonprofits or under the auspices of a public library or university can charge less than a for-profit rental business would.
"Sometimes there’s a sliding scale based on socioeconomic factors; basically, people with more resources subsidize gear for those with fewer resources. At some gear libraries, groups like school outing clubs can save a great deal of money by purchasing a membership that covers hundreds of 'participant days' worth of gear, eliminating choices of what gear, exactly, they can afford to borrow."
Learn more:
https://www.greenhealthymaine.com/blog/gear-libraries#SolarPunkSunday #BorrowDontBuy #SharingEconomy #SpendTimeInNature #Kayaks #Hiking #Maine #OutdoorRecreation
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[1/2] #PineTreeActivism - #NoKings3 #MaineEvents / #NHEvents
#AuburnME: 12-1:30PM - Court St & Main St, Longley Bridge, Auburn
#AugustaME: 12-5:00PM - Maine State House, Augusta
#BangorME: 12-2:00PM - Main St (West Market Sq>Paul Bunyan), Bangor
#BarHarborME: 10-11:00AM – Village Green, Bar Harbor
#BathME: 10:00AM-2:00PM - From Library Park to the bridge, Bath
#BelfastME: 1-3:00PM - Post Office Square, 1 Franklin St, Belfast
#BethelME: 2-5:00PM - Bethel Common, 21 Broad St, Bethel
#BridgtonME: 12-3:00PM - Shorey Park, Main St, Bridgton
#BrooksME: 11AM-12:00PM – ME-7 bridge downtown, Brooks
#BrunswickME: 11:00-1:00PM - 195 Maine Street, Brunswick
#BucksportME: 12:30-2:30PM - Veterans Memorial Bridge, Bucksport
#CalaisME: 12-2:00PM - Flatiron Park, North & Main St, Calais
#CarrabassettValleyME: 8-10:00AM - Town Office, Carrabassett Valley
#CastineME: 1-3:00PM - Court St & School St, Castine
#CherryfieldME: 12-2:00PM - Stewart Park, US Rt 1 & Main St, Cherryfield
#DamariscottaME / #NewcastleME: 12-1:00PM on the bridge, Damariscotta
#DeerIsleME: 12-12:30PM – Mill Pond Park, 22 Main St, Deer Isle
#DexterME: 12-1:00PM - Main St & Church St, Dexter
#DoverNH: 11:00AM-1:00PM - Lower Square, Dover
#EastportME: 10-11:00AM - 1 Washingon St, Eastport
#EllsworthME: 12-1:30PM – Ellsworth City Hall, 1 City Hall Plaza, Ellsworth
#FarmingtonME: 12-1:30PM - 196 Main St to south, Farmington
#FortKentME: 1-3:00PM - 1 Monument Square, Fort KentSource:
https://bsky.app/profile/pinetreeactivism.org/post/3mhr6mhj7oc2w -
List of #MaineLibraries with #SeedLibraries!
Buck Memorial Library
47 Main St, #BucksportMEWaterville Public Library
73 Elm St, #WatervilleMEEllsworth Public Library
20 State St, #EllsworthMENortheast Harbor Library
1 Joy Road, #NortheastHarborMECaribou Public Library
30 High Street, #CaribouMEThompson Free Library
186 E. Main St, #DoverFoxcroftMESearsmont Town Library
37 Main Street, #SearsmontMeWells Public Library
1434 Post Road, #WellsMEMilbridge Public Library
18 School Street, #MilbridgeMEBangor Public Library
145 Harlow St, #BangorMEFriend Memorial Public Library
1 Reach Road, #BrooklinMED.A. Hurd Library
41 High St, #NorthBerwickMECurtis Memorial Library
23 Pleasant St, #BrunswickMEWilliam Fogg Library
116 Old Road, #EliotMECarver Memorial Library
12 Union St, #SearsportBrown Memorial Library
53 Railroad St, #ClintonME -
Why Shop? In #Maine, the #LibraryOfThings Has It All (Almost).
One town’s effort to make pricey items accessible and encourage people to buy less stuff seems to be catching on.
By Cara Buckley, Aug. 20, 2025
"Here’s a short but by no means comprehensive list of items that patrons of Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine, can check out for free: A dumpling steamer. Cannoli-making tubes. A ukulele. A heated leg massager. A Happy Birthday sign. Easels. A foam ax throwing game. A KitchenAid mixer, in chrome or red.
"Mary Gerber, a retired schoolteacher, borrowed hula hoops and a cornhole game for her son’s 2022 backyard wedding, and, more recently, a spiralizer for her homegrown zucchini. Betty McNally, a retired bookkeeper, routinely borrows a loom and a drop spindle to hand-spin yarn. In late July, she checked out a root slayer to tackle the overly abundant hostas in her yard. She’d had it on hold, because there was a waiting list.
'It feels revolutionary,' Ms. McNally said. 'I’m not buying it and storing it and the great thing is it’s really useful but I’m probably only going to use it once or twice. This way, other people can use it. It’s perfection.'"The Library of Things at Curtis Memorial Library was founded in 2018 to make pricey items accessible and encourage people to buy less stuff. It now has more than 1,500 items, all tailored to meet the needs of the roughly 22,600 people who live in Brunswick, as well as nearby #HarpswellME, which has a population of just over 5,000.
"There’s a driving kit with miniature street signs, a lesson book and a sample test to familiarize new drivers and migrants with the rules of the road. #FoodCanners, fruit tree pickers, molds for homemade Popsicles, a #FoodDehydrator and tomato strainers are offered to help people make their own food.
"Items in high demand can be checked out for only a week, and include a #GrainMill for grinding fresh flour, a nut wizard to gather acorns and other nuts, and, this being Maine, a #BlueberryRake."
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/climate/maine-library-of-things.htmlArchived version:
https://archive.ph/yoxBx#SolarPunkSunday #CurtisMemorialLibrary #BrunswickME #LibraryOfThingsMaine #BorrowDontBuy #PreservingTheHarvest