Friends of Baxter State Park

This episode of Friends of Baxter Podcast features ecologist, John Hagan of Our Climate Common. John explains his work in ornithology and how his bird research led him to discover LiDAR and the work he uses it for now in tracking Maine’s old growth forests.

Join our hosts Jensen Bissell and Bill Green as they sit down with Lee Kantar, Maine State Moose Biologist with Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, as he discusses his 21 year career with IF&W, how he got there, winter tick in NH and ME and how it’s impacting Maine’s moose population.

Guardian of the Giants - Referenced in podcast as suggested watching material, if Moose conservation is of interest to you.

In this conversation we talk to Greg Shute. Greg recently completed a 41 year career with the Chewonki Foundation. Greg is an expert at leading kids of all ages into the Maine wilderness in ways that keep them safe while challenging them and teaching them about wild places. He’s also a wonderful human being. Join us for this interesting conversation about Chewonki and kids in nature.

We turn the tables on this month’s Friends of Baxter Podcast. Our guest is our usual co-host Jensen Bissell who spent 30 years in the park, including 12 years as the Director. We talk about his experience leading Baxter as well as his 18 years managing the Scientific Forest Management Area (SFMA) in the northern part of the park. While his status in Maine Outdoors is legendary, the Bissell name has become better known because of his sons. Peter and Noah who are the Bissell Brothers. They own and operate one of Maine’s largest breweries. Board member Jim Page joins us as an interviewer.

It has been said that hiking trails are the heart of Baxter State Park. This conversation is all about those hiking trails. There are more than 200 miles of remote and often rugged pathways through the woods, over mountains, and in some of the most rare habitats in Maine. How are these trails maintained? Find out in this talk with Brennan Turner, the Park’s very knowledgeable and dedicated Trails Supervisor.

Imagine spending a week alone in the backcountry. While that’s extreme, Baxter State Park’s backcountry rangers spend a lot of time alone and far away from the support and backup that frontcountry rangers rely on.

In this episode, we talk with Greg Hamer and Brendan Curran about their lives as backcountry rangers. How do they deal with injury, threats, and working alone on a day-to-day basis? These men have had some adventures, saved a number of people, and lived lives that those of us in the mainstream can only dream about.

The Art of Katahdin with David Little by Friends of Baxter State Park

Join us for an interesting conversation about leadership at Baxter State Park. In April of 2023, the Baxter State Park Authority reached within the ranks of park staff to hire Kevin Adam as the Park's fifth director. Kevin is best known for his 28 years of experience with the Maine Warden Service. A native of Vermont, he came to Maine to study Conservation Law Enforcement at Unity College. He rose through the ranks of the Warden Service to lead its Search and Rescue program for 11 years. He also had oversight of the Warden Service K-9 and Incident Management Teams. In 2020, he was recruited by the Park as a District Ranger Law Enforcement Ranger. Along with his proven leadership skills, Kevin is known for his thoughtful demeanor.

Join our host Jensen Bissell for a conversation about the Park’s Scientific Forest Management Area (SFMA) with Bob Seymour and Joe Wiley. Bob and Joe have served on the SFMA Advisory Committee for nearly four decades. This episode traces the origins of the SFMA, explores the principles behind its management, and looks ahead to what the future might hold for this remarkable working forest.

Join us for a conversation with Charlie Trautmann about the Baxter Park Wilderness Fund Trust. This important contributor to Baxter Park is a private endowment established by long-time Park volunteer Frank Trautmann. The fund currently holds a value of more than $40 million and contributed a half a million dollars to BSP in 2025.

Frank Trautmann passed away in 2014. In this episode, your hosts Bill and Jensen speak with Frank's son Charlie Trautmann about Frank as a father, a volunteer, and an unassuming, modest philanthropist who left a significant gift to help the Park. You can learn more at www.baxterparkwildernessfundtrust.org.