Welcome to the Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm
Located in New Portland, Maine, at the foot of the Bigelow Mountain Range in western Maine, Runamuk Acres is a small farm and nature preserve. Stewarded by Sam(antha) Burns and her son, BraeTek, Runamuk grows mixed vegetables using regenerative methods that put soil health and beneficial insects first.
We believe fostering the health of these keystone species builds a more resilient agricultural system—one that works with its surrounding ecosystem rather than against it. Runamuk’s conservation work extends that belief onto the land itself: protecting a stream and wetland that supports brook trout and an endangered freshwater mussel, and a stand of Northern Larch that shelters Canadian lynx and the at-risk common nighthawk.
Our Mission
to protect wildlife through the conservation of beneficial insects and soil
microbial life, providing an ecological and financial benefit to the entire
community, and the community includes the soil, water, fauna and flora,
as well as the people.
Connection to Nature
Committed to helping people build deeper relationships with nature, the Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm seeks to foster that connection to nature, not only for the benefit of humanity, but also for the benefit of the Earth we have pledged ourselves to.
Most Americans spend more than 10 hours a day staring at a screen, according to a 2016 Nielsen Total Audience Report. Our increased reliance on technology, combined with a global trend toward urban living, means many of us are spending ever less time outdoors─even as scientists compile evidence of the value of getting out into the natural world. Even though the brain is hard-wired to function in natural surroundings, our daily “screen-time” use continues to increase. We are becoming an indoor society, and disconnecting from nature.
Exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders, and even upticks in empathy and cooperation. Spending time in nature is good for us! For our children’s development, our overall health and well-being, the vitality of our communities, and for economic sectors. When people experience and connect with nature they are also more likely to act in ways that benefit the Earth.
To promote that connection to nature, Runamuk offers the public access to the farm’s trails—an easy one-mile loop open for hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, biking, and birdwatching. Visitors are welcome for self-guided walks and picnics on the conservation land.
Through Runamuk’s CSA, members pay in advance for the season, which helps cover early costs like seeds and soil amendments. Once the vegetables start coming in, members select from a weekly order form the foods their household actually wants, drawing down that credit as they go—no fixed box, no mystery vegetables. Farmstand customers get to see where their food comes from firsthand, and the farm-blog shares the day-to-day reality of a life spent this close to the land.
Stay in touch by subscribing to Runamuk’s Substack, or find us on Instagram at @runamukacres for a look at day-to-day life on the farm.
