Club members thought so much of the trees at Thorncrag that they adopted trees of their own. How can we now cut them down?

Two years ago the board of directors of the Stanton Bird Club proposed the construction of a parking lot and nature center building off Montello Street in Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary. Due to adverse public opinion this project was tabled.

Now the board is back with a new proposal for a parking lot in back of the main gate on Montello Street and a Nature Center building across the brook, which flows from the Highland Spring.

This revised plan is even more destructive of Thorncrag than the first plan.

The entrance road and parking area will destroy a heavily forested area of large trees, including black locust, Norway spruce, American Elm, white pine and red pine. Also to be cut are six Carolina hemlock trees, which are very rare in their native habitat of the Appalachian Mountains from Virginia to Georgia but have been planted as ornamentals in the north. The club members probably planted these hemlocks, the black locust and the Norway spruce in the 1920s after the land had been donated to Stanton Bird Club by Dr. Alfred W. Anthony.

The proposed parking area will also destroy two large old growth red oak trees. The larger tree is 47 inches in diameter and the smaller oak is 37 inches in diameter. These huge old oaks are growing on the boundary line between two parcels of land that Dr. Anthony acquired and donated to Stanton Bird Club in 1922 and 1925. Both of these trees are thrifty and could live another 50 to 100 years if left standing.

The early bird club members thought so much of the trees at Thorncrag that they adopted a tree of their own and placed a metal nameplate on it. A few of these adopted trees can still be found.

The club members planted many trees and shrubs at Thorncrag to provide food and habitat for birds and animals.

The 1921 Charter of Stanton Bird Club reads, “The object of the corporation shall be the increase and protection of wild birds and the stimulation of interest in bird life and the establishment of a model bird sanctuary and to foster and encourage research work in all branches of natural sciences and in general to inculcate the love of nature and science, seeking to preserve Gods Out of Doors and the wildlife therein for the present and future happiness of all our citizens and to perpetuate the memory of Professor Jonathan Y. Stanton.”

How can a paved entrance road, parking lot and a building in Thorncrag increase and protect wild birds and preserve “God’s Out of Doors” and wildlife?

There won’t be many birds nesting in a parking lot or where a building stands in the woods. A pileated woodpecker has been feeding in a dead white pine tree where the entrance road will be located. The seeds from the black locust and the acorns from the red oaks are an excellent food source for birds and animals.

How can these directors go totally against the history of Stanton Bird Club by destroying the beautiful old trees the former club members planted?

As its name implies, Thorncrag is a bird sanctuary where birds and animals come first and people second. At a time when many people are concerned about protecting the environment and preserving open space, the directors of Stanton Bird Club are planning the destruction of several acres of a bird sanctuary that club members and others have protected for over 75 years.

The city of Lewiston has many acres of paved parking lots and many buildings, but only one large bird sanctuary.

Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary is a special place for birds, animals and trees, nearly surrounded by residences. Let’s keep it that way for future generations.

Fred A. Huntress Jr. of Poland Spring is a former president and lifetime member of Stanton Bird Club.

Copy the Story Link