Camden Hills Focus Area Camden, Lincolnville Description: Camden Hills State Park forms the core of a nearly 6,000 acre block of largely undeveloped land just north of the village of Camden. The state park supports several natural communities of statewide significance, including an acidic rocky summit, spruce woodland, oak-pine woodland, and oak-beech forest. The town-owned Millerite Ledges and adjacent Maiden Cliff lie immediately west of Camden Hills State Park and east of Lake Megunticook. Together the summits, ledges, and forests of the Camden Hills form a botanically rich area that also has high recreational and scenic values. Camden Hills State Park MNAP file photo Perhaps the most striking features of the Camden Hills are the open summit ledges of Mt. Battie, Mt. Megunticook, and the Millerite Ledges. These peaks support open balds (Òacidic rocky summit communitiesÓ) with scattered, stunted red oak (Quercus rubra) trees and shrubs of mountain ash (Sorbus americana) and chokeberry (Photinia melanocarpa). Other characteristic plant species of these open summits include three-leaved cinquefoil (Sibbaldiopsis tridentata), bristly sarsaparilla (Aralia hispida), pink corydalis (Corydalis sempervirens), hairgrass (Deschampsia flexuosa), and bear-berry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi). Several locations within and adjacent to the park support plant communities indicative of "basic" or "alkaline" soil conditions. These conditions result from the unique bedrock composition of the area. Ultra-mafic bedrock (i.e., igneous rock containing magnesium silicates) is scattered among the dominant, typically more acidic, sedimentary bedrock types of the area. One such plant community occurs at the northwestern end of the Millerite Ledges, as the trail drops down toward Maiden Cliff. Rock outcrops amid the oak forest in this location support wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii), spring beauty (Claytonia caroliniana), hepatica 1 Land Trust Assistance Project MNAP/MDIFW/MCHT/MAS May 1, 2000 (Hepatica nobilis v. obtusa), early saxifrage (Saxifraga virginiensis), herb robert (Geranium robertianum), rusty woodsy (Woodsia ilvensis), and flat-leaved sedge (Carex platyphylla). While none of these plants are rare in Maine, many are quite uncommon in the MidCoast area. Further downslope, below Maiden Cliff, the steep wooded circumneutral talus slope forest also supports some other "rich woods" species, including spikenard (Aralia racemosa), poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii), round-leaved dogwood (Cornus rugosa), and jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). A few plant species typical of dry woods and talus occur as well, including small-flowered bitter-cress (Cardamine parviflora) and Drummond's rock-cress (Arabis drummondii). In the northern part of this large block, Derry Mountain supports a small but outstanding oakpine woodland dominated by red oak (Quercus rubra). Un-fragmented blocks of this size are increasingly uncommon in MidCoast Maine, and the several uncommon "small-patch" natural communities add to the landscape diversity of this block. Rare Species/Natural Community Table for the Camden Hills: Common Name Latin Name Status S-Rank G-Rank Exemplary Natural Communities Acidic Rocky Summit n/a S4 not ranked Circumneutral Talus Slope Forest n/a S2 not ranked Oak-Beech Forest n/a S3S4 not ranked Oak-Pine Woodland n/a S4 not ranked Spruce Woodland n/a S3S4 not ranked Rare Plants American chestnut Castanea dentata SC S2S3 G4 Purple clematis Clematis occidentalis SC S2 G4T5 Other Resources Mapped by MDIFW: Two Deer Wintering Areas are mapped within this focus area. Conservation Considerations ¥ Roadless blocks of this size and condition are increasingly uncommon in coastal Maine. With Camden Hills State Park as a core, this large block affords an excellent opportunity to protect landscape-scale ecological functions and values. Particular attention should be given to protecting large parcels adjacent to already protected lands. The Bureau of Public Lands may be willing to hold additional lands adjacent to Camden Hills State Park. ¥ The Coastal Mountains have experienced rapid growth in the last decade (Krohn 1997), and many of the upland areas are under increasing threat. Growth and sprawl in rural areas contribute to habitat fragmentation, water quality degradation, and expansion of invasive plant species. ¥ Nearly all areas mapped as exemplary natural communities are contained within existing conservation lands. ¥ Many of the higher elevation oak forests in this region -- particularly stands facing the east and southeast -- were heavily damaged by the January 1998 ice storm. In light of this damage, some landowners have undertaken heavy salvage cuts to offset possible economic loss. Woodlot 2 Land Trust Assistance Project MNAP/MDIFW/MCHT/MAS May 1, 2000 owners considering such options should be encouraged to develop a long-term forest management plan with the guidance of a licensed forester. ¥ Old forests (e.g., greater than 100 years old) are becoming scarce in Maine. Retention of old forest stands and characteristics, such as coarse woody debris and standing snags, may augment habitat diversity and value. ¥ Both the rare plants known from the area are considered historic; that is, they have not been seen in over 30 years. They likely remain in the area but specific locations must be verified before further conservation activity is warranted. ¥ On two occasions peregrine falcons have been sighted around Maiden Cliff within the past decade during breeding season, but no nests were observed. The area could be monitored during breeding season for possible future activity. ¥ Camden Hills State Park is the most visited State Park in Maine, and the trail network on it and on surrounding town and private lands receives moderate to heavy use. Some management in the form of signs and/or interpretive materials may be helpful in limiting impacts to sensitive habitats such as open summits. Protection Status: Camden Hills State Park encompasses nearly 5,600 acres in a few different parcels; roughly 4300 acres lies within this focus area. The Nature Conservancy's Fernald Neck Preserve, just outside this focus area, covers over 300 acres on a peninsula in Lake Megunticook. The town of Camden owns 268 acres around the Millerite Ledges west of the Park. 3 Land Trust Assistance Project MNAP/MDIFW/MCHT/MAS May 1, 2000