In this episode, Bill and Jensen talk with two veteran pilots for the Maine Forest Service. Chris Blackie and John Crowley have a long history of piloting helicopters to rescue folks in need in Baxter State Park and all over the State of Maine. Chris and John tell us about their careers as well as what it’s like to try and fly a helicopter in some of the most challenging terrain in Maine.

Bill Green continues his interview with former Park Director Buzz Caverly.

In this episode, Bill Green interviews former Park Director Buzz Caverly about growing up in rural Maine, visiting the Great Nothern Hotel, getting hired as a ranger, awesome Helon Taylor stories, and why his two BSP heroes are Percival Baxter and Ralph Heath. Stay tuned for Part Two.

In this episode, Jensen and Bill shoot the breeze with retired Chief Ranger Chris Drew, who is a master storyteller in the great Maine tradition. Chris had a 36-year career with Baxter State Park and is a Baxter legend, as well as one of the most respected veterans of the Park. Chris tells some wild and entertaining stories about fishing, outhouses, families, bears, Grizzly Adams, search and rescues, and all things Baxter.

In this episode, we interview Lester Kenway, who served as the Trails Supervisor at Baxter State Park for 22 years, spent two years with Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission, and served as the Field Team Program Coordinator for the Maine Conservation Corps until his State retirement. He is a long-time volunteer with the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, serving as its President for the last ten years. Lester asked that we include this “preamble” to his interview: Lester Kenway was the Park's first Trail Crew Leader.  He worked for 22 years for BSP, and his innovative and enduring work is visible in many of the Park’s most iconic and popular trails.  Lester’s description of his standards for his leadership of his crews is as enduring as his work on the Park trails:  I always preferred crews made up of both men and women and always worked to put together crews with a gender balance. I had over 360 people on the trail crews at BSP, and about 60% of them were women. A few thoughts/observations: I liked to build teams rather than just work crews. Not everyone is good at moving big rocks with a crowbar but there are plenty of jobs for everyone. Tone is set at the top of any organization. Make sure that everyone’s ideas and suggestions are listened to. Trail work involves solving problems. People that work in difficult situations take care of each other. Challenge people but in a way where they will succeed. “You can do a lot more than you think you can if you try”

John Neff was the first President of Friends of Baxter State Park and is a 50-plus-year trail volunteer for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. He is the author of Katahdin: An Historic Journey - Legends, Explorations, and Preservation of Maine's Highest Peak. He also co-authored Baxter State Park and Katahdin with Friends Historian Howard Whitcomb. Hosts Jensen Bissell, former Park Director, and Maine's own Bill Green are members of the board of directors of Friends of Baxter State Park.

Percival Baxter - Interview with Howard Whitcomb Part 2 by Friends of Baxter State Park - Silvia Hartt, Jensen Bissell, Bill Green

Former governor Percival P. Baxter, beginning in the 1930s, purchased some 201,000 acres over a period of 30 years and gifted them to the state. Take an in-depth look at Baxter, the man, and his legacy, with foremost Baxter expert Howard Whitcomb, author of "Governor Baxter s Magnificent Obsession: A Documentary History of Baxter State Park 1931-2006." Hosts Jensen Bissell, former Park Director, and Maine's own Bill Green are members of the board of directors of Friends of Baxter State Park. Howard Whitcomb is Friends' Historian.

Catching Fish with Free Flies I’m Silvia Hartt, your host for Season One, Gettin’ Reel About Baxter, with Friends of Baxter State Park. Welcome to the podcast where I talk to several experts about the various lakes, streams, and ponds in Baxter State Park and the fish that live in them. In this episode, Silvia Hartt interviews retired Park Ranger, Dean Levasseur, about his time in the park, specifically Kidney Pond. Topics range from finding a human jawbone, catching tons of fish, and giving away hundreds of hand tied flies. Intro Music: Track: Summer Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0 https://youtu.be/UpRPzujTa7w Outro Music: Created By: Marco Cirillo Cover Performed by Finley Marquis

I’m Silvia Hartt, your host for Season One, Gettin’ Reel About Baxter, with Friends of Baxter State Park. Welcome to the podcast where I talk to several experts about the various lakes, streams, and ponds in Baxter State Park and the fish that live in them. In this last episode of the season, Silvia Hartt has a short talk with park director Eben Sypitkowski. They cover topics such as how much Eben gets into the park to fish, and what his hopes are for the future of Baxter’s fishery. Thank you Eben for the work and care you are putting into this wonderful and unique wilderness. Intro Music: Track: Summer Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0 https://youtu.be/UpRPzujTa7w Outro Music: Created By: Marco Cirillo Cover Performed by Finley Marquis