News

The week of April 15-22 Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust will sponsor daily events celebrating International Dark Sky Week encouraging our community to “Discover the Night!”

“Maine’s night skies are the darkest east of the Mississippi River. Our night sky is celebrated as a shared heritage that benefits all living things internationally, we want to make people aware of the issues,” said Amanda Laliberte, Program Director for RLHT. “RLHT engaging and educating our community with these events to shut off the lights and turn on the stars!”

Robert D. Waterman, Sr., 93, of Monmouth, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, with his loving family by his side after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

He was born in Gardiner on June 21, 1929, the first son of Lola (Mitchell) and Erland Waterman. During the Great Depression Robert lost his father at 9 years old. He, his younger brother Donald, and a long-time employee, Frank Hinkley, helped their mother sustain their dairy farm. A hard-working farm lad, Robert was a brilliant student, skipping three grades in grammar school and graduating from Lewiston High School in 1945 at 15 years old. He continued his education at the University of Maine, graduating in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry at the age of 19. At UMO he met a host of GIs returning from WWII, including Otto Wallingford of Auburn, his lifelong friend.

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of a true New England original- David B. Tibbetts. A renowned watercolor artist, fly-fisherman, poet, children’s book author, loyal friend and devoted family man, Dave was well-known for his friendly, outgoing personality, down-to-earth sensibilities, quick wit, and caring, generous spirit.

Being somewhat of a local celebrity, people would recognize Dave at once by his full gray beard and Greek fisherman’s cap. Always dressed in a colorful fly-fishing shirt and multi-pocket sportsman’s vest, he was rarely seen without a thermal coffee mug in hand, especially at the local mini-mart. Dave was always ready with a friendly wave or hello as he greeted friends, children, and strangers alike; always with a dog biscuit ready for any of his four-legged fans.

Marie Packard Chabot passed peacefully on Feb. 25, 2023. She was born to the daughter of Theresa Chaisson LeBlanc in Rumford on April 3, 1946.

Marie had many roles in her lifetime, she was a sister, wife, Meme, and Mother. She had a career at Boise Cascade, was a caregiver, and worked as a waitress for sometime.

The 5th Rangeley Birding Festival (RBF), to be held June 9-11, will announce and present the John Bicknell Award for Conservation and Birding. The award honors the legacy of Bicknell, a Rangeley resident who led the effort to get sanctuary designation on the Mingo Springs golf course and has been recognized for environmental stewardship by Audubon International.

I want to thank you for your support and to update you on the Kennebago Headwaters project, especially the river restoration work we began last summer. In parallel with our work on the Kennebago tributaries and main stem, we are also working on a forest management plan to restore and enhance the woods and waters of this region.

Charlie Adkins, 80, passed away on Feb. 9, 2023, at home in the early morning hours after battling pancreatic cancer which was diagnosed just three months earlier.

Charlie was born on Jan. 20, 1943, in Dover-Foxcroft. As a young boy he moved to Weld with his mother and two sisters. He was educated in local schools and graduated from Dixfield High School in June of 1961.

The Rangeley Lakes Regional School’s Kindergarten through 5th grade got onto the ice with the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust the first week of February as part of their annual WinterKids competition. Lindsay Richards, the RLRS Physical Education teacher, thought outside the box partnering with RLHT to get over 80 kids on the ice.

Take a look at the new Rangeley Lakes Region Map that outlines recreational opportunities on our conservation lands. You’ll find day hikes, ponds and river paddles, self-led discovery trails, scenic drives, and much more!

In 2015, the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust (RLHT) acquired an 8-acre parcel that abutted the Rangeley Lake State Park (RLSP). The property, situated along the northern side of South Shore Drive and the southern shoreline of Rangeley Lake, is the eastern boundary of the RLSP.

FREE

Rangeley Region Recreational Map

Look at the new Rangeley Lakes Region Map that outlines recreational opportunities on our conservation lands. 

 

You’ll find day hikes, ponds and river paddles, self-led discovery trails, scenic drives, and much more!

 

Please stop by our office to pick up your copy!