Aren't They Cute? Aren't They Cute? Dorothea Vogel of Damariscotta and Trish Higgins of Randolph are trying to make a couple of new friends at Winter's Gone Farm in Wiscasset. (Photo Barbara Martin)

Lincoln County consists of 457 square miles spread out over 19 towns, 451 miles of coastline and nine rivers. It's no wonder, therefore, that conservation and ecological concerns are so important. The Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District works to conserve and develop land, water, forest, wildlife and related resources for the benefit of everyone.

With curiosity and a sense of adventure, area residents climbed aboard the annual Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District's Fall Bus Tour on October 4. We traveled through Lincoln County along beautiful country roads where the leaves are especially breathtaking during Maine's legendary fall foliage season.

We drove past lakes, mountains, blueberry fields, cow, horse and sheep farms while learning more about conservation and agricultural activities from Maine's former Commissioner of Agriculture Robert W. Spear, USDA/NRCS District Conservationist Mary E. Thompson, Knox-Lincoln SWCD Office Manager Katherine Ward and Education/Outreach Coordinator Amanda Rudy who led the tour, providing information and answering questions throughout the day.

Traveling to Whitefield, the tour's first destination was Townhouse Farm where owner Beth Whitman served participants cheese made from sheep's milk and answered questions about the delicious taste of "Ewegurt." Sheep's milk has twice as much calcium and protein than cows' milk, contains five times the amount of vitamin B and is naturally homogenized!

The next destination was Bailey's Orchard in Whitefield where owners Rod and Kay Bailey invited everyone to tour the orchard where they grow over 50 varieties of apples, seven varieties of pears, three varieties of plums, crabapples, pumpkins, squash and gourds.

Rod gave a short presentation describing their own cider mill where the cider is made from crisp ripe apples that are washed, brushed and graded before being squeezed into cider without any additives or preservatives. The orchard was started over 60 years ago by Jesse and Maxine Bailey and sits on a 100-acre plot of land. Cider, coffee, homemade breads and muffins were served at Bailey's Orchard.

At Dragonfly Cove Farm in Dresden, owners Marge Kilkelly and Joe Murray prepared a delicious Boer cross goat meat soup which was served as a side dish along with a homemade picnic lunch. Dragonfly Cove is a small, diverse natural resources based enterprise where the couple's supply of "chevron" (goat meat) comes mostly from the Boer breed they raise. Chevron is 50-65 percent lower in fat than beef, with similar protein content, and contains less saturated fat than skinless chicken. "It's good to have a breakfast or Italian sausage that isn't swimming in fat," said Kilkelly.

Carpentry skills possessed by Joe Murray have come in handy in order to separate the bucks, does and kids with their own small, rugged barns and shelters. A low ceiling barn designed to retain heat in the winter allows the goats a place where they can climb up on shelves which are securely attached to the walls or chase each other around while running through several doors into the pasture.

Our final destination was at Winters Gone Farm & Alpaca Store in Wiscasset, which hosted its grand opening in 2003 and has quickly become one of the area's most memorable and relaxing experiences for tourists and local residents alike. The grounds include a beautifully landscaped farm pond, complete with a cascading fountain, flower gardens, nature path and picnic tables where visitors are encouraged to bring their lunch, relax and enjoy the friendly alpacas that each possess a very unique personality.

Alpaca 101 is a wonderful informative video shown in the barn, and narrated by Snowball, the official "Spokespaca" at Winters Gone Farm. The video encourages visitors to explore "The Softest Farm in Maine."

The store features a wide array of items made from alpaca fiber including rugs, blankets, wall hangings and many other items. The Taylors' fondness for alpacas started several years ago when they

visited an alpaca farm in western Maryland. Taylor says it was love at first sight!

For approximately 27 years, the Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District in partnership with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and in conjunction with the Knox-Lincoln Farm Bureau has sponsored this Annual Conservation Bus Tour. Next year the tour will cover Knox County followed by another tour of Lincoln County in 2009.