Few people realize that near the densely developed York County coast lie 16,000 acres of nearly unbroken forested wetlands that Maine has identified as a Focus Area of Statewide Ecological Significance. This wooded expanse has relatively few paved roads and abundant vernal pools (temporary water bodies often visible only in spring that afford vital habitat to amphibians and invertebrates). The Focus Area, almost equally divided between Kennebunkport and Biddeford, has the highest concentration of vernal pools in Maine (alongside the Mt. Agamenticus region) and among the highest in New England.

While the ecological value of this Focus Area is well documented, roughly 90 percent of the land remains privately owned and unprotected. “Much of this area has escaped fragmentation because it is wet backland that’s challenging and expensive to develop,” says Keith Fletcher, MCHT’s Project Manager for Southern Maine. “There’s great conservation potential here, and the Trust has picked up the pace of protection by assisting local partners.” MCHT recently helped conserve four parcels in the Focus Area, totaling 373 acres, which expand upon existing conserved tracts.

Each project secures some of the undisturbed forest needed to sustain the resident amphibians and invertebrates. Many species reliant on vernal pools for breeding habitat, like the state-endangered Blanding’s turtle and state-threatened spotted turtle, require large tracts of unbroken upland forest as well. Turtles are long-lived and shift seasonally among different wetlands, making them highly vulnerable to encounters with vehicles and dogs. “The Biddeford-Kennebunkport vernal pool complex has a significant population of Blanding’s and spotted turtles,” notes Jonathan Mays, a wildlife biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “This relatively unfragmented coastal area represents a critical strong-hold for them.”

MCHT helped negotiate a generous donation to Kennebunkport Conservation Trust (KCT) of 133 acres abutting a 100-acre town forest. The former landowners, Bill and Lorraine Hutchins, are relieved to know the property will remain unspoiled: “This land was a gift from my father,” recalls Bill Hutchins. “I have enjoyed it all my life, and I figure it’s only right to pass it along as a gift to everyone.”

KCT recently purchased another 26-acre wetland parcel vulnerable to development with fundraising help from MCHT. Both recent projects reinforce a working partnership that dates back to 1979. “MCHT’s advice was critical then,” observes KCT Executive Director Tom Bradbury, “and we still find their help instrumental.”

MCHT helped negotiate a conservation easement that the University of New England donated to the Saco Valley Land Trust (SVLT) in 2011, mitigating for wetlands filled in a campus expansion. This project conserves 161 acres in the Focus Area while providing a valuable site for students to conduct ecological research. “Our trust formed 25 years ago following a meeting MCHT organized,” reflects SVLT Chairman Richard Rhames. “Ever since, their staff has played an important role connecting us with funding resources, reviewing easement language, and hand-holding our volunteer board through numerous projects. We appreciate all the help Keith and his predecessors have provided.”

MCHT also helped the City of Biddeford preserve public access to Clifford Park, a woodland beloved by locals.

More projects are in the works within the vernal pool Focus Area, and Fletcher is collaborating with local partners on conservation planning to identify priorities. “This concerted effort could pay great dividends,” he says. “We look forward to more conservation success here in coming years.”

Sharing the Wonder

President’s Column by Tim Glidden

On a recent trip downeast, I had a chance to get better acquainted with several of our coastal properties—including the Frank Woodworth Preserve in Harrington (featured in the last Maine Heritage), and the 1,500-acre expanse that stretches from Bog Brook Cove in Cutler to Moose Cove in Trescott. One year into my new position here, I still delight in discovering the treasures that Maine Coast Heritage Trust has successfully conserved over 41 years. Each exploration reminds me of the power these places hold to renew us and reconnect us—how we live in community with and on these lands. A vital part of MCHT’s mission is to sustain and strengthen that connection, our shared land heritage.

MCHT and many local land trusts participated last month in the first-ever Great Maine Outdoor Weekend, a three-day celebration with more than 75 outdoor activities statewide. We helped establish this new tradition (which will occur twice each year) to inspire Mainers of all ages to get outside year-round, enjoying the remarkable array of parks and preserves our state offers.

For MCHT, the trips we offered that weekend marked the beginning of our 2012 outings and events, most of them offered free of charge. We have a wide range of walks, hikes and boat trips planned, introducing participants to some of our newer acquisitions and sharing familiar favorites. Some trips offer informative natural history presentations, while others simply involve sharing the delight of exploration with friends and family.

At Malaga Island, the featured preserve in this Maine Heritage, we’ll be offering special tours this summer commemorating the forced eviction of island residents that occurred there 100 years ago (see page 4). Among our many island holdings, Malaga holds a unique place in Maine’s cultural heritage, and we are working to foster access to the island so more people can learn from its poignant history.

In the midst of our demanding land protection, stewardship and outreach work, we’ll take time this year to plot MCHT’s course for the coming years. As we plan for the future, we’d like to hear from you: what dimensions of our work matter most to you?

We look forward to connecting with many of you on summer field trips, and at the Maine Land Conservation Conference on April 27 and 28 in Topsham. With renowned conservationist Peter Forbes as our keynote speaker and dozens of informative workshops, that gathering promises to be—like the discovery of a new land trust preserve—full of delight and wonder.

Generous Gifts Help Secure Three Island Preserves

Big Babson Island, Eggemoggin Reach

Just off Naskeag Point in Brooklin lies a 22-acre island with an inviting mix of fern meadows, woods and a sandy beach that has long drawn local residents and passing boaters. The three families that shared ownership of Big Babson Island welcomed public use for years, but had determined recently that they needed to sell the property.

Fortunately, the island’s 16 owners were open to a purchase by Maine Coast Heritage Trust at a price well below market value. “We needed leadership and generous support from the local community to complete this purchase,” observes MCHT Senior Project Manager Ciona Ulbrich, “and to provide for the island’s long-term stewardship.” Donations flowed in and MCHT acquired the island late in 2011. “We’re grateful to all those from the Brooklin community and beyond who supported the new Big Babson Island Preserve,” observes Ulbrich. “It was a wonderful collective effort.”

Little Camp Island, Stonington

Landowners of this 3-acre island in Merchant Row generously donated the entire island to MCHT, providing an important addition to a highly scenic region where the Trust now owns nine island preserves.

Western Sister Island, Swans Island

With help from a generous landowner and MDI area donors, MCHT was able to protect an eagle-nesting island that lies between Swans Island and Frenchboro within sight of five MCHT preserves. The conservation purchase, at less than half the island’s appraised value, will protect the wild character of this 39-acre island.

MCHT Featured Preserve: Malaga Island, Phippsburg

Lying at the mouth of the New Meadows River, Malaga Island encompasses 42 acres of dense spruce-fir woods, fringed by salt marsh, rocky ledge and an occasional shell beach. The island’s shores are sometimes piled high with fishing gear stored by Phippsburg residents, a traditional use that MCHT has supported since it acquired Malaga from a generous, conservation-minded landowner in 2001.

Visitors to Malaga can enjoy a loop trail that spans nearly a mile around the island’s perimeter—with views to Sebasco Village, neighboring Bear Island (half of which is protected through a conservation easement held by MCHT), and eastern Casco Bay.

The island’s more open northern end, where most visitors land, marks the site of one of the most shameful events in Maine history.

During the 1860s, a mix of free African-Americans, Native Americans and whites settled on the island, relying primarily on fishing and marine harvesting. Their community grew from 27 people in 1880 to around 40 people in 1900. The local shipbuilding industry declined during this period, and Phippsburg residents began to resent budget allocations for the poor and to fear that Malaga Island’s rundown homes might deter the visits of affluent summer people. Racism and the burgeoning eugenics movement fueled these economic concerns, gradually turning public sentiment against the Malaga Island community.

In 1912, the State purchased Malaga Island and forcibly evicted all its residents, committing eight of them to the Maine School for the Feeble-Minded in New Gloucester. Even the remains of those buried on Malaga were exhumed and reinterred in a mass grave near the School. Since that eviction, the island has been uninhabited.

“This is a reprehensible chapter in our state’s history,” observes MCHT Regional Steward Amanda Devine, “one that’s had an enduring impact on descendants of the Malaga community.” Not until 2010 did the Legislature and Governor finally offer a public apology for the State’s actions. That year, MCHT cooperated with the Portland Chapter of the NAACP to make Malaga a site on the Maine Freedom Trail, which preserves and protects African-American heritage in Maine. The Trust has welcomed archaeologists and other historians to the island to conduct ongoing work that has helped Malaga descendents connect to their ancestry.

In this centennial year of the Malaga eviction, MCHT plans to offer numerous tours of the island (see mcht.org/tours/ for details). Those seeking to learn more about Malaga can read MCHT’s natural and cultural history of the island (at mcht.org/preserves); listen to a radio documentary (at malagaislandmaine.org); and visit a special exhibit at the Maine State Museum titled Malaga Island: Fragmented Lives (opening May 19).

Directions: Small boats can land at the north beach where there is a trailhead. Seaspray Kayaking (seaspraykayaking.com) offers kayak and canoe rentals, and runs daily kayak tours in summer from Sebasco Harbor (MCHT members receive a $10 discount). Visitors should be aware that poison ivy rings much of the island.

Nearby Conserved Lands: The Nature Conservancy has a 1,900-acre property just north of Malaga that surrounds an inlet off the New Meadows River known as The Basin. This preserve has extensive hiking opportunities through a diversity of habitats.

L.L. Bean Regrant Promotes Access

Through a partnership with Maine Coast Heritage Trust spanning eight years, L. L. Bean has provided annual grants to help Maine’s local land trusts improve stewardship and public access at their conserved lands. In 2011, L.L. Bean funded awards totaling $22,750 that helped seven trusts create new trails and trail linkages, mark boundaries, conduct trail map research, and improve signage. Award recipients included Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust, Georges River Land Trust, Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust, Kennebec Land Trust, Kittery Land Trust, and Mahoosuc Land Trust.

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) received $5,000 to upgrade a popular trail that will now provide access to people with disabilities at its Thorne Head Preserve bordering the Kennebec River in Bath. KELT recently expanded its parking lot to include an ADA-compliant parking space and, with the L.L. Bean grant, can add a firm, stable surface to the half-mile long Overlook Trail off High Street. “Thorne Head Preserve is a wonderful community asset, and the generous grant award from L.L. Bean helps ensure that even more people will be able to enjoy the beauty of this special place,” observes Kevin Shute, Program Director of the Bath Area Family YMCA.

Stay at the Saddleback Island Cabin

Maine Coast Heritage Trust is offering limited rental use of its cabin at the Saddleback Island Preserve in beautiful Merchant Row off Stonington. MCHT members can spend a few quiet days at the island’s rustic cabin, which is available for short-term stays in July and August (accommodating a maximum of eight people). Please visit mcht.org/saddleback for more information. The rental schedule fills quickly so sign up early if you want to stay at Saddleback this summer.

Call for Land Stewardship Volunteers

Maine Coast Heritage Trust owns and manages dozens of preserves along the length of Maine’s coastline, and there are always stewardship projects that need attention. If you are interested in helping care for our conserved lands, we’d love to hear from you. There are numerous ways to lend a hand—either for one-time projects or on an ongoing basis, helping out monthly with tasks like trail maintenance and preserve monitoring. You can choose a preserve near your home for ongoing work or get acquainted with properties farther afield through a “work party” (helping out with invasive plant control, a beach cleanup or other group effort). Shared stewardship work can be a wonderful way to engage with the land and other people, while gaining the satisfaction of knowing that you’re making a real difference. To learn more about opportunities for volunteer land stewards, please contact Peg Adams at padams@mcht.org or 207-729-7366, ext. 116.

Staff News

MCHT welcomes Rebecca Field Kraai as the new Database Manager on our development team. Rebecca recently completed an MS in Business Administration, concentrating in Information Systems Management at the University of Rochester. During the past seven years, Rebecca has lived and worked in Rochester, and volunteered for the Genesee Land Trust.

Congratulations to Misha Mytar, MCHT’s Land Project Manager on Mount Desert Island, who recently had her first child. Rita Blanche Farrenkopf was born on October 24, 2011. "We're having lots of fun," Misha reports. "She's a happy, healthy baby!"

Congratulations to Betsy Ham and Ciona Ulbrich who have been promoted to Senior Project Managers in the land protection department.

In Memoriam: Caroline Morgan MaCoMber

Maine Coast Heritage Trust staff and board members were deeply saddened by the death in late January of long-time Council member Caroline Macomber. Mrs. Macomber was a dedicated conservationist, unwavering in her support of MCHT and North Haven Conservation Partners (which she founded in 1996 and where she was serving as President). She was instrumental in MCHT’s successful campaign to secure Calderwood Island in Penobscot Bay. “Caroline worked tirelessly to protect land and keep it open so the public could enjoy the quiet beauty of North Haven and neighboring islands,” reflects MCHT Project Manager Betsy Ham. “All of us who worked with her and shared that vision will miss her good humor and her great passion for land protection.”

Treat Point, Frankfort

Bordered by the Penobscot River and Marsh Stream, Treat Point encompasses 91 wooded acres along an intertidal marsh that supports bald eagles, river otter, Atlantic salmon and sturgeon. “This confluence of waters is really the heart of Penobscot Bay,” observes Catherine Schmitt of Maine Sea Grant. “It’s the largest intertidal marsh in the entire estuary and a diverse, productive ecosystem.” The Treat family farmed and fished on the peninsula two centuries ago, and their family cemetery is there. Since then, generations of hunters, birdwatchers, hikers and snowmobilers have enjoyed this high promontory overlooking a 371-acre State wildlife area along Marsh Stream.

In 2007, a developer gained approval for a 14-lot subdivision, Treat Point Shores, that could have ended traditional use, jeopardized water quality, and fragmented valuable wildlife habitat. The developer was open to reselling the land for conservation, but at a price no nonprofit entity could afford. “Sometimes we consider projects as good as gone,” reflects MCHT Project Manager Ciona Ulbrich. “But this one came full circle and—thanks to the slow economy, willing landowners and a far-sighted donor—we were able to acquire Treat Point recently.” The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will be the long-term owner and steward of Treat Point, fostering its ecological values and managing traditional uses.

As the economy lost momentum, the Treat Point Shores home sites failed to sell. The property’s listing price dropped by roughly half, and—fortuitously—a local donor approached the Maine Community Foundation (MCF), wanting to support land conservation in the vicinity. “MCHT helped identify this project and then saw it through to completion,” notes Jennifer Southard, MCF’s Director of Philanthropic Services. “The donor is very pleased with the outcome and so are we.”

“When I first learned that Marsh Point might be subdivided, I was heartsick,” recalls the donor (who prefers to remain anonymous). “But at that point, neither I nor anyone I knew had the means to preserve it. I never dreamed the opportunity would arise again and I would be able to help—using an inheritance from a loved one who cherished this setting and often sketched Treat Point. It was especially meaningful to preserve this land in her honor.”

“The whole process was new and baffling to me,” the first-time donor reflects, “so I was thankful to have help from MCHT and MCF. After all the hard work, the magnitude of what we’ve done has begun to sink in. Now when I kayak around Treat Point, looking up at its wild forest and steep bluffs, I realize what a huge accomplishment it is—preserving this unique place forever. I am so grateful that there is a community of people, foundations, and land trusts who really care about what happens to the beauty that surrounds us. And I feel privileged now to be a more active part of that community.”

Rich’s Head, Frenchboro

This past summer, a generous gift to Maine Coast Heritage Trust added a spectacular 192-acre headland with 3 miles of bold shoreline to its preserve on Frenchboro Long Island. Rich’s Head connects to MCHT’s Frenchboro Preserve by a narrow isthmus with a cobble beach that looks out to Mount Desert Island. The headland’s long-time owner, MCHT friend and supporter David Rockefeller, gave the entire property to the Trust, thereby expanding the Frenchboro Preserve to 1,150 acres and 8 miles of coastal hiking trails.

Mr. Rockefeller and his wife Peggy (co-founder of MCHT) bought Rich’s Head decades ago to preserve its unspoiled beauty and panoramic vistas. In 1986, they donated an easement to Acadia National Park allowing for agricultural use but preventing other development. They graciously allowed MCHT to include their land in its trail network so local residents and visitors could enjoy quiet hikes and picnics there. “Because of the Rockefellers’ long-standing generosity in sharing their land with the public,” notes MCHT project manager Bob DeForrest, “few people even knew that this headland was privately owned. But this exceptionally generous gift guarantees public access into the future so visitors through time can enjoy this breathtaking setting.”

Enlivened by Place

President’s Column by Tim Glidden

One morning last summer, on a visit downeast with an MCHT partner and supporter, my host and I took a hike up Pigeon Hill, a small summit near the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge in Steuben. Four years ago, the Land for Maine’s Future Program helped conserve this traditional hiking trail—when I was its Director—yet I’d never been on the land. A photo taken from the summit adorns the wall of my new office at MCHT, and I wanted to experience the view first-hand.

When we reached the open summit, the sun had lit up the waters before us—a sparkling expanse stretching from the peaks of Mount Desert Island to Pleasant Bay. This single panorama includes dozens of conserved gems (such as MCHT’s new preserve at Willard Point). I was moved beyond words by the spectacular vista and felt so grateful for the efforts people have made to sustain the whole of this gorgeous landscape.

In so many landowners and Trust supporters I met this summer, I witnessed a quiet passion for cherished lands that fills them with energy. At one home, there were three generations of a family—each completely engaged with the land. The youngest member was playing on the shore, while his uncle was toweling off after a sea urchin dive, and his parents and grandfather sat with me talking about the land’s future and acknowledging its priceless gifts to their family.

One of my greatest delights in being at MCHT is having the opportunity to hear accounts of this enduring love for the land. Often, it seems, a lifelong commitment to conservation takes root in childhood experiences outdoors. Davis Pike, who with his family helped establish MCHT’s Hamilton Cove Preserve downeast, told friends at a Trust gathering this summer about camping on that land as a child. In the boundless quiet of those nights, he would listen to whales breathe as they passed through Grand Manan Channel. Clearly, the profound depth of connection he felt then has not diminished through the intervening decades.

My own passion for conservation traces back to childhood explorations outdoors, especially those sailing—which I began at a young age. I find both peace and challenge on the water. Viewing the coast from offshore invites reflection on the passage of time and the importance of place. Out sailing, I imagine the coast as it was a century or two ago, and appreciate the generations who have made their living from its bounty and been sustained by its beauty. I think about what the coast might be like a century from now. Even knowing that there is more work ahead, I’m encouraged by all that is being done today to ensure that future generations will have the same opportunities for livelihood and inspiration.

That vision is key to our land conservation and stewardship work at MCHT, and I was honored this summer to meet many thoughtful individuals who share a long-term commitment to the Maine coast. I look forward to meeting many more of you and hearing your stories in the years ahead.

Trust Welcomes New Board Chair

MCHT welcomes as its new Board Chair Kurt Klebe, who has already demonstrated his leadership abilities as Chair of the Trust’s Strategic Planning Committee, and as a member of its Development and Communications committees for the past five years. When he’s not helping guide MCHT, Kurt is a partner at Verrill Dana in Portland.

Kurt succeeds Tom Ireland, who is stepping down after 5 years of exceptional service at the helm (and 15 more as an active board member). In addition to his inspired leadership as Chair, Tom served as MCHT’s President during the transitional year leading up to last April. Despite economic uncertainties, Tom kept the Trust thriving—exceeding fundraising goals, celebrating a memorable 40th anniversary year, and boldly backing a $10 million land conservation initiative on Mount Desert Island. Tom has graciously agreed to continue serving on MCHT’s Council.

MCHT Programs Inspire Support

This summer, an array of engaging trips, tours and special member programs complemented the Trust’s productive field season in land protection and stewardship. We’re continually extending our commitment to connect people with the land, and have launched new educational programs for members, outings for school groups, and preserve profiles in this newsletter. Trust members and friends have generously offered glowing feedback on these new initiatives, as this recent note indicates:

“We want to thank you for the enjoyable field trip with MCHT… it was a great experience and reminder of the benefits of land conservation. Every exposure we have to your organization impresses us and makes us feel good about our donations to MCHT. Keep up the good work.”

— Phillip and Susanne Hubrig

To sustain our conservation efforts, and to help more people experience the tangible benefits of land conservation, we depend on steadfast support from our members—particularly through our Annual Fund. You should recently have received our 2011 Annual Appeal; please take a minute today to send in your contribution. Thank you!

MCHT Featured Preserve

Frank E. Woodworth Preserve, Harrington

Future editions of Maine Heritage will feature profiles of MCHT preserves to help acquaint readers with the great diversity of places we’ve conserved—from well-known large sites to smaller, quieter settings like this preserve.

The Frank E. Woodworth Preserve lies at the center of MCHT’s “Greater Pleasant Bay Whole Place” downeast, a scenic and ecologically rich region. Spanning 127 acres on Willard Point, at the end of Ripley Neck, the Preserve encompasses a mile of protected shoreline, 3-acre Hog Island, and two smaller islands accessible at low tide.

The preserve is named for a local fisherman who was a longtime friend to the George Milmine/Joseph Parsons family that owned Willard Point for nearly a century. The Milmines donated “forever wild” conservation easements on much of their land in the 1980s and then, in 2007, MCHT acquired the land (with funding support from the Land for Maine's Future Program) so it could become a publicly accessible preserve.

Ripley Neck was a rusticators’ summer colony in the late 1800s, and many properties there have remained in the same families ever since. Over the generations, summer visitors often forged close friendships with local families. Those ties were evident at a celebration MCHT held last summer honoring Frank Woodworth’s legacy. “One of Frank’s daughters told me she and her husband carved their initials on a birch tree at the Point more than 50 years ago as young sweethearts,” observes MCHT Regional Steward Deirdre Whitehead. “It’s a place of fond memories for many local people.”

A 1.8-mile loop trail leads through moss-carpeted woodlands, with red spruce, white birch, balsam fir and northern white cedar—many of the trees more than a century old. The trail emerges at the shoreline overlooking the upper reaches of Pleasant Bay. Several tidal rivers converge off Ripley Neck, supporting a wide array of shorebirds and waterfowl.

Local residents come to the Woodworth Preserve to enjoy traditions maintained on this land for generations—such as picnicking, clamming and hunting. When MCHT began building trails, Harrington selectmen generously helped transport bog bridging to the preserve. Whitehead invited an afterschool program to visit the Preserve this year for a hike and picnic. “The kids loved it,” she says, “and some have taken their parents back since.”

Directions: The Preserve is situated 8 miles down Marshville Road from Route One in Harrington. The road turns to gravel and parking at the trailhead is limited to four vehicles. If the lot is full, please return another time. A signboard at the trailhead has a property map and use guidelines. The preserve does not provide boat access: boaters can use the Harrington Town Landing on Marshville Road.

Nearby Conserved Lands: The Downeast Sunrise Trail runs through Harrington. To the west is Petit Manan—part of the Maine Coastal Islands Wildlife Refuge, and Pigeon Hill, which MCHT helped conserve with Land for Maine’s Future Program support and is now owned and managed by the Downeast Coastal Conservancy.

Stewardship: Working to Control Invasive Plants

Among the many stewardship challenges facing land trusts, control of exotic invasive plants is one of the fastest growing. Invasives grow aggressively and can wreak havoc on ecosystems—outcompeting native plants, changing habitats and eliminating traditional food sources of indigenous wildlife. Regional Steward Amanda Devine helps coordinate MCHT’s multi-pronged efforts to limit the spread of invasives on its lands, taking a strategic “early detection-rapid response” approach that considers the biology of each species. Trust stewards first seek to contain what’s there and keep it from spreading. They then work to reduce the infestation, using methods ranging from cutting, digging, and mowing to targeted injections or painting of herbicides (done by Devine who is a licensed applicator).

“Our goal is to go after the target species with minimal impact on surrounding vegetation and wildlife,” Devine observes. “Each intervention carries risks, but there’s a risk as well to doing nothing and letting invasive plants take over. We customize our approach to reflect the needs of a given place.” At Witherle Woods Preserve in Castine, for example, Regional Steward Douglas McMullin is smothering Japanese knotweed with black plastic (and may soon try carpet remnants) because the land lies in an aquifer recharge zone and even herbicide injections (into individual plant stems) would be unacceptable.

The Trust is pioneering some new approaches to invasive plant control. At Aldermere Farm in Rockport this summer, MCHT reared and released Galerucella beetles—which prey exclusively on purple loosestrife. “Biological controls like this are used carefully and selectively after years of testing,” Devine explains. “We captured some beetles (from the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in southern Maine, which has used this beetle successfully), and placed them on potted loosestrife plants covered with netting. In August, when the beetles had multiplied, we set those pots by the purple loosestrife in Lily Pond. The beetle populations will decline as the purple loosestrife recedes.”

Trust stewards work to inform landowners near MCHT preserves about the growing threat posed by exotic invasives. On Mount Desert Island, MCHT and Acadia National Park have established the MDI Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA), inviting area landowners to map the presence of invasives through an online reporting system. MDI’s CISMA has identified target species and compiled educational flyers on these for interested landowners. Local citizens are encouraged to join occasional volunteer parties that work to remove identified infestations (with landowner permission). “We have a fairly defensible area as an island community,” notes Regional Steward Billy Helprin, “so we think an organized, regional control effort here will stand a chance.”

Learning More and Helping Out

By educating yourself and others about problematic species, you can help limit their spread. Review the following resources and make careful plant choices for your own property. Many invasives (such as purple loosestrife, burning bush, and barberry) are promoted for home gardens—despite the hazards they pose to natural ecosystems.

• Gardening to Conserve Maine’s Native Landscape
• Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE)
• MDI’s Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area

Jasper C. Cates, Jr., 1924-2011

A lifelong resident of downeast Maine, Jasper Cates was a passionate protector of his home region. He made his living lobster-fishing in Cutler, and helped found the Cutler Association (which established a town office, library, town park and affordable housing). Mindful of the needs of future generations and the importance of a healthy environment, Cates repeatedly opposed inappropriate development along the downeast coast (including an oil refinery proposed for Machiasport during the 1970s).

In 1986, when a developer acquired 247 acres on Western Head in Cutler and proposed a 31-lot subdivision, Cates joined forces with MCHT, helping inspire the Trust to launch a $5 million campaign that secured several valuable headlands downeast. He went on to serve on MCHT’s board/council for more than two decades.

“Jasper was a true believer in the principle of land as the underpinning for community,” reflects MCHT’s former President Jay Espy. “I have yet to meet anyone with a more heartfelt connection to place.”

A combination of voluntary conservation agreements and outright purchase of land in a remote corner of Cobscook Bay is allowing Maine Coast Heritage Trust to protect values important to the region. The projects secure permanent public access to the shore and support the local economy, while protecting ecologically rich and productive wildlife habitat. The effort involves four separate properties in Sipp Bay, which together form a conserved area that serves as an outstanding example of the Trust’s work to enhance a community in down east Maine.

MCHT purchased a 16-acre peninsula and is in the process of acquiring an adjoining 78-acre wooded parcel at the gateway to Sipp Bay that together conserve a total of 9,200 feet of shorefront. The peninsula is a defunct commercial campground that has long been used as an unofficial access point by area clammers and “wrinklers,” periwinkle harvesters, many of whom are members of the local Passamaquoddy tribe. “It’s really good to know that this land will stay open to the public. It will help sustain the traditional harvesting of wrinkles, clams and worms… and that is a critical part of people’s livelihoods here,” says Roland Newall, a tribal member and chief of the volunteer fire department in nearby Perry.

The Trust also arranged conservation easements on two largely undeveloped parcels, the 74-acre Sipp Bay South property and 75 acres on Fox Point that protect an additional 16,550 feet of saltwater frontage. Heavily wooded and lined with salt marshes and clamflats, the two easement properties bracket the west side of Sipp Bay just inside the Pembroke town line. Those two properties will not be open for public access.

“The ecological values of these properties are very high, with abundant and high-quality wading bird and waterfowl habitat as well as very productive mudflats,” MCHT project manager Marty Anderson explains. “In addition, the 16-acre peninsula [Sipp Bay Preserve] has several documented archeological sites. This is an amazing opportunity for the Trust to protect a diverse and important part of Cobscook Bay.”

The Sipp Bay Preserve, however, “has great potential for public use as a coastal park or preserve,” Anderson says. “It has terrific views across Cobscook Bay and even a set of reversing falls at the entrance to the bay.” Part of MCHT’s forthcoming management plan includes reaching out to local stakeholders for their input on how the property should be used. Anderson and regional steward Deirdre Whitehead anticipate walking trails and day-use facilities on the property, as well as an upgraded boat launch site, plans that fit nicely with the town of Perry’s desire to enhance recreational opportunities and public access to the water.

“We’re thrilled that MCHT’s purchase will guarantee access to Sipp Bay,” adds Tess Ftorek, a Registered Maine Guide who, with her husband Steve, operates Cobscook Hikes and Paddles in nearby Robbinston. “We’ve been taking canoe and kayak trips out of that site for 15 years. People are coming here from all over the world to experience our pristine coastal environment. Without MCHT’s action, Sipp Bay would essentially be closed to a lot of public activities.”

Whitehead says the Trust will “undevelop” the property by removing old power poles and structures left over from its days as a campground. “Looking at this project as a whole, it fulfills so many goals, both for the Trust and for the local economy,” Whitehead points out. “We have habitat and wildlife protection, recreational potential, and support for the local resource-based economy. Everyone wins here.”

Funding for the projects remains to be finalized, with key support in hand from the Pew Charitable Trusts, as well as pending grants from public and private sources still in process.

President’s Column by Tim Glidden

Looking Forward

Each summer my family and I pile into an open workboat and head out to Birch Island, nestled between the Mere Point and Harpswell peninsulas in Casco Bay. We’ve owned a camp out there for ten years, and it has become a touchstone in our lives, particularly for my daughters. It’s a place where an hour sitting on the shore watching the local osprey fish the cove on a rising tide is time well spent for the lessons it teaches about the importance of savoring—and working to save—the Maine coast.

Coming to the presidency of Maine Coast Heritage Trust from my previous job as executive director of the State’s Land for Maine’s Future program (LMF) both expands and focuses a lifetime that has revolved around protecting our vital natural resources and enhancing the economy and jobs that depend on them. Over the course of a decade at LMF I was privileged to oversee a shift in the program that increased funding for the conservation of Maine’s working forest, active waterfronts, and threatened farmland, while continuing to help protect Maine’s remote wild places—such as MCHT’s Marshall Island preserve.

My work experiences at LMF and earlier in my career have taught me the value of listening and building partnerships, traits that I am quickly learning rank among the Trust’s most basic strengths. Working on the nonpartisan staff of the Maine Legislature in the 1980s and early 1990s immersed me in thorny issues ranging from public access to the land to water quality protection. There I met a remarkable cross section of Mainers whose friends and neighbors had entrusted them with resolving issues critical to the long-term future of our state. That was followed by seven years as deputy director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine where I continued my path of working in partnership to protect Maine’s natural resources.

In my first months at MCHT I have been impressed at how well the organization listens, both to the MCHT community itself—our members, staff, board, council—and to the local communities in which we operate. It is clear that the Trust believes deeply in a Maine where the quality and character of its natural resources are integral to its future and where the voices of Maine’s people really matter.

Maine has made remarkable progress in recent years. Since 1997 conserved lands have almost tripled to nearly 3.8 million acres of wilderness, working forest, active waterfronts and fertile farmland, and the Trust has played a vital role in that accomplishment. Maine’s character, future and heritage are defined by its incredible natural assets, especially its coast. Without MCHT’s work, Maine would be a poorer place.

Today, though, MCHT in particular and the land conservation community in general stand at the edge of an entirely new period. The political, financial and economic challenges we face have never been greater. The responsibilities of caring for protected lands are growing as a direct result of our success. Most importantly, the role and relevance of land conservation in society are under examination as our understanding of human and natural communities deepens and the threats of development, climate change and pervasive economic uncertainty mount. Even as we extend the foundations of the Trust’s work, we must broaden the working definition of land conservation. The Trust has a unique ability to stand in the middle and bring all sides of an issue together, to create partnerships among disparate stakeholders and to maximize benefits for everyone involved. It couldn’t be a more exciting time for MCHT, and I am thrilled at the opportunity to be part of its future.

Foundation Grant Boosts MDI Initiative

With an inspirational lead gift of $1 million to the Mount Desert Island Land Conservation Initiative, the Martha and Alexis Stewart Charitable Foundation is helping Maine Coast Heritage Trust secure permanent protection of the natural landscapes that define MDI’s unique quality of place.

Encouraged by the opportunity to protect 516-acre Kitteredge Brook Forest, the largest undeveloped parcel of land on the island, MCHT launched the MDI Initiative with the ambitious goal of raising $10 million to conserve land critical to the island’s character and its communities. “Success in this effort will allow us to realize great opportunities to maintain the island’s shoreline, trails, farmland and wetlands,” says Director of Land Protection David MacDonald. “It’s truly heartening that conservation-minded partners like the Martha and Alexis Stewart Charitable Foundation share the commitment of protecting MDI’s special places.”

In keeping with the spirit of collaboration that has defined Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s 40-year history as the local land trust for MDI, the Stewart Foundation gift also helped MCHT secure a 50-percent match on a $2 million challenge grant offered by an anonymous donor and The Pew Charitable Trusts. “The Martha and Alexis Stewart Charitable Foundation helped us reach a critical milestone in our effort,” says MCHT Director of Development, Sue Telfeian.

MCHT has a little over $3 million left to raise to reach the MDI Land Conservation Initiative goal of $10 million. Please contact Sue Telfeian (stelfeian@mcht.org or 207-729-7366) to learn more about how to leverage your gift through a new 50-percent matching opportunity offered by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Davis Family Challenge.

Staying in Touch with MCHT Online

Following MCHT on Facebook is a great way to learn about what’s happening on the Maine coast: upcoming MCHT field trips and events, land protection stories, news from Aldermere Farm and our other preserves, and volunteer opportunities. Visit our Facebook page and click “like” to keep in touch.

If you would prefer MCHT news and information delivered right to your inbox, join our e-community by signing up for e-mail updates (approximately one per month). Simply enter your email address to the right and click “Join!”

And yes, you also can follow MCHT on twitter!

The New Buzz in Blueberries

Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s plans to convert 88 acres of blueberry fields at the Trust’s Bog Brook Cove Preserve to organic production may well benefit other growers in Maine. A new research project aims to increase the nesting habitat for native pollinating bees to reduce the need to bring in commercial rented hives.

In Maine’s huge commercial blueberry barrens, owners commonly rent thousands of beehives from companies that truck the hives up and down the East Coast to pollinate various crops. Beyond the expense of renting the hives, there is some suspicion that concentrating the honeybees’ activities in monocrop plantings is a factor in colony collapse disorder, a mysterious affliction that kills a third or more of commercial hives every year.

“We’re trying something a little different,” Regional steward Melissa Lee says. She has been working with local Boy Scouts to create nest boxes for native pollinators, such as mason bees and leafcutter bees. Rather than living in hives, the bees prefer individual tubes. The nest boxes are essentially blocks of wood with 12 to 14 holes drilled in them and attached to posts in three of the preserve’s nine blueberry fields. Nesting boxes will be added to the other fields in future years as the transition progresses. “We hope to increase the populations of these native bees to reduce the need for rented hives,” Lee explains. “As part of the transition to organic methods, we want to mimic the natural system as much as possible.” Because of the project’s implications for other organic growers, the Trust has hired a research coordinator who will monitor blueberry blossom pollination and use of the nest boxes, among other duties, to determine their effectiveness.

“This work has tremendous relevance for us and other organic growers who want to improve habitats for native pollinators,” says Dwayne Shaw, executive director of the Downeast Rivers Land Trust, which owns 36 acres of organic blueberry land. “Anything we can learn that will encourage native bees is good information to have.”

“Hives of bumblebees will also be placed on some fields,” Lee adds, “because they work when it’s cool and foggy, which is commonly the case in May and June on the Downeast Coast.” Bumbles also pollinate more efficiently than honeybees.

The project offers an elegant, yet simple, solution that could help small growers reduce their reliance on rented hives, save them money and help local bee populations.

Successful Burn of Island Juniper

MCHT staff and six Maine Forest Service rangers recently conducted a prescribed burn of seven acres of common juniper, a native plant that has thrived a little too well, on MCHT’s Calderwood Island Preserve. The burn was intended to restore some of the grassland that once covered the island. MCHT stewardship staff will monitor the island over the coming years to evaluate the burn’s long-term effectiveness.

Despite its brevity, the burn required considerable preparation. Last year a summer work crew cut fire breaks to protect nearby trees, while the logistics on the day of the burn itself required transporting staff to the island via boat, and the Forest Service bringing in their crew and hundreds of pounds of equipment by helicopter. MCHT extends its thanks to all at the Maine Forest Service who made the day a great success!

Conservation Conference Shows Strength of Land Trusts

Events both serious and light-hearted marked the 2011 Maine Land Conservation Conference in April.

The annual event drew more than 400 participants representing 160 organizations, including 60 land trusts from Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and even New Brunswick and Ontario, Canada. They crowded 33 topical workshops, as well as panel discussions and field trips, devoted to improving and expanding land conservation in Maine.

One of the highlights was the presentation of the 2011 Espy Land Heritage Award to the Downeast Lakes Land Trust for its commitment to wildlife habitat conservation, support of local jobs through sustainable forest harvesting, their enhancement of public recreational access and much more. “It is a great honor to receive the Espy Land Heritage Award,” said Mark Berry, its executive director. “It comes at an important time for our community.”

“The conference has developed into an important information-sharing and learning opportunity for the state’s land trust community,” says Warren Whitney, MCHT’s Land Trust Program Manager. “Its success spotlights the health and strength of land conservation in Maine and across New England.”

Staff News

Amy Dorsky joins the staff at Aldemere Farm as the new program assistant. The Southern Maine native lives in Appleton with her husband and three daughters on a 160-acre farm, 153 acres of which are under conservation easement.

Heather Halsey is MCHT’s new community program manager. Her responsibilities include running sustainable agriculture programs at Erickson Fields Preserve and encouraging appropriate farming and agriculture-related programs at other MCHT preserves.

Misha Mytar has been named the new project manager for Mount Desert Island. She joins MCHT from a post as senior planner for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.

Conservation opportunities can appear anywhere, even within sight of the state’s most urban areas. Project Manager Keith Fletcher, who joined MCHT’s staff barely a year ago, has specialized in finding the conservation potential of Maine’s southernmost coastal communities.

Preserving a Shorefront Gem in Falmouth

Larney Otis says the 36 acres she recently placed under protection with MCHT was bought by her great-grandfather, John Marshall Brown, in 1885. Since then it has been gifted from one generation to the next. The land is steeped in family history and memories and has long served as a place of inspiration, creativity and healing. “It was unimaginable to me that this land be divided up into house lots,” she says, “and it has always seemed that it was my role, the role of my generation, to do what I could to preserve it. I am immensely grateful to MCHT for helping me carry out that mission.” She turned to MCHT after her two sons gave her the green light for protecting the property. MCHT was “the conservation organization with which I felt the most sense of connection,” Ms. Otis says, noting that she and Peggy Rockefeller, daughter of MCHT cofounder Margaret M. Rockefeller, were high school classmates. Ms. Otis not only donated the easement but also made a generous contribution to a stewardship fund for the property.

The 3,400 feet of shoreline teems with wildlife, and together with its 78 acres of intertidal zone serves as an important shorebird feeding area almost within sight of Portland’s Eastern Promenade. “This was the last big project left to do in Falmouth on the shore,” says Fletcher. “It is extremely sensitive wildlife habitat, with a very high ecological value.” Accordingly, the easement not only precludes all future development, it also does not provide for public access.

Expanding Biddeford’s Clifford Park

Clifford Park has long been popular with Biddeford residents for its hik- ing and mountain bike trails, as well as its proximity to the 16,000 undeveloped acres of the Biddeford-Kennebunkport Vernal Pool Complex. Unknown to most visitors, though, the 80-acre park was actually in two sections, with the privately owned 53 acres of the Boutin property bisecting it. When the Boutin family decided to sell, Fletcher and MCHT stepped in to facilitate the process. MCHT provided $50,000 and helped the city’s Open Space Committee win a $110,000 grant from the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program. The Biddeford City Council unanimously approved appropriating $130,000 to complete the project. The City then donated an easement to MCHT to assure permanent protection.

“This creates a perfectly sited piece of conserved lands, in a city that is really interested in protecting vital community places for the future,” Fletcher says. Alix Hopkins, an MCHT Advisory Council member who is working with the city to create a riverfront walk, says the project underscores Biddeford’s efforts to recreate itself. “This is a city undergoing a renaissance,” she says, “and MCHT’s involvement helped make the project a win-win for the residents of Biddeford and for conservation in Southern Maine.”

Welcoming MCHT’s New President

From MCHT’s Board Chair

Over the year that I have had the opportunity to serve as President of MCHT, I have learned more about the organization than in my twenty prior years as a board member. This experience has reinforced my belief that Maine Coast Heritage Trust is at the forefront of the national movement to permanently protect treasured lands.

It has been rewarding to work closely with our talented staff and wise board on a number of important initiatives—from extending our strategic plan to earning national accreditation, from completing exciting land projects on the Bold Coast in Washington County, on Mount Desert Island, and in Casco Bay to deepening our commitment to the communities in which we work. These activities, and so many others, are made possible thanks to your ongoing involvement with and support of MCHT. Together we are making great progress in realizing our vision of protecting the character of Maine for future generations.

Thanks to the hard work of our Search Committee (chaired by Dawn Kidd), MCHT has attracted a new president who has the skills, experience and personal qualities to continue our strong momentum. Tim Glidden comes to MCHT from the Land for Maine’s Future Program, where he has served as the Director since 2002. During that time, Tim guided the LMF Program to a number of important successes including $41 million in bonding for land conservation, a ground breaking new program for working waterfront protection, and the development of a comprehensive conservation easement model for large-scale “working forest” conservation projects.

Tim brings to MCHT a wonderful balance of leadership and management skills, deep relationships in Maine’s land conservation and environmental communities, and a warm and engaging personality. After a national search, we were pleased to find Tim right in our own back yard—he and his family live in Topsham. You will be hearing directly from Tim in this column in the future.

It has been my great pleasure to serve as MCHT’s President over the past year. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude to the staff, to the board and to each one of you who supports our work. Thanks to all of you, MCHT is very well positioned for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Continuing a Heritage of Supporting Maine’s Parks

Maine Coast Heritage Trust recently played a key role in adding almost 100 acres to Camden Hills State Park with the acquisition of two separate parcels of land. The Stephens family of Lincolnville donated 22 acres on Garey Mountain, near the southern part of the Park, while MCHT helped purchase an additional 69 acres at the base of Mount Megunticook from the Dunning family. The land includes spectacular views of Penobscot Bay and a cavern that is reportedly home to a colony of bats. “It’s a terrific property, surrounded on three sides by the park,” says Project Manager Ciona Ulbrich. “We were very fortunate to be able to acquire it for the state.”

The owners, Michael Dunning and Barbara Oeffner, had long anticipated selling the land to the park, and changing family circumstances pushed the sale forward late last year. The $375,000 purchase price included $200,000 from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund and a loan from MCHT to the state of Maine, which will hopefully be repaid through grant sources including the Land for Maine’s Future program. The owners gave a $25,000 discount off the appraised value. In addition to MCHT, the Maine Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and Coastal Mountains Land Trust assisted with both projects, and the Town of Lincolnville was very helpful regarding the Stephens parcel acquisition.

“MCHT has a long history of supporting Maine’s parks,” Ulbrich notes, “and it was very satisfying to continue that heritage and help Mainers continue to enjoy the outdoors.”

The Norumbega Society

Gift Planning for Our Future

Maine Coast Heritage Trust is grateful for all those who support efforts to protect the character of the Maine Coast—including volunteers, members, foundations and our many conservation partners. In recognition of those individuals who make a remarkable commitment by including MCHT in their estate plans, the Trust has created The Norumbega Society. Membership in the Society is open and voluntary to those who make a lasting gift through their will, retirement plan or insurance policy, as well as life-income and other deferred gifts. “A planned gift is one of the most personal and caring acts an individual can make to help sustain MCHT in the years to come,” explains Sue Telfeian, Director of Development.

In addition to receiving The Norumbega Society pin, members will also receive special invitations to activities and field trips throughout the year. European explorers first spoke of Norumbega in the 16th Century as a mystical city of great riches reputed to lie by a great bay on the coast of Maine. MCHT chose the name to reflect the great beauty and bounty of the state, a form of wealth far more valuable than the mythical Norumbega’s streets of gold. “You get more than money back from this investment,” says Norumbega Society member Mary Rea. “I have benefited in so many ways — economically, in peace of mind and in satisfaction.”

If you are evaluating your future philanthropic plans or have already included MCHT in your estate plans, please contact Sue Telfeian at 207-729-7366, extension 128, or at stelfeian@mcht.org for more information.

2010-2011 L.L. Bean Regrant Recipients

• $2,050 to Coastal Mountains Land Trust toward development of a 1.5-mile trail at the 95-acre Head of the Tide Preserve.
• $2,570 to Blue Hill Heritage Trust for an information kiosk housing maps and materials about the trust and its preserves, as well as a small indoor “visitors’ center.”
• $5,000 to Kennebunk Land Trust towards the creation of two 20-foot bridges, bog bridges, and a 1.5-mile walking trail linking KLT preserves with a town parcel.
• $4,000 to Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust towards the purchase of an all-terrain vehicle to assist with the stewardship of 35 miles of multi-use trails and 6,000 acres of fee-owned conservation land, and to support emergency medical and forest fire personnel.
• $4,130 to Sebasticook Regional Land Trust towards a trailhead kiosk and parking facilities, signage, gates and a brochure for the 150-acre Pleasant Lake Preserve.
• $5,000 to Somerset Woods Trustees for planning the Kennebec Riverwalk, a 1.5-mile, handicapped-accessible trail in downtown Skowhegan linking seven SWT properties and the Kennebec Banks Picnic Area and Historic Site.

Regrant Program Focuses on Public Access

Since 2004 L.L. Bean, in partnership with MCHT, has funded a grant program dedicated to helping local land trusts meet operational and stewardship needs. Increasingly the program has focused on providing public access to protected lands. Building and maintaining trails and facilities encourage outdoor recreation and boost land trust visibility and credibility in the larger community.

In 2010, L.L. Bean grants totaling $22,750 helped six local land trusts improve trail networks, viewing platforms and parking facilities. “It’s wonderful to be part of a partnership that helps land trusts realize the goal of getting their communities out on the land,” explains Warren Whitney, MCHT’s Land Trust Program Manager.

A Love of the Islands Inspires Deer Isle Volunteers

Stan and Toni Griskivich and Maine Coast Heritage Trust share a love for Maine’s islands. It was only natural that they get together. The Deer Isle retirees have contributed hundreds of hours of volunteer work to MCHT and have earned high praise from the island stewards they work with. “MCHT protected all our favorite places,” Toni explains. “Volunteering lets us show our appreciation and support for the organization.”

The Griskiviches retired to Deer Isle in 2007 from Falmouth, where Stan had a well-respected cabinetry and home construction business. There they continued a tradition of cruising the Maine coast that began with their honeymoon in 1973, most recently in a 26-foot lobster-boat-style cruiser. “We’ve always been drawn to this part of the coast, from Penobscot Bay to MDI,” Stan says. Several years ago MCHT Regional Steward Terry Towne, who oversees MCHT’s island preserves in the Mount Desert Island region and eastern Hancock County, ran into them on Marshall Island while clearing a new trail.

“I had an MCHT hat on, and Stan asked me how he could get one,” Towne recalls. “He gave me his card, and I mailed him two hats.” The Griskiviches responded with a donation and an offer to volunteer their services among the MCHT islands in the Deer Isle-Frenchmans Bay region. The offer was quickly accepted. “They have been truly outstanding,” Towne says. “They have been integral to helping us do things that would have taken us hours and hours on our own.”

“They are very competent boaters,” adds Regional Steward Douglas McMullin, whose territory runs from east of Camden to the edge of Jericho Bay. “They often get out to MCHT preserves in the spring before we do to clear trails.” Stan has also crafted cabinets and furniture for the Trust cabin on Saddleback Island and built trail signs on several other islands.

The couple, who never travel without Hattie, their beloved yellow Lab, were drawn to MCHT by the welcoming nature of the Trust’s island stewardship. “It's so friendly to come ashore on an MCHT island,” Toni says. “They’re pet friendly, which is important to us, and you feel a real sense of ownership for the people of Maine—that these wonderful places are forever protected and available.” The couple have also made MCHT a beneficiary in their wills.

“The places they love are the places we protect,” Towne says. “They are truly an inspiration, not just for other volunteers, but for us. And to think it all started with two hats.”

Stay at Saddleback Island Cabin

MCHT is offering limited rental use of our Saddleback Island cabin at our Preserve off of Stonington. Here is a chance to spend a few quiet days in a rustic cabin in the beautiful Merchant Row archipelago. In July and August the cabin will be available for blocks of 2-5 nights, and will have a maximum capacity of eight people. Please visit mcht.org/saddleback for more information.

Staff News

MCHT bids farewell to Brian Reilly who, as Land Project Manager on Mount Desert Island for six years, helped MCHT continue strong momentum on MDI. Brian will be working on the Gulf Oil Spill cleanup.

Nicky Blanchard has been named Associate Director of Development and has oversight of the annual fund, membership, events and other responsibilities. Sue Telfeian, Director of Development, will spend more time focused on major donors while retaining overall responsibility for the department. In light of the increasing complexity of MCHT’s financial functions, Joanne Favreau is assuming new responsibilities as Director of Finance. Susan Connolly will continue as Director of Operations.

Elizabeth Allen Straus, 1916-2010

The MCHT community was saddened to learn of the death of longtime supporter Elizabeth “Beth” Allen Straus on Dec. 6, 2010, in Mount Desert. Mrs. Straus and her family were among the early landowners to put a conservation easement on their property in Somes Harbor in the mid-1970s and helped inspire other landowners to follow suit. While on the Board, she chaired the strategic planning committee and communications committee and was very active on the fund-raising front. She was involved in MCHT’s key decision to pursue its first capital campaign in pursuit of the Bold Coast properties in the late 1980s. “Beth was passionate about conserving the Maine coast and in her support of MCHT,” said David MacDonald, Director of Land Protection. “She led by example and helped shape this organization with her sharp insight and wonderful way with people.”

Some dreams are worth waiting for. Eight years ago Susan Laskey and Maine Coast Heritage Trust began conversations about conserving her family farm on the western shore of Maquoit Bay in Brunswick. This June, after careful planning and consideration, 54 acres of significant wildlife habitat and open space, including some 2,000 feet of tidal frontage, were protected through a conservation easement that involved MCHT and other public and private partners.

“For many years it really bothered me that people would look at my land and the first thing they said was what I could do with it as a development,” Mrs. Laskey said. “But I wanted to protect it. I believe any land you can protect around the bay is beneficial to the bay.” With the threat of development removed and funds for management now available, Susan Laskey hopes that her seven children, who were all raised on the farm and supported its protection, will continue to use and enjoy the land.

The property was an active cattle farm until 20 years ago, and the easement allows for future agricultural uses on the upland section—well back from the shore to assure protection of the extensive wetlands. “With increasing pressure to develop farmland, we were pleased to work with Susan to assure that this family tradition could continue,” MCHT Project Manager Betsy Ham said. “This project is a good example of how a conservation easement can be used to ensure wildlife preservation and maintain traditional uses of the land.”

The project was supported by funding from the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Open Space Conservancy, Inc. (an affiliate of the Open Space Institute, Inc. with a lead grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation), Ducks Unlimited Inc., the Casco Bay Estuary Project Habitat Protection Fund and Maine Coast Heritage Trust. “The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust was a leading partner in this effort,” Ham said. “They helped us get grants and were key players in the fund-raising efforts.”

As with many easements that protect sensitive wildlife habitat or farm operations, the Laskey Farm easement does not allow public access. It abuts two other recently conserved parcels: a 124-acre public preserve owned by the town of Brunswick and a 43-acre parcel conserved by the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. Together these three parcels protect 1.5 miles of contiguous shore frontage on this undeveloped side of the bay.

Mrs. Laskey’s ancestors first settled in the Brunswick area in the seventeenth century, and her grandparents began farming this property in the early 1900s. “I am very pleased to know that this land will forever remain as it has for my lifetime — a beautiful mix of undeveloped fields and forests sloping down to the quiet shores of Maquoit Bay,” she said. “My husband, George, was a shellfish dealer, and he would have been pleased that this conservation agreement will help maintain the health of the flats in the bay.”of undeveloped fields and forests sloping down to the quiet shores of Maquoit Bay,” she said. “My husband, George, was a shellfish dealer, and he would have been pleased that this conservation agreement will help maintain the health of the flats in the bay.”

From MCHT’s Board Chair

Affirming Our Values, Earning Your Trust

Some aspects of MCHT’s work are easy to measure—acres of land protected, miles of trails built, etc. But these tangible accomplishments are often secondary to the values inherent in the land we protect, the wildlife that thrives because of our efforts, the satisfaction gained by landowners and conservation partners, and the community benefit of the protected places.

When Susan Laskey of Brunswick approached the Trust eight years ago about protecting her family’s farm on Maquoit Bay at the north end of Casco Bay, we knew the project would not be easy or quick. But we also knew that it embodied many of the values that define our work. The project provided an opportunity to balance coastal wildlife protection with conserving farmland, helped a family plan for the next generation, and extended nearby conservation gains. These results would not have been possible without strong collaborative relationships built over time — values that are hard to measure but critical to conservation success.

As you will read on page 3 the Land Trust Accreditation Commission recently notified MCHT that we have earned formal accreditation after an intensive review of our methods and history. Accreditation is an important milestone for the Trust and the culmination of two years of hard work and dedication. Our review of the Trust’s methods and standards encompassed all 40 years of our history (you can read the final installment of our three-part series on the Trust’s history below).

Accreditation doesn’t tell us anything about ourselves we didn’t believe already, but it tells those who may not know us well that we are accountable, credible and transparent, that we bring professionalism and a high level of excellence to our work and our relationships. It’s an affirmation of our values and our promise to uphold them.

Trust staff from every department cooperated on the accreditation application process, and it gave us the opportunity to hone our best practices not only on current projects, such as the Laskey Farm easement in Brunswick, but also to better prepare for future conservation efforts, such as the Mount Desert Island Land Conservation Initiative. This ambitious $10-million undertaking is designed to capitalize on almost two dozen unique conservation opportunities in one of Maine’s most treasured regions. It will require us to hold to our standards of excellence in land protection, stewardship and fundraising.

We’re honored that you’ve chosen to be a part of MCHT’s first 40 years. We look forward to meeting the challenges ahead as we continue to pursue our core mission of protecting the character of Maine for future generations.

MCHT Earns National Accreditation

The professionalism and accountability of Maine Coast Heritage Trust have been recognized at the highest levels within the national land trust community. The Trust learned in August that it had earned formal accreditation by the national Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent project of the Land Trust Alliance. Accreditation is an acknowledgement of the Trust’s commitment to meeting the highest standards of excellence, upholding the public trust and ensuring that conservation efforts are permanent.

The application process involved every facet of the organization, from record keeping to boundary marking, and brought together Trust employees from every department. “We really are a better organization for having gone through this process,” said Susan Connolly, the Trust’s Director of Finance and Administration and application project leader. “As a leader in the land trust community in Maine, it was the right thing to do.”

A total of 105 land conservation organizations in the United States have won accreditation since the program began in 2008, including two other groups in Maine – Coastal Mountains Land Trust in Camden and the Bangor-based Forest Society of Maine.

MCHT made the decision in early 2008 to apply for accreditation. The Trust was already familiar with the program — it had served as a test bed for some of the processes when the Land Trust Alliance was studying accreditation several years earlier, and David MacDonald, the Trust’s Director of Land Protection, had been serving as a volunteer member of the of the Accreditation Commission.

While rigorous and time consuming, the accreditation process needn’t intimidate smaller land trusts. To help land trusts prepare for accreditation MCHT’s Maine Land Trust Network administers the Maine Land Trust Excellence Program. “We provide a lot of support to land trusts that decide to step up to this,” said Connolly. Also, the Land Trust Alliance is using the first two years of experience to modify the program to maintain its rigor while reducing the time applicants spend completing the application.

“Accreditation gives a land trust the opportunity to demonstrate that it is accountable, credible and transparent in its operations,” Connolly said. “This was a great affirmation of what we do and why we do it. We hope many other land trusts in Maine will consider pursuing accreditation.”

New Initiative on Mount Desert Island

MCHT’s earliest conservation successes took place in the Mount Desert Island region — from the quiet estuaries bordering Acadia National Park to the spruce-rimmed islands of Blue Hill Bay — and the Trust has been active there ever since. Today there are more than 20 high priority land-protection opportunities around the island, including Kitteredge Brook Forest, the largest undeveloped, unprotected property on MDI. To take advantage of these unique opportunities, MCHT is launching the Mount Desert Island Land Conservation Initiative — an ambitious protection effort aimed at maintaining and strengthening the island’s unique sense of place.

The Initiative targets four conservation areas: woods and watersheds, productive farmland, the western shore of MDI, and the Acadia land legacy (a partnership with Friends of Acadia to conserve privately owned land inside Acadia National Park). Kitteredge Brook Forest is a top priority, and the Trust has secured an option to acquire it for $2 million, less than half its appraised value, with the purchase option expiring in April 2011.

The Trust has an eventual goal of raising $10 million, through a combination of private donations, foundation grants, state and federal funding, as well as gifts of lands and easements. The Pew Charitable Trusts and an anonymous donor have pledged a 50 percent match to any qualifying donation made by March 2011. “We’re extremely grateful for the leadership of the Pew Charitable Trusts and our lead donor, and we hope their example will inspire many of our supporters who care so much about MDI,” said Sue Telfeian, MCHT’s Director of Development. For more information on how to help, contact Sue at 207-729-7366, or stelfeian@mcht.org.

2010 Field Trips Spanned the Coast

MCHT field trips provide an opportunity to experience the beauty of Maine’s islands and estuaries, as well as discover the state’s natural resources and history. This year Maine Coast Heritage Trust hosted some 30 outdoor explorations of the Trust’s coastal preserves, drawing more than 300 participants who hiked the shorelines, kayaked among the islands, and learned from and about the people who live in these fragile and challenging environments.

The trips spanned almost the entire coast, from Casco Bay to the Bold Coast, and this year participants viewed an extraordinary diversity of wildlife. “We saw more than 60 bird species on the Frenchboro Long Island trip alone,” said Terry Towne, MCHT’s Regional Steward. The Trust’s field trip program is developing into a year-round offering. “Eventually we want to have something going on even in the winter months, such as snowshoe trips out to coastal preserves,” Towne said.

Meeting New Challenges, Forging New Ties

The third article in a three-part historical overview celebrating MCHT’s 40th anniversary.

The development pressure along Maine’s shoreline that characterized the 1980s abated briefly in the early 1990s, but soon returned — sending property values soaring and placing many unspoiled shorefront settings in jeopardy. Maine Coast Heritage Trust launched an ambitious campaign to generate more resources for coastal conservation. Richard Rockefeller, who chaired the $100-million ‘Campaign for the Coast,’ liked to cite Winston Churchill’s aphorism: “Play for more than you can afford, and you will learn the game.” “We couldn’t afford not to launch the Campaign,” Rockefeller reflects, “because the stakes were too high if we failed to act.”

Through this multi-year campaign, MCHT and its partners conserved more than 17,000 acres, 175 miles of shoreline, 31 miles of accessible trails, and 81 entire coastal islands. Equally important, the Trust expanded its network of partners and leveraged greater governmental and landowner support for land protection and stewardship. Longtime partners such as the Land for Maine’s Future Program, first established in 1987, continued to prove critical in supporting acquisition of gems such as Beech Hill in Rockport, Marshall Island in Jericho Bay and Whaleboat Island in Casco Bay.

The Campaign also vaulted the Trust into a new era of stewardship. When the Campaign began in 2000, Maine Coast Heritage Trust held 99 easements and owned 36 properties. By 2010, easements had nearly doubled and the number of properties had more than tripled to 125.

Over the last decade, MCHT has also forged much closer ties to the communities where it holds land — towns such as Castine (where the Trust now manages 293 acres); Cutler, Trescott and Lubec down east; and Rockport (home to MCHT’s popular Aldermere Farm and Erickson Fields Preserve).

Stronger partnerships with communities and local land trusts in the 1990’s led to shared work toward regional land conservation — pursuing projects defined more by nature’s contours than by human boundaries, such as the Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Initiative in southernmost Maine and collaborative efforts around Cobscook Bay in Washington County. MCHT has also worked consistently on its own “whole place” protection efforts, concentrating land protection in areas of outstanding natural beauty and value. “This focused and persistent effort has tremendous payback,” notes David McDonald, MCHT’s Director of Land Protection, “enabling the Trust to preserve the integrity of whole landscape features like inlets, basins, brook watersheds and archipelagos.” Each new success, decades in the making, affirms the vision and determination that have been central to the Trust from its earliest days and have served us so well during our first 40 years.

Staff News

MCHT’s Development Group recently welcomed its newest member, Kyoko Ingalls, as its Major Gifts Manager. Kyoko brings more than ten years of experience as a prospect researcher, gift specialist, and development assistant, most recently as a Gift Specialist for the University of New England in Portland. She also has a broad knowledge of the information systems side of development. She and her husband live in Scarborough, near Pine Point, where they enjoy the beach and a variety of outdoor activities.

Other Trust News

In September, Maine Coast Heritage Trust was honored to collaborate with the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport for a seminar on conservation photojournalism. Taught by longtime Maine Heritage contributor Bridget Besaw and Melissa Ryan, the workshop focused on helping professional photographers tell the visual stories behind conservation efforts. Two students — Diane Arjoon and Al Martin — were assigned to MCHT’s Aldemere Farm and the Erickson Fields Preserve. Other students worked with the Nature Conservancy and Coastal Mountains Land Trust.

Volunteers are a vital and integral part of the Trust’s work, and this past summer our MDI office benefitted from the many hours donated by Paul “PK” Fisher, who recently graduated from law school in Charleston S.C. PK helped MCHT on conservation priorities and outreach on MDI while spending the summer at his family’s property on Little Cranberry Island. We wish PK well as he has now returned to Charleston to take the bar exam next year.

Many community members have long enjoyed picnics and explorations along Black Island’s four miles of undeveloped shoreline—a tradition that will continue thanks to new MCHT conservation efforts.

Working with generous landowners through four complementary transactions, Maine Coast Heritage Trust is ensuring long-term protection of Black Island, a prominent 451-acre gem in the Gott Island archipelago off Mount Desert Island. Generations of families have enjoyed visiting the beloved community landmark, known for its pink granite, cobble beaches, and spruce and birch woodlands. That cherished tradition was at risk until MCHT worked with all the island’s landowners to restrict the amount and location of future development and ensure recreational access.

Later this month, Maine Coast Heritage Trust plans to acquire 120 acres at Black Island’s southernmost end, thanks to a bargain-sale offer from the conservation-minded Haskell family that owned the land for generations. The Trust used its new limited liability company (LLC) to purchase and temporarily hold the property while additional funds were being raised. “This project has generated tremendous community support,” notes David MacDonald, MCHT’s Director of Land Protection. “And the LLC proved a valuable addition to our conservation toolbox, enabling us to make a timely acquisition and help cover project costs by allowing some limited and carefully sited development on the private parcels.”

In December 2009, MCHT acquired adjoining Little Black Island from Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, which sold the island well below its market value to MCHT to ensure its permanent conservation.

On Black Island’s north end, MCHT worked with the Doering family and a private conservation buyer to secure a conservation easement that prevents development and ensures continued public access to 210 acres (encompassing the popular Quarry Wharf site where visitors enjoy beaches and historic remains of a quarrying operation, including a rail bed). More than 50 people lived on Black Island when quarrying was active in the late 1800s, and a school operated for more than a decade. The last year-round residents left Black in the 1930s, and now there’s only one seasonal (private) cabin remaining.

The Doering family that owns the cabin is working with MCHT and Acadia National Park to tighten an existing conservation easement, ensuring that any future development is carefully sited and scaled to blend with surrounding woodlands and the existing rustic camp. Additional easement restrictions on newly transferred lands near Butler Cove (along the western shore) allow the landowners to construct a single camp on a one-acre building envelope set back from the shore at least 350 feet.

MCHT will work with College of the Atlantic to inventory the island’s natural resources, and will use those findings to develop a management plan that allows continued public access while protecting sensitive natural resources and the needs of the island’s private landowners. The Trust welcomes the input and support from those who know and value Black Island; funds are still being raised to cover the purchase and stewardship costs, and management planning will continue in the coming year. Please contact staff at our MDI office at 244-5100 to help.

From MCHT’s Board Chair: The Gift of Good People

Celebrating our anniversary gives us a welcome opportunity to reflect on the contributions of those who have guided the Trust through its first four decades. Every organizational achievement during this time traces directly to the vision and wisdom of the Trust’s Board and Council members, and to the rapport they have with MCHT’s high-caliber staff. One Council member recently commented on the “symbiotic relationship between staff and board where the personalities just work. One of the great pleasures of serving MCHT,” he added, “is the interactions between board and staff.”

MCHT’s board members work hard, but find the company so stimulating and the mission so inspiring that they keep at it year after year. Council member Ed Woodsum, for example, chaired the board for nearly 30 years with grace and good humor. Even after the Trust instituted term limits in 1987, it was hard for board members to depart. Council member John Kauffman once observed “there’s an excitement in the Maine Coast Heritage Trust board that’s downright electric, a sense of mission and joy I’ve never seen equaled anywhere else.” The passion for place that board, council and staff members share is indeed energizing, and helps us persevere through challenges and setbacks.

Many of the Trust’s board and council members know the coast intimately through decades spent sailing, both the native Mainers and those who “wished they lived in Maine” (as Peggy Rockefeller was fond of saying). Council member Gordon Abbott Jr., for example, began sailing in Maine at age 12 and by the time he joined MCHT’s board in his 40s, he felt he “knew every rock and buoy on the coast!”

Board and Council members share a wealth of practical experience reflecting professional backgrounds ranging from law, business and medicine to lobstering and local land trust administration. This diverse mix helps ensure, in Council member Peter Quesada’s words, “vibrant debate in the context of great mutual regard.” Board members steer clear of mission creep but respond thoughtfully to the evolving demands of land conservation with what Quesada terms “open-minded conservatism.” While cautious and deliberate, they’ve been willing to take big risks at critical times—like purchasing the Bold Coast headlands and launching the Maine Land Trust Network, the nation’s first (and still largest) service bureau for local land trusts.

Having the dual roles now of Board Chair and Interim President, I am continually impressed and inspired by the wonderful synergy among board, council and staff—seeing how our sense of shared mission inspires commitment and creativity. With such a capable group of people working so well together, MCHT’s next 40 years look very bright.

A Time of Big Decisions: MCHT Milestones in the 1980s

The second article in a three-part historical overview celebrating MCHT’s 40th anniversary.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust took a “huge step forward” in 1985, recalls Council member Gordon Abbott, when the Board voted to accept the Trust’s first fee property (a 98-acre headland in Castine). The Lands Committee weighed this decision carefully and concluded that outright ownership required a major stewardship investment but ultimately afforded the greatest possible degree of land protection.

Passage that year of Maine’s Uniform Conservation Easement Act meant that land trusts were no longer confined to taking easements near existing land holdings. This legislative change stimulated creation of more local land trusts, with the total number doubling in two years—reaching 50 in 1987. MCHT’s board committed to support these emerging trusts with a dedicated staff position. “Helping form local land trusts is probably one of the most significant contributions we made,” observes longtime Board Chair Ed Woodsum. “The multiplier effect of what we’ve done will be tremendous.”

The rapid growth of local land trusts reflected widespread concern in Maine about sprawling development, unprecedented land speculation and diminishing access to cherished natural places. Citizens and organizations banded together to support a bond measure that would direct $35 million to secure some of Maine’s landmark properties. MCHT provided critical financial and logistical support for the first Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) bond, which voters overwhelmingly passed in 1987.

As speculative development continued to spread eastward, MCHT learned of two headlands along the Bold Coast in Washington County threatened with subdivision. On short notice, the Trust needed to decide whether to acquire these threatened lands, thereby getting into the real estate business. Council member Peter Quesada recalls what MCHT cofounder Peggy Rockefeller said in response to that difficult choice: “‘It might fail. It might even destroy the organization because it’s a big bet. But it’s something we ought to do: if we don’t, no one else will and it’s really important.’”

MCHT did purchase the Bold Coast headlands and—through that arduous but successful process—forged close alliances with individuals and communities downeast. Cutler lobsterman Jasper Cates, who helped lead the campaign to save Western and Great Heads, later observed, “You’ve got to have a hide as thick as [a] battleship… for this kind of thing, but if you know deep down in your heart that your cause is right and you’ve got people like Maine Coast Heritage Trust on your side, you’re going to win.”

“Perhaps [MCHT’s] greatest contribution is inspiring local action, giving people the tools they need, and helping them become active land conservationists. The person-to-person element is crucial. You can’t accomplish anything in conservation without people, and Maine Coast Heritage Trust has great strength and credibility with all kinds of landowners, from farmers to timber companies.” Lissa Widoff, former director of the Land for Maine’s Future Program (in Downeast magazine, April 1991)

“Western Head is not only one of the most beautiful headlands on the Down East coast…, it is also, for me and many people in Cutler, the heart of our spiritual home. Its loss would have been devastating to us.” Cutler native Delia Mae Farris

MCHT Helps Expand Wildlife Refuge

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service expanded its Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge with the purchase from Maine Coast Heritage Trust of a 9-acre parcel on Metinic Island and three entire islands: 12-acre Crow Island in the Muscle Ridge, 7-acre Compass Island in Penobscot Bay, and 8-acre Sheep Island in Steuben. These acquisitions bring the total number of protected wildlife islands within the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge to 53. The Refuge’s Comprehensive Conservation Plan, published in 2005, recommended acquisition of all these islands. MCHT acquired the islands over several years through the cooperation of willing landowners in continued partnership with the Refuge. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation provided generous suppport to help the Refuge acquire Compass Island.

“These acquisitions help further the ongoing protection of one of Maine’s most fragile natural resources,” said MCHT Board Chairman Tom Ireland. “We are proud of our longstanding partnership with the Refuge to enhance and protect Maine’s nationally significant seabird nesting islands.”

MCHT also assisted USFWS with a loan to help secure its new headquarters and visitor center in Rockland, which will give the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge a stronger presence on the mainland—offering exhibits and educational programs, and housing its allied nonprofit, The Friends of Maine Seabird Islands. “This would not be happening,” notes refuge manager Beth Goettel, “without great help from our partners.”

New Conservation Opportunities on Mount Desert Island

Since its founding 40 years ago on Mount Desert Island, Maine Coast Heritage Trust has been working with land- owners and partners to protect the special character of the Acadia region. MCHT is proud to serve as the region’s local land trust, helping conserve cherished settings like Black Island (see cover story) and vulnerable lands within the boundary of Acadia National Park.

This summer, MCHT is focusing on several key parcels that—if saved—will afford significant community benefits to Island residents and visitors for generations to come. At the heart of this effort is Kitteredge Brook Forest between Town Hill and Somesville, an unfragmented, 500-acre parcel bordering Acadia National Park that the Trust has an option to acquire if it can raise the necessary funds. Negotiations are under-way on several other key properties as well, in locations such as MDI’s western shore, around estuaries like Northeast Creek, and including some of the island’s remaining farmland. Completing these projects will require $10 million in new capital, helped in large measure by generous challenge grants from an anonymous donor and the Pew Charitable Trusts. For more details on this exciting initiative, contact Sue Telfeian, Director of Development, at 729-7366 or our Somesville office at 244-5100.

Francis W. Hatch, Jr.

Memoriam

Maine Coast Heritage Trust lost a great friend and guiding light when Frank Hatch passed away this April. Through more than 25 years on MCHT’s Board and Council, Frank shared his remarkable combination of bold vision and practical action. In 1985, his family donated land in Castine that became MCHT’s first preserve (now known as Witherle Woods). Frank worked tirelessly for decades with friends, neighbors, and community members to advance conservation of the Bagaduce River whole place in and around Castine.

2010 Espy Land Heritage Award Winner

At this year’s Maine Land Conservation Conference in Topsham, MCHT presented its 2010 Espy Land Heritage Award to Don Hudson, who recently retired as President of Chewonki Foundation. Don has worked tirelessly for decades to integrate land conservation into environmental education and outdoor recreation projects statewide.

Staff News

MCHT’s Development Team welcomes two new staff members. Sarah Hale Krull, Foundations Manager, brings extensive experience with foundation giving gained in previous fundraising and grant writing roles, most recently with the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Sarah, an avid biker and gardener who has written two guides to mountain biking, lives with her husband and sons in Portland. Nicky Blanchard, Development Operations Manager, comes to MCHT from Colby College where she directed their Parent Giving Program. She worked previously for the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence. Nicky holds an MA in Public Administration and greatly enjoys hiking and other outdoor pursuits.

The first of three articles celebrating MCHT's 40th Anniversary

MCHT Council Member Mary Rea recalls an evening, late in the 1960s, when Peggy Rockefeller arrived for a visit: "She marched into my island camp and exclaimed 'Mary, we've got to DO something!' " Peggy and her husband David, both avid sailors, were dismayed by how coastal development had begun transforming Maine's shoreline. Through conversations with the family's attorney, Donal O'Brien, and friends such as Tom Cabot and Bob Patterson, Peggy Rockefeller learned of an ingenious approach to protecting Maine islands. A legal agreement known as a conservation easement would allow landowners to keep their cherished properties while preserving their land's scenic and ecological values.

Needing more information on potential legal tools for conservation, O'Brien asked fellow attorney David Strawbridge to do further research. "The upshot was," Strawbridge recalls, "that conservation easements looked like the best tool." Rockefeller found a close ally in Bob Binnewies, of Acadia National Park, who was eager for the Park to hold easements and shared her enthusiasm for launching a nonprofit organization to advance coastal land conservation.

Incorporated in September 1970, Maine Coast Heritage Trust was a truly collaborative venture with a tight-knit board and staff and strong working partnerships with The Nature Conservancy, Acadia National Park and others. Board members delighted in Rockefeller's spirited leadership, mischievous sense of humor and absolute dedication: working with her was, Council Member Gordon Abbott, Jr. recalls, "one of the great pleasures of life." In its first year, the Trust facilitated protection of 30 islands (having contacted 310 island owners and met with 46 of them!).

"From the outset, MCHT played a highly prominent role in the national land trust movement," observes Ben Emory, one of the Trust's first executive directors. When Congress threatened in the early 1980s to rescind the federal tax deductions that easements provide, Emory recalls, "we realized we had to pay attention to what was going on in Washington. That led to closer contact with other land trusts and soon prompted MCHT and three other trusts to found the national Land Trust Alliance."

By 1983, MCHT had become what one board member calls the "mother church" for Maine's local land trusts. It established a revolving loan fund, hosted an annual conference, and published a land trust handbook and directory. Tom Bradbury, Executive Director of Kennebunkport Conservation Trust and an MCHT Council Member, recalls how pivotal MCHT's support was to local land trusts during that time: "For technical and legal information, we turned with thanks and confidence to MCHT, grateful they were always there to guide us through any difficult area of negotiation. The staff of MCHT kept providing encouragement, knowing that... collectively [we] could protect the best that is Maine."

From MCHT's Board Chair

Looking Forward

Tom Ireland

Celebrating our 40th anni-versary this year gives Maine Coast Heritage Trust a chance to reflect on our history and to look forward to exciting challenges ahead. I think Trust founders Peggy Rockefeller and Tom Cabot would be delighted, but not surprised, by the scope and quality of the work MCHT is doing all along the coast. The Trust had a stellar year in 2009, completing 40 land conservation projects encompassing 2,500 acres. We expanded our trail network to more than 50 miles, and further strengthened our relationships with partners and local communities.

MCHT will spend the next few months searching for a successor to Paul Gallay, who recently resigned as President to pursue his long-standing interests in environmental law, land-use planning and public advocacy. All of us at MCHT appreciate Paul's two years of service to the Trust and wish him the very best in his future pursuits.

I will serve as President while we conduct a search for Paul's successor. Our 40th year, like the ones that preceded it, promises to be both engaging and productive--we have many exciting land projects underway, and a full slate of outings and events planned this summer. I look forward to seeing you on the coast.

MCHT Given a Treasured Island in Brooklin

Maine Coast Heritage Trust recently received the gift of a striking, 78-acre island by Eggemoggin Reach that local residents and boaters have long enjoyed. A beautiful, undeveloped gem close to the public boat launch at Naskeag Point in Brooklin, Hog Island is readily accessible to visitors who enjoy picnics and clamming along its many sandy beaches and coves. During the late 19th century, the island had year-round residents and supported a menhaden factory--foundations of which remain today. A former owner of Hog, Elliot Russell Hedge, donated a highly restrictive conservation easement on the island to Acadia National Park in 1976. Most recently the island was owned by the White family of Brooklin. "The Whites made an exceptionally generous gift turning this island over to our care," observes MCHT Project Manager Ciona Ulbrich. "Generations of people from all walks of life have treasured visits to Hog Island, and the Whites took action to ensure that tradition would continue through time."

Ben Emory, an early Director of MCHT who owns another conserved island in Eggemoggin Reach, recalls how "special small-sailboat adventures in my childhood were often to Hog Island. We lunched by the big rock and picked cranberries along the north shore. I am thrilled by the White family's foresight and generosity."

Progress at Bog Brook Preserve

Two Additional Land Acquisitions

While some whole place conservation efforts can span decades, a few coalesce in a remarkably short period of time. "Three years ago," observes MCHT Project Manager Marty Anderson, "we hadn't conserved any of the four properties that make up the Bog Brook watershed in Cutler and Trescott. This winter, we secured the final 128-acre parcel, thanks to three siblings who shared ownership." This last puzzle piece, with 4,000 feet of frontage along Bog Brook, adjoins three other conserved parcels in the watershed. In combination with the State's nearby Cutler Coast Public Lands, the new property is part of 14,000 acres of contiguous conserved lands.

MCHT also acquired a small lot on a prominent cliff face adjoining Bog Brook Cove. This parcel offers commanding views of Grand Manan Channel, and a prominent house in this location would have detracted from the experience of preserve visitors.

Trail Update

While the Bog Brook trails will not open officially until this fall, trail crews have made significant advances. A 1,000-foot wheelchair-accessible trail now leads to a cobble beach at Moose Cove. Regional Steward Melissa Lee plans to work with an MCHT trail crew this summer to construct bog bridging along the Norse Pond Trail, a 2.5-mile loop trail that offers access to Bog Brook Cove (where impressive, sculpted rocks can be seen at mid- to low tide). "The trail now is very wet," cautions Lee. "Anyone visiting before the bridging is in place should plan on walking right through wet spots to avoid damaging sensitive bog plants off the trail."

Grant Advances Organic Blueberry Production Plans

Within the Bog Brook watershed, MCHT owns 88 acres of productive blueberry barrens, 80 of which are leased to blueberry growers and 8 of which are now in an experimental transition to organic production. Last winter, Trust stewardship staff met with Washington County organic blueberry growers to discuss shared needs. The group recently received a grant to conduct a feasibility study for establishing a value-added facility (to process blueberries into juice, sauce and other products). Members of the group, including MCHT's Melissa Lee, are excited about the potential this project holds to stimulate regional organic blueberry production. Blueberry grower consultant Charlie Hitchings notes that small organic growers have long been up against the massive scale of commercial blueberry production: "I think that Maine Coast Heritage Trust's blueberry initiative is the first thing to come along that shows promise of getting us somewhere."

MCHT Preserve Tours

MCHT will host dozens of field trips this year to Trust preserves and protected areas led by knowledgeable staff, partners, and volunteers. Most trips are free and no advance registration is required (save for boat trips with transportation provided, which do require registration and have fees). A small sampling of trips appears here. For details and a current list of tours, please visit www.mcht.org/tours/ or become a fan of MCHT's Facebook page.

See "Getting Out on the Coast" a short video about MCHT Preserve Tours-- one of 5 new videos highlighting the Trust's work.

25 Years Serving MCHT:

Karin Marchetti Ponte, Esq.

Karin Marchetti Ponte began working for Maine Coast Heritage Trust in 1985 when there were four people on staff and--she recalls--"an IBM Selectric typewriter with one-page memory that held our easement template." MCHT needed legal expertise, and Karin--just back from a Peace Corps assignment in Tunisia--wanted to resume work in public interest law. She was soon busy drafting conservation easements and researching Maine's current-use tax programs. Within a year of Karin's arrival, MCHT cofounder Peggy Rockefeller observed "It's very useful having Karin here; now we can't imagine not having her!" Board and staff members have felt similarly ever since.

Karin was soon at the forefront of the emerging conservation law field, offering workshops to the Maine State Bar Association and presenting at national Land Trust Alliance events. She mentored many of the local land trusts forming around Maine, helping fledgling groups draft their first conservation easements. In time, Karin literally "wrote the book" on easements, coauthoring the second edition of the Land Trust Alliance's Conservation Easement Handbook.

When the need arose for a network of attorneys who could represent land trusts and serve conservation- minded landowners, Karin helped launch the Maine Land Conservation Attorneys Network, a group of about 20 attorneys who meet regularly and share resources. "In recent years," Karin observes, "the general level of expertise among lawyers has increased greatly. Conservation techniques have become part of the literature, and even part of some law school curricula."

Maine was among the first states to pioneer use of conservation easements in 1970, and it continues to lead the nation in refining easement legislation. Karin recalls "a satisfying effort" in 1989 in which she worked closely with legislators to amend the Open Space Tax Laws to recognize conservation easements' impact on land values. In 2007, she collaborated with the Attorney General's office, state agencies and other conservation partners to shape an amendment to Maine's Uniform Conservation Easement Act--giving the State greater oversight if easements are amended.

The careful work done to make conservation easements legally sound has paid off, Karin says. "There have been very few easement violations--even nationally, and almost to a one those have been resolved in favor of the land trust. In Maine," she adds, "we've had a remarkable record of compliance with our easements because we work closely with landowners to understand and incorporate appropriate uses of the land." In 25 years, MCHT has never gone to court over an easement violation and only twice over infractions on fee lands.

The legal work Karin most enjoys, not surprisingly, is crafting easements. "The conservation easement is a tool for visionaries who love their land," she observes. "I take that bond seriously and try to have it inform the easement-drafting process, even though the final legal language may sound prosaic. I love seeing a piece of land going from no plan at all to one that will stand the test of time and serve landowners for generations to come."

Staff News

Amanda Devine, MCHT's new Regional Steward for southern Maine, is a graduate of the University of Vermont's Field Naturalist Program. She has worked as a naturalist and guide in Alaska and, more recently, doing planning and stewardship work in southern Maine.

Warren (Whit) Whitney, who has served as MCHT's Community Outreach Manager and Associate Director of Development, recently stepped into a new role as Maine Land Trust Program Coordinator. Whit understands local land trust perspectives well, having formerly directed Friends of Merrymeeting Bay.

Keith Fletcher, MCHT's new Land Project Manager for southern Maine, worked for eight years as The Nature Conservancy's southern Maine Program Manager, and has served on the Wells Conservation Commission and board of Great Works Regional Land Trust.

Treat Island is one of the most significant coastal islands in easternmost Maine, lying at the gateway of Cobscook and Passamaquoddy bays. The 73-acre island sits along the international border, an attractive focal point highly visible from Eastport, Lubec, and Roosevelt Campobello International Park in New Brunswick.

This fall, Maine Coast Heritage Trust purchased the two privately owned halves of Treat Island from families that for decades have cared well for their lands. “Both families were excellent partners dedicated to the project,” notes MCHT project manager Marty Anderson. “They felt that Treat was a natural fit for conservation, and they understood the importance of conserving both halves of the island simultaneously.”

Treat Island has an interesting cultural history, dating back to when early tribal travelers stopped by the island to harvest the area’s rich resources. The island contains the burial site of a former island owner and Revolutionary War hero, Colonel John Allan, who served as Military Commander of the Eastern Area (District of Maine) under General George Washington. Col. Allan defended eastern Maine against the British by mobilizing settlers and gaining the support and trust of the Passamaquoddy Tribe. Allan continued his close relationship with the Tribe following the War, establishing a trading post on the island. “He was a friend of the Passamaquoddy Tribe,” notes Tribal historian Donald Soctomah, “providing support in treaty obligations by reminding the President and Congress about the services of the Tribe. The Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Office thanks Maine Coast Heritage Trust for its hard work saving this important place of tribal history and national history.”

While the island is largely undeveloped now, Treat supported farming families for generations and served other uses as well. There are remains of an artillery gun battery constructed in the 1860s to repel Confederate raiders. A tidal dike built in the 1930s stretches to Dudley Island, part of a failed tidal power project that sought to harness the 70 billion cubic feet of water that flow in and out of Passamaquoddy Bay daily. A dock built in 1936 as a Natural Weathering Exposure Station for testing marine concrete still stands on a 3-acre parcel owned and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Treat Island is readily accessible from Lubec and Eastport, with several natural boat landings that provide access to a traditional picnic destination at the island’s southern end. Even those who never land appreciate views of the island from afar, notes Harold Bailey, Natural Resource and Planning Manager with Roosevelt Campobello International Park. “The Park has an observation deck at Friar Head that looks directly out to Treat Island,” Bailey says. “The Park Commission is pleased to know that this natural vista will remain through time.”

Part of what makes the island such a visual asset is its varied upland habitats, with coniferous and hardwood forests, marshes, grassland, shrub land and open ledges. This diversity also makes Treat a rich resource for the area’s abundant wildlife. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has designated Treat a nationally significant coastal nesting island, and one pair of bald eagles has nested consistently on the island for 21 years (using three different sites). The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has documented up to 30 eagles on the island at once when local food is abundant.

“Treat Island is a place on the edge,” says Anderson. “It lies at the entrance to one of the richest wildlife areas along the entire Eastern seaboard, at the far end of the country, and on the leading edge of American history. Yet the island is readily accessible to surrounding communities, and now it will remain a public asset far into the future.”

President’s Column

More than the Sum of the Parts

We have many cooperative projects underway that are delivering great benefits to Maine communities. It’s been gratifying to have these initiatives gaining public attention: an editorial in the September 19 Bangor Daily News commended our work, noting that “the template MCHT is following—working with locals while aiming to preserve properties that are important to all of Maine—is a good example for others to follow.” Several projects highlighted in this edition of Maine Heritage demonstrate the creativity and the collaboration with landowners and communities that underlie our fundamental approach to land protection.

The conservation of Treat Island, a scenic landmark along the Canadian border enjoyed by area residents, hinged on the cooperation of five landowners in two families that shared ownership of the island. We often say our work depends upon “willing landowners”—to emphasize the voluntary choice people make to protect their land. But staff members have far more effusive descriptions for the landowners with whom we work—noting how far-sighted, generous, and community-minded they are. We’re continually impressed by their dedication—working with us (and often, in shared ownership situations, with each other) for the greater good of place.

That collaborative spirit is evident at an even larger scale in projects like the Old Pond community pathway, an exciting initiative in which three conser- vation organizations—Crabtree Neck Land Trust, Frenchman Bay Conservancy and Maine Coast Heritage Trust—have joined forces with the Town of Hancock, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (which holds two easements in the area), Hancock Homes, and numerous area residents (including Eagle Scouts Evan Fortier, Jeremiah Burch and Ben Wildes). It’s easy to see how the quality of life in Hancock will improve with creation of a new 3-mile walking path allowing community members to reach town-owned shorefront. This pro- ject has involved complex land trades and easement negotiations, but a spirit of cooperation has prevailed—creating a “Whole Place” that is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.

The cooperation evident in the Old Pond Whole Place extends into the financial realm as well. MCHT will soon receive a $65,000 award through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), helping acquire a forever-wild easement on shorefront bird habitat along Young’s Bay. MCHT made this successful application with a matching grant provided by Crabtree Neck Land Trust, and generous in-kind donations from landowners Vera and Vivian Foss, whose family has cared for this land since 1926.

What’s most remarkable about the cooperation and creativity evident in these projects is that they’re not exceptions to the rule. Most of MCHT’s conservation projects involve visionary landowners and collaborators giving their best efforts to the task. These partners are what make each Whole Place, and each completed project, so much greater than the sum of the parts.

Malaga Island Becomes a Maine Freedom Trail Site

In partnership with the nonprofit organization Maine Freedom Trails, Inc., Maine Coast Heritage Trust hosted a ceremony in August dedicating its Malaga Island Preserve in eastern Casco Bay as a Maine Freedom Trail site. The 42-acre Malaga Island was home to a mixed-race community for more than three decades before the State of Maine forcibly removed residents in 1912 due to racial prejudice and other pressures. Maine Coast Heritage Trust was able to acquire the entire island in 2001, thanks to the generosity of the previous landowner.

“Having Malaga Island a Maine Freedom Trail site will remind people of the compelling and tragic story of those who lived there,” observes Rachel Talbot Ross, President of Maine Freedom Trails, Inc. and the Portland branch of the NAACP. “We're grateful the Trust conserved Malaga Island so it will always be a place where people can come and connect with this important chapter of Maine's history.”

In recent years, the Trust has worked in partnership with the University of Southern Maine, Maine Historic Preservation Commission, the Portland Branch of the NAACP, Maine Freedom Trails, Inc., and others to promote Malaga's cultural history. For more on this island’s complex history, see “Malaga Island: An Overview of its Natural and Cultural History” on MCHT’s website.

Cape Shore Foundation Supports MCHT with Road Race Proceeds

Cape Shore Foundation, a nonprofit charitable trust established in 2007, held a 5K road race in Brighton, Massachusetts, late in August and generously donated all the race proceeds to Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Formed by four friends in their late 20s who grew up together in Cape Elizabeth, the foundation is “committed to preserving the natural habitats of New England, from the reaches of the Great North Woods to the fisheries of Narragansett Bay.” The Trustees seek to sustain the region’s beauty and integrity, recognizing that they had had a blessed life growing up in Maine. This year marked their second annual road race, and members voted unanimously to give their proceeds to MCHT because they appreciated the Trust’s coastal land protection work and help supporting local land trusts around Maine. Foundation trustees dropped by MCHT's Topsham office to deliver their check along with a card expressing their sentiments: “We think what you’re doing is so important… the Maine coast is a very special place [and] we’re comforted to know that you’re working hard to keep it that way. Good luck!”

Stewardship: Getting out in the Field

Maine Coast Heritage Trust more than tripled its field trips offerings this year, with 45 programs ranging from preserve tours to night walks and day-long island explorations. Programs were all free (except those involving boat fares), and participants could show up without advance reservations. “The goal,” says Kirk Gentalen, the Trust’s Regional Steward who led many trips, “was to get more people outdoors seeing the incredible places MCHT has protected.”

Despite consistently wet weather in June and July, more than 300 participants attended trips and were excited by what they saw and learned. “Those who did come,” Gentalen says, “got to learn some natural history, and see some fascinating slime molds in the endless damp days of early summer!” More popular sightings were bald eagle chicks (seen through a spotting scope at Western Head) and a merlin catching dragonflies repeatedly at Boot Head.

Some people turned out for a single program, while others returned for several—bringing friends and family along. Even those who had explored the Trust’s preserves on their own came out to share in the hikes and learn from experienced naturalists.

Planning is underway for the 2010 summer season, and MCHT will begin offering more year-round opportunities starting in January (with snowshoe treks during midwinter months). “We may modify our system next year,” Gentalen says, “with some free programs and some fee programs that require advance registration. Our goal is to have varied options in terms of trip length, type of activity, and themes so everyone can find some programs well-suited to their interests and needs.”

Check our website early in 2010 for more details on upcoming trips!

MCHT Seeks National Accreditation

Maine Coast Heritage Trust is pleased to announce that it is applying for land trust accreditation, a program recognizing organizations that meet national standards for permanently protecting important natural places and working lands. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, reviews each applicant’s policies and programs carefully to determine whether the trust should be accredited.

The Commission’s review includes an assessment of public comments.

To comment on MCHT’s application, please provide a signed letter with your perspectives on the Trust’s compliance with indicator practices, national standards addressing ethical practices and technical operations—see full list on the Land Trust Accreditation website. Comments may be faxed (518-587-3183) or mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments, 112 Spring Street, Suite 204, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Please submit comments by December 27, 2009.

To learn more about the accreditation program, visit: www.landtrustaccreditation.org.

Staff News

Thanks and Farewell

This fall, two capable staff members who have served MCHT well are moving on to new challenges. Megan Shore, who coordinated the Maine Land Trust Program since 2001, has become Grants Manager with the Elmina Sewall Foundation in Brunswick. Megan was instrumental in growing the Maine Land Trust Network and MCHT’s Land Conservation Conference and in launching initiatives like the Circuit Rider Program and Land Trust Excellence Program. Katherine Birnie, after serving two years as an energetic and capable leader of MCHT’s Conservation Innovations Program, is assuming a new role in the conservation finance field, working for Ecosystems Investment Partners, a land-based investment fund in Maryland. “We’re deeply sorry to lose Katherine and Megan,” reflects MCHT President Paul Gallay. “They have both been such effective, admired and well-liked members of the staff.”

Welcome

The Trust welcomes four new staff members, all of whom bring great experience and enthusiasm to their new roles.

Steven Hufnagel will serve Southern Maine as a Project Manager and advance the Trust’s coastwide effort to incorporate community priorities into land acquisition and conservation planning. Steven holds an MA in Natural Resource Policy and worked for the past six years as Director of Lands and Stewardship with the Damariscotta River Association, helping make its preserves more visible and accessible.

Jed Beach, an avid and experienced gardener, farmer and educator, has begun work as Program Assistant at Aldermere Farm, helping out with initiatives in sustainable community agriculture. Jed worked most recently as Assistant Director at Natick Community Farm in Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Agrarian Studies and an MBA in Organizational and Environmental Sustainability.

Suzanne Telfeian, MCHT’s new Development Director, brings extensive experience in fundraising, having worked in private and nonprofit sectors in Maine, California and Nevada. Sue has served as Associate Director of Philanthropy at The Nature Conservancy (Maine Chapter) and as Executive Director of Loon Echo Land Trust in Bridgton.

Marj Whitman, MCHT’s new Development Assistant, has extensive experience in corporate and non-profit settings. Marj came to MCHT from Bowdoin College, where she was the Recruiting Coordinator in the Career Planning Department.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust preserves are cherished community resources, generating interest and help from those who visit.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust recently passed a major milestone, acquiring its hundredth property. The number of properties in Trust stewardship has grown dramatically over the last decade, generating many new benefits and responsibilities.

In its first 15 years, the Trust’s primary conservation role was that of a facilitator—helping landowners place easements with other partner agencies and land trusts, rather than taking on stewardship holdings itself. Its first preserve was established in 1985 when several families around Castine generously offered lands to MCHT that eventually became part of the Witherle Woods Preserve. The Trust acquired nine more preserves over the next decade, and in 1996 hired Jane Arbuckle as its first Stewardship Director to help oversee management of these lands (and monitoring of conservation easement properties).

The Campaign for the Coast launched by MCHT in 2001 greatly accelerated the pace of our land conservation and by the start of 2009, MCHT held 108 properties. “The properties we own now encompass remarkably diverse landscapes and values,” notes MCHT President Paul Gallay, “from commercial blueberry barrens and wild promontories downeast to islands of all sizes and a saltwater farm known for its world-class cattle.”

To assure long-term care of its preserves, the Trust has established a network of regional stewards who sustain strong local ties through a year-round presence. “Having folks on the ground has provided untold benefits,” Arbuckle reflects. “It gives us more credibility in communities, and it helps shape our policies and practices in ways sensitive to local needs.” Stewardship staff members routinely collaborate with local officials in developing management plans for each preserve, and work hard to meet the needs of traditional users. “In some cases, we’re preserving lands that area residents have traditionally enjoyed,” Arbuckle explains. “In other cases, we’re opening new opportunities for recreation.”

With each preserve, staff members carefully assess how best to structure public use and what the ideal number of visitors might be (to sustain both the ecological integrity of the place and the visitor experience). MCHT’s stewardship team monitors changes over time—whether from human use or other impacts. “We’ve gained so much experience over the past decade,” Arbuckle adds, “about diverse facets of preserve management (from archaeological digs and storm-damaged trees to manure management!) that we now feel comfortable tackling whatever issues arise.”

MCHT has found its own stewardship work matched by growing volunteer support from community members near Trust preserves. That local sense of ownership is critical, notes Director of Land Protection David MacDonald: “For lands to be truly protected, you need a public who cares deeply about them. We are fortunate that so many volunteers and members have responded to our willingness to take on ambitious properties like Aldermere Farm or Witherle Woods, and have been terrifically generous with their time and financial support.”

MCHT has worked for two years, guided by Director of Communications Rich Knox, to develop effective means of publicizing its preserves. “It’s exciting to roll out both interactive preserve information online (see page 2) and a print guide highlighting 40 of our most popular preserves,” Knox says. “Our members are increasingly interested in learning more about these wonderful places.” MCHT board member, Dawn Kidd, who serves on the Trust’s Stewardship Policy Committee, believes this step will be a very positive one for MCHT, based on her experience with Boothbay Region Land Trust. “In our community,” she says, “publicizing preserves has generated greater awareness of land conservation, more appreciation of its benefits, and a stronger base of community support.”

President’s Column

Enhancing Outreach Online

One of the greatest rewards of land conservation work is being able to share with others news of special places we’ve preserved. At Maine Coast Heritage Trust, we announce acquisitions of new preserves in our publications and in the press, but — until recently — there’s been no central place where members and friends could read about the wealth of wonderful places we manage.

I’m delighted to say that now, thanks to the creative work of our Communications Director Rich Knox and website designer Tim Swan, we have detailed information online for 13 of our most popular preserves. They prepared an array of features for potential preserve visitors, from basic essentials like directions and a printable trail map to fun extras like interactive Google maps. The attractive and accessible format they created demonstrates MCHT’s commitment to providing public access and engages our preserve visitors in new ways.

The Web offers a great medium for sharing information about conserved lands because — unlike printed property guides — information can be readily updated. If, for example, a new eagle nest prompts a trail closure, we can post that information and visitors can plan accordingly. Better still, visitors can let us know about what may need stewardship attention. At all our preserves, we rely on conscientious visitors to be our “eyes and ears,” and the comments section on our preserve pages now makes it easy to report observations and concerns.

Realizing how important the Web is as a means of outreach, we’ve made numerous other site upgrades as well. There’s now a home page slideshow that offers a panoramic sense of our beautiful preserves and lets people link directly to our most popular pages. We’ve added a new search function and the site now has a social networking share feature so those active on Facebook, Twitter and other social media can link readily to MCHT’s site. I’ve launched a President’s Blog, which I hope you’ll visit, sharing perspectives on how land conservation is progressing in Maine.

While the Web is a perfect medium for transmitting most preserve information, it doesn’t help those who like to have a pocket-handy reference guide as they travel along Maine’s coast. To meet that need, we’ve just produced a preserve guide featuring 40 Trust properties which was mailed out to all our members. You can use this “glove compartment” guide yourself for field explorations, and share it with friends who are not yet familiar with MCHT’s work.

We hope to see you out on our preserves this summer, and invite you to join some of our many field trips if you’d like a guided introduction. Enjoy exploring our lands—both online and in person!

Stewardship: Aldermere Farm Celebrates Tenth Year in MCHT Ownership

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Mr. Albert Chatfield’s generous bequest gift, entrusting Maine Coast Heritage Trust with care of his 136-acre saltwater farm in Rockport. Mr. Chatfield’s foresight ensured that the scenic farmfields and woods between Lily Pond and Penobscot Bay would remain a cherished community treasure for generations to come. His gift allowed MCHT to sustain Aldermere Farm’s reputation as a premier breeder of Belted Galloway cattle while creating year-round educational programs that foster a deeper appreciation for land conservation.

The Farm has grown into a thriving community hub over the past decade, hosting dozens of public events each year—ranging from natural history walks and youth farming programs to moonlit cross-country ski outings. Aldermere Farm has strengthened its reputation as a statewide leader in sustainable agriculture, offering educational workshops and helping establish and manage the Northeast Livestock Expo (marketing beef, sheep and goat farms) and new Knox County Farmer’s Alliance.

In addition to helping area farmers achieve economic and ecological sustainability, Aldermere Farm has strengthened its own operations. It has nearly quadrupled annual farm revenues through the sale of beef and hay. Construction of a manure storage building greatly reduced runoff, and MCHT received State Department of Environmental Protection support to fence cattle out of sensitive areas in the Lily Pond watershed. Staff members have begun work to eliminate Japanese barberry, honeysuckle and bittersweet, thanks to a grant from the Maine Forest Service.

Aldermere Farm takes an active role encouraging community gardening, providing more than 20 raised beds tended by area families and volunteers (some of which supply produce to the local elementary and high school). The Farm hosts “how to garden” workshops, a youth gardening project, and an agricultural poster contest for children. It helps support the annual garden tour organized by the Camden Garden Club, and solicits gardening help at the Farm from Master Gardeners trained through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service.

The acquisition of the Erickson Fields property in 2008, with 70 acres of hayfields and woods in a prominent location near Aldermere Farm, has furthered MCHT’s partnership with the local community. More than 375 area residents and businesses helped support the purchase of this prime farmland, which was secured in partnership with Maine Farmland Trust and the federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program.

Aldermere Farm’s most impressive achievement to date may well be the diversity of community support it has garnered—from local businesses and families to livestock owners and managers throughout the northeast. That support is likely to grow over coming decades. As Catherine Tanzer, whose daughter participated in the Aldermere Achievers 4-H Club notes, “I look forward to many years of supporting the Farm and its imaginative endeavors to involve the community.”

Land Protection: Donated Easements Preserve Two Entire Islands

Through the efforts of dedicated landowners, Maine Coast Heritage Trust now holds permanent conservation easements on two privately owned islands in Blue Hill Bay. The easements preserve the bald eagle nesting habitat, significant seal haulouts and scenic integrity of an archipelago visible from Casco Passage and the Swans Island Ferry. Together, the two conserved islands have more than a mile of wild shoreline.

An easement on 18-acre Sheep Island donated by Peter P. Blanchard, III, prohibits all future development (and allows for daytime public access), while an easement donated by the T. Courtenay Jenkins, Jr. family on 6-acre Eagle Island allows for a small tent platform screened and set back from the shore (with no public access guaranteed by the easement). Acadia National Park holds easements on all of neighboring Black and Pond islands, and a small portion of Opechee and Johns Island.

Blanchard, who purchased an interest in Sheep more than two decades ago and now owns the island in entirety, says “it’s wonderful to reunite places that have been fragmented.” Sheep is mostly open, providing habitat for nesting yellow warblers and song sparrows. For Blanchard, the conservation easement offers a way to “take right steps for the long term while enjoying the pleasures of ownership.” Within this exceptionally beautiful archipelago, he adds, you can enjoy a pristine landscape similar to what early European settlers encountered: “it’s a very magical place.”

For T. Courtenay Jenkins, III, of Eagle Island, the easement provides a way to sustain his late father’s vision that the island be a natural sanctuary: “My father would be pleased to know that his children have protected this beautiful little island that has provided our family with so many memorable experiences over the years.”

Memorial Gifts Honor and Extend a Shared Love of Place

The coast of Maine evokes a deep love of place in many individuals, one that often endures through a lifetime. When life draws to a close, family members may choose to dedicate memorial gifts toward conserving the landscape that person loved.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust was honored this year to receive more than 50 gifts from around the nation in memory of Grace McNeal, fondly known as “Mrs. Mac” by girls at the camp she established and ran for 50 years on Walker Pond in Sargentville. “My mother spent an idyllic childhood along the shores of Walker Pond and Eggemoggin Reach,” recalls her daughter Catherine Larson. “She established Camp Four Winds so that other children as well could really live in, experience and appreciate God’s great out-of-doors.” The extended camp family that formed there treasured “Mrs. Mac” for her can-do spirit, compassion, reverence for nature, and ready sense of humor and adventure.

When Grace McNeal died this spring at age 98, Larson asked that memorial gifts go to a fund at MCHT that supports land protection around Caterpillar Hill (where MCHT has worked for years in partnership with Blue Hill Heritage Trust). Caterpillar Hill lies just up from the former camp and affords spectacular views over Walker Pond and Penobscot Bay. “Caterpillar Hill has always been a special place in my heart, as it was in my mother’s heart and in her mother’s heart,” Larson reflects. “My grandmother traveled the world, but always said that Caterpillar Hill offered the loveliest view she had ever seen!”

For more information on memorial gifts or planned giving options, please contact development@mcht.org.

New MDI Office Opens

Maine Coast Heritage Trust announces the opening of a brand new office alongside its Babson Creek Preserve on Route 102 in Somesville. The building was constructed to strict environmental standards and now provides a permanent base for the eleven staff members who work at the Mount Desert Island field office (which has been in rented facilities since the organization’s launch in 1970).

The building sits on a former house site above Babson Creek, part of a property donated to MCHT by two individuals who purchased the land at auction. MCHT worked with a local architect to design an office and a traditional-style barn (across the road) that will minimize energy and water use and draw on renewable power sources. The builder used many materials from local and environmentally responsible providers. The new office sits well back from the shore and has a low profile so that it fits visually within the natural setting—a 35-acre preserve where people enjoy hiking and bird-watching.

Conference Success

A record-setting 450 people attended the Maine Land Conservation Conference on May 1 and 2, drawing inspiration and valuable information from colleagues. Members of Maine’s land trust community honored Espy Land Heritage Award winner Lucy McCarthy (shown here with plaque), who as Executive Director of Vinalhaven Land Trust has demonstrated many of the ways that land trusts can enrich community life through exceptional educational outreach.

Staff News

Deirdre Whitehead has joined MCHT’s stewardship team downeast, working two days a week assisting Regional Steward Melissa Lee in Washington County.

MCHT welcomes a summer trail crew (Rebecca Gerber, Gordon Adams and Karl Gifford) that will help make preserve improvements, and Elizabeth Bailey Cunningham and Brian W. Fulmer who will serve as this summer’s Marshall Island Stewards.

A conservation easement held by Maine Coast Heritage Trust clearly defines future uses on two-thirds of Sears Island—a welcome change after decades of uncertainty. © Kevin Shields

Maine Coast Heritage Trust now holds a conservation easement on 601 acres of Sears Island, a prominent landmark the State owns in upper Penobscot Bay. Were delighted to help ensure permanent protection of two-thirds of this significant island, observes MCHT president Paul Gallay, and believe that neighboring communities will benefit greatly from this conservation success.

The future of Sears Island, the second largest undeveloped island along Maines coast, has been a source of controversy for nearly four decades. Intensive community planning and negotiations spanning several years led to a recent agreement that places 601 acres (with 3.65 miles of Penobscot Bay frontage) under a conservation easement that protects scenic values and wildlife habitat while securing continued public access for low-impact recreation, nature observation and education. The islands remaining 334 acres are available for potential transportation use (such as development of a cargo port).

The conserved part of Sears Island contains a diverse mix of marine and freshwater ecosystemsfrom beaches, coastal salt marshes, vernal pools and wetlands to forests, meadows and shrubs. Many species of wildlife rely on these habitats, including more than 160 bird species and several rare mammals and amphibians. Area residents and visitors have long enjoyed hunting on the island and clamming along its shores, as well as walking and skiing an extensive trail network.

A permanent Sears Island Advisory Council (still to be formed) will advise the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), the State authority charged with managing Sears Island. All management decisions on the conserved portion of the island must conform to guidelines set out in the conservation easement. The Trust, as the easement holder, will continue sharing its conservation expertise and oversight as the Council, MDOT and various community organizations begin offering varied recreational opportunities that respect the islands diverse ecosystems.

MCHT plans to host a guided hike on Sears Island this summer. Visit www.mcht.org/tours for details.

Presidents Column

Maine Coast Heritage Trusts Role in Protecting Sears Island

Maine Coast Heritage Trust had a front-row seat in the long and fascinating community planning process that successfully protected two-thirds of Sears Island in January. Toward the end, we took on a key role drafting and holding the conservation easement that secures the future of 601 beautiful acres fronting on Penobscot Bay.

© Kevin Shields

Through all the discussions of Sears Islands future, which have spanned decades, we at MCHT felt strongly that the State as landowner, the Maine Department of Transportation as primary manager, and community stakeholders should reach consensus on the islands future. We chose to serve the island planning process not by lobbying for a particular vision but by following discussions closely and providing land conservation expertise when asked.

We were impressed by how diligently first the Sears Island Planning Initiative and then the Joint Use Planning Committee (appointed by Governor Baldacci) worked to reconcile economic and environmental concerns. With their encouragement, local communities like Searsport were deeply engaged in the planning (and, not surprisingly, were happy with the final result).

The protection of two-thirds of Sears Island marks the culmination of countless hours of work contributed by many partners who had to be creative, accommodating and adaptable.

Those community discussions led to an agreement that will preserve the scenic and ecological values of two-thirds of the island for low-impact public recreation and environmental education while reserving the remaining third for potential development as a cargo port (pending environmental impact reviews and permits). The Committee needed to delineate these two areas and find some means to ensure that the natural portion would remain unspoiled through time. A conservation easement, they decided, would provide the best long-term assurance that all those involved in the islands future management would operate from a shared vision.

After the Committee put out a call for qualified easement holders, it became clear that MCHT was uniquely qualified to draft and hold the Sears Island easement. But we needed to weigh the potential complications of overseeing a conservation easement on lands that might someday border a large-scale commercial operation. After careful deliberation, we concluded that the high natural values of the preserved area could be sustained in that context. We offered to draft and hold the easement, and the Committee selected us for this role. MCHT project manager Ciona Ulbrich worked diligently with Committee members to complete an easement that fulfilled their conservation goals and met MCHT standards.

The protection of two-thirds of Sears Island marks the culmination of countless hours of work contributed by many partners who had to be creative, accommodating and adaptable. All of us at MCHT appreciate the persistence of those who worked for so long to achieve this success, and we look forward to being an ongoing partner in caring for Sears Island.

The western shore of MCHT’s Stave Island Preserve, shown here, now incorporates 25 additional acres at the southernmost end—thanks to a generous land gift.

Land Gift Preserves Key Portion of Stave Island

For more than a dozen years, MCHT has worked with cooperative landowners to preserve the natural integrity of Stave Island, a remarkably unspoiled 500-acre expanse east of Mount Desert Island. Two conservation easements held by MCHT protect 330 acres of the island, another easement protects 42 acres, and nowthanks to a generous land giftMCHTs own preserve on the island has expanded to 105 acres. Wendy Gamble and her family recently donated to MCHT 25 acres on the islands southwestern point, including a half-mile of bold frontage overlooking Frenchman Bay.

Wendy Gamble purchased this shorefront parcel in 1988 with the idea of a possible building there someday, but over time she came to feel that any construction would have been so prominent. My husband and I felt a strong commitment to preserve the beauty of the area and so decided to explore options for long-term protection. After 20 years of careful stewardship and with the blessing of her children, Gamble recently gave the entire parcel to MCHT so that its exceptional scenic and ecological qualities would be preserved in perpetuity. Knowing what others had already done to conserve Stave, she reflects, we wanted to add what we could to that effort.

Thanks to the cooperation of Wendy Gamble and other Stave Island landowners, more than 95 percent of the island is now permanently protected. MCHT plans to complete a natural resources inventory on its newly expanded Stave Island Preserve this summer.

Aldermere Farm Engages Community Youth

Aldermere Farm, MCHTs working farm in Rockport, anticipates running more outreach programs this year than ever before, with six ongoing programs and many half-day opportunities for young people and families to learn about conservation and sustainable agriculture. Last year, Aldermere Farm staff connected with more than 1,100 local youth through on-site programs and events in the community.

Two or three days a week through-out the school year, youth from Knox and Waldo counties participate in six-week Farm Hands programs that allows them to help halter-train calves, and learn about farming as a way of life. Students who have been through Farm Hands and want more farm time often join the Aldermere Achievers 4-H Club, a year-long commitment that immerses students in farm work and caring for animals. The long hours that youth spent last year were evident when they attended fairs with the cattle they had trained: out of 30 youth handlers at the Eastern States Exposition, for example, the second-, third- and fourth-place awards for showmanship went to Aldermere 4-H club members.

Among the many popular family events happening on the farm this year is Calf Unveiling Day on May 9 (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.): visit www.aldermere.org for details on other Aldermere events as the season unfolds.

MCHT Preserve Tours: More Choices than Ever

Maine Coast Heritage Trust is offering upwards of 40 field trips during 2009 so that more people can experience the wonder of our preserves. Each of these trips will be guided by one or more Trust staff members with detailed knowledge of that preserve. Advance registration is not required, and most trips are free (although a few boat trips with transportation provided do have a fee). Unless otherwise noted, most trips are 2 3 hours in length.

More detailed descriptions are available on our Trips & Events page, along with information on where to meet, items to bring, and weather cancellations. If you have additional questions, please call Peg Adams, Stewardship Assistant, Monday through Friday at 207-729-7366, ext. 117. For last minute cancellation information, call 1-207-798-5590, ext 201.

Stewardship: All in a Days Work

On warm spring days after a long winter, its easy to think that stewardship staff members at Maine Coast Heritage Trust have enviable jobs. After all, arent they outdoors much of the time on gorgeous preservessoaking up the sun as they add a trail sign here or clip a few branches there? This idyllic vision erodes quickly when regional stewards describe the array of challenges they facefrom routine hindrances like uncooperative tides and weather to unforeseen situations that truly test their mettle. The following anecdotes portray the wildly unpredictable nature of stewardship work.

• Returning from a workday on Marshall Island, three MCHT staff members were aboard the Peggy (one of the Trusts stewardship boats), with regional steward Terry Towne at the helm. Suddenly, Towne observed flames inside the engine cover. He reached instantly for the fire extinguisher and sprayed inside the cover putting out the flame before the manifold of the gas engine ignited. The air was none too fresh after the fire-quelling chemicals hit the hot manifold, but the engine kept working and brought everyone safely to shore. * Terry Towne now faces another challenge with bad airthis time from a 5-ton rotting whale carcass lying just 15 feet from an oceanside trail on MCHTs Frenchboro Preserve. * After months of advance planning by regional steward Melissa Lee, a crew of Maine Conservation Corps volunteers arrived at MCHTs Western Head Preserve, ready to build a rock retaining wall. Torrential rains arrived as well and continued the entire week of their stay. Crew members worked in a slurry of mud all day, and camped in wet tents each nightrising to don the wet, muddy clothes they had worn the day before. Yet Lee reports they sustained good spirits throughout the week. * Regional steward Doug McMullin had just begun work with MCHT when the 2006 Patriot’s Day storm hit the Witherle Woods Preserve with a vengeance, downing more than 100 trees. Parts of the Preserve looked like pick-up sticksonly the sticks were up to two feet in diameter, McMullin recalls. I had work experience on a forestry crewwhich had come up at the interview, he says, but none of us realized how much we’d be drawing on those skills! Fortunately, staff and community members created a plan to remove a lot of the downed trees with heavy equipmentgreatly reducing a potential fire hazard and opening up areas for regeneration. It was a great example of working with what nature throws at you, said McMullin. * Aldermere Farm, the Trusts saltwater farm in Rockport, is a popular spot for passersby to stop and photograph the Belted Galloway cattle and scenic vistas. One afternoon, cameras turned toward a different focal point: a woman posing naked in one of the pastures! Farm staff diplomati-cally ended that photo shoot but had greater difficultyanother dayseparating two sparring 2,000-pound bulls that were destroying nearby fencing and threatening to harm each other. Two shovel handles were broken in an effort to intercede, but the bulls never even noticed.

Staff News

Two longtime staff members who left Maine Coast Heritage Trust this past winter will be sorely missed. Chris Fichtel, a project manager in southern Maine, moved to Nevada where his wife Nancy will be working for the local chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Chris was instrumental in helping the Trust with conservation and whole place planning efforts, particularly along the downeast coast. He plans to continue work in the conservation field out west, and will enjoy exploring the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Jonathan Labaree left work at MCHT after 11 years here, initially as a project manager in the midcoast, and subsequently as manager of the Campaign for the Coast and as Development Director. Jonathans dedication to the Trusts mission, expertise with computers and personable manner made him an indispensable member of the organizationhelping keep MCHT on solid footing through many transitions. Jonathan now works for the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, leading an innovative program to help fishermen gain more control of resource management by establishing federally approved harvesting sectors. MCHTs staff and board members extend heartfelt appreciation and best wishes to Jonathan and Chris in their new endeavors.

MCHT welcomes a new Regional Steward who will care for easements and preserves on Mount Desert Island, Billy Helprin, a long-time resident of Bass Harbor. Trained as a wildlife biologist, Billy has been active in local schools and a volunteer for the Trust over the past three years.

Ongoing efforts to protect critical habitat in coastal York County took a leap forward with the recent transfer to Maine Coast Heritage Trust of a conservation easement on 408 acres in Kittery Point. This private land of the Delano family, with nearly one mile of ocean frontage, represents 40 percent of Gerrish Island and affords valuable habitat for amphibians and migratory birds. “The Delano property is one of the largest remaining wild shorefront tracts in southern Maine,” notes MCHT project manager Chris Fichtel.

MCHT worked closely for years with family members, the Kittery Land Trust and the Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative (MtA2C) to complete the easement. The MtA2C coalition has protected more than 2,200 acres in a six-town area stretching from the Tatnic Hills in Wells to Gerrish Island. MCHT board member Carol Donnelly, who helps lead MtA2C, notes that “from the outset, we knew the Delano property was a critical part of this conservation mosaic, so for all of us this easement is a dream come true.”

Three Delano siblings, Lyman, Warren and Sara, granted the easement. “Our father, Warren Delano, first acquired 100 acres and a small, 150-year-old house on Gerrish Island in 1946—two years before he married our mother Libby,” notes Lyman Delano. “Through the years, our family purchased additional acreage when it came available, completing a total of 15 transactions.”

“All three of us grew up on Gerrish Island and came to love the land as our parents did,” reflects Sara Delano. “For years we talked about how we might protect this beautiful place from development so it was very satisfying to accomplish our goal with the help of Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Mt. A to the Sea, and the Kittery Land Trust.”

Nearly all of the family’s acreage will remain in its natural state. “We designated a limited area for residential use near the two existing homes,” explains Warren Delano, “with only one further residence allowed. We simply decided it was more important to preserve the property than try to provide for all the future demands of an expanding family.”

With funding from the Campaign for the Coast and MtA2C, MCHT acquired the conservation easement at a small fraction of its market value—thanks to the family’s great generosity and strong conservation ethic.

Ward Feurt, manager of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in southern Maine, was delighted to learn of the easement. “This region has been settled for 400 years,” he notes, “so large blocks of undeveloped land along the coast are exceptionally rare—and critically important to birds that migrate along the coastline.” To have a family preserve this extensive acreage in a single transaction is historic, Feurt says: “I don’t know of too many examples of this kind of personal investment in conservation along the Maine coast.”

The Refuge has 800 acres just north of Gerrish Island and the diverse habitats on the Delano land (scrub shrub, old orchards, woodlands, a freshwater pond, and a salt marsh) will help sustain the migratory birds that the Refuge seeks to protect—many of whom, Feurt says, are “species whose numbers are going the wrong way.”

Wing Goodale, with the Biodiversity Research Institute, conducted a bird survey on the Delano property last May and reports that it had “the highest diversity of species” among the 30 or so properties he has surveyed for MCHT to date. Ornithologists believe that Gerrish Island represents a particularly important staging area for migratory birds since it extends out from the mainland and there are no wooded offshore islands nearby. A Birder’s Guide to Maine reports large concentrations of migratory birds on Gerrish Island, with sightings of “all of Maine’s regularly occurring migrant landbirds—more than 110 species.”

The State’s Beginning with Habitat Program identifies the Delano land as a high-priority parcel with valuable wetlands and vernal pools that afford critical breeding habitat for amphibians and invertebrates, and support the threatened spotted turtle. Gerrish Island also has many plants that are at their northernmost range in Maine, including spicebush (a species of concern), the endangered scarlet oak and striped wintergreen.

The spectacular shoreline of the Delano property adjoins 88-acre Fort Foster Park, which is owned and managed by the Town of Kittery. “The Delano land forms a kind of greenway outside the park entrance and protects the coastal views that park visitors enjoy—greatly adding to the experience of place,” notes Rob Nichols, a Kittery Land Trust board member. Since Nichols first came to Gerrish Island in 1988, the number of houses there has doubled. “If the Delano land had been subdivided and developed,” he reflects, “it would have completely changed the character of Gerrish Island. We’re absolutely thrilled to see this land protected and are deeply grateful to the Delano family.”

Message from the President

First Impressions

As this is my first Maine Heritage column, perhaps I should introduce myself: I’m the uniquely fortunate fellow chosen to be Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s new President.

My first awareness of MCHT came even before my first interview. The Trust’s stellar work has earned it national recognition in the land conservation field. Everyone I spoke with considers MCHT one of the most visionary and effective land trusts on the scene today.

My admiration for the Trust's board, council, staff and partners grows stronger daily: it’s a joy to work alongside so many dedicated and capable conservationists. Maine is unparalleled in the breadth and energy of its land conservation community, and MCHT is certainly at the forefront in supporting that community and encouraging its growth.

Nearly everywhere I go along the coast these days, I see evidence of strong and growing partnerships that are helping local communities preserve places and traditions they cherish. This was apparent on a sunny August evening when MCHT staff joined in an outdoor celebration with partners from Maine Farmland Trust and scores of local supporters who helped secure the productive future of the beautiful Erickson Fields in Rockport (see page 4). In a community that has lost much of its farmland, this property offers hope for reversing that trend and reenergizing local agriculture.

Our cover story highlights the protection of 408 shorefront acres in Kittery Point. This is a great moment for the Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative (a coalition effort MCHT helped launch 7 years ago that seeks to assemble a mosaic of critical open space in fast-growing southernmost Maine). Ten organizations, hundreds of donors and some exceptionally generous landowners have all come together to accomplish a series of truly astonishing landscape-scale conservation projects.

MCHT is working to invite greater community engagement in conservation at many levels, and we’ll be reporting on more of these initiatives in coming issues of Maine Heritage. I believe we will succeed best—as a land conservation community—when everyone feels like they have some ownership in the work we are doing.

Before I joined MCHT, I never really knew the wisdom of the phrase “standing on the shoulders of those who came before you.” I’m deeply indebted to former Trust president Jay Espy for his remarkable leadership and to Director of Land Protection David MacDonald for the hard work he did to keep the organization moving forward this past year (with much support from Tom Ireland, Linzee Weld and all MCHT’s great board members).

Nearly four decades ago, MCHT’s visionary founders challenged us to do extraordinary things to assure that the singular beauty of Maine’s coast would always be here for people to enjoy. I welcome your ideas on how we can advance that vision, and look forward to working with all of you to save the coast’s most cherished places.

Stewardship: Erickson Fields

Just west of Rockport village on a gently sloped hill overlooking the local elementary school lies an expanse of farm fields and woods that has been in productive use for more than two centuries. That agricultural legacy was nearly lost when the longtime owner and farmer of Erickson Fields was compelled to sell the land. With prime soils and frontage along Route 90, the property could easily have become an office park or residential subdivision.

Thanks to a cooperative landowner, fantastic community support, and the collaborative efforts of Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Maine Farmland Trust (MFT), the 33 acres of fields (used by MCHT’s Aldermere Farm for haying and grazing of its Belted Galloway cattle) and 37 acres of woodlands will remain in productive use. “This was a true partnership,” observes Aldermere Farm General Manager Ron Howard, with both organizations sharing in the work of raising the $1.1 million needed to cover the acquisition costs. MFT secured a federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program grant of $300,000 that helped launch the successful fundraising initiative. Contributions from 375 local residents and businesses enabled the purchase loan to be repaid in August, with MCHT assuming title to the land and MFT holding an agricultural easement on the property.

MCHT will continue using the fields for hay and grazing, and has begun inviting local input on other ways that the land can provide tangible community benefits. The property lies close to Rockport Elementary School and Camden Hills Regional High School, making it a good candidate for farm-to-school programs that supply local food to students and offer opportunities for youth to become engaged in food production.

Last June, Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Shelley Johnson helped Aldermere Farm’s 4-H Club members prepare three raised beds constructed from cedar cut and milled at Aldermere Farm. Youthlinks program participants helped maintain the beds through summer, with early harvests going to a local food pantry. Later harvests were donated to the high school cafeteria, where the manager has committed to match each contribution with purchases from other local farmers.

In addition to the 70 acres now secured on the south side of Route 90, two 5-acre farm parcels lie north of the highway. Two local residents purchased the easternmost parcel and plan to construct a retail market and small café specializing in Maine-grown food and offering educational programs. The westernmost parcel adjoining the elementary school is still on the market, but there is strong community interest in protecting this land as well.

“In our stewardship work, we’re increasingly interested in forging strong local partnerships and having our lands meet multiple community needs,” observes MCHT Stewardship Director Jane Arbuckle. “The Erickson Fields project is a perfect example of how a land protection effort can catalyze community energy and help people deepen their ties to place. Many community members already were strongly committed to local foods and sustainable agriculture: now this property offers a place where—literally and figuratively—some of those seeds can be planted.”

2008 Field Trip Highlights

More than 200 members and friends participated in Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s summer field trips (see our trip blog. If you weren’t able to join us this year, we hope you’ll participate in 2009.

Vinalhaven Sea and Shore Overnight

On MCHT’s first overnight trip, members enjoyed two days of biking, hiking and kayaking.

“We couldn’t have enjoyed our trip more! We loved every activity and particularly enjoyed learning about the local economy and culture—not something you can do as a tourist.”

~Anne and Dick Jackson, Yarmouth

Marshall Island Trail Dedication

More than 50 MCHT members gathered to celebrate the official opening of a 10-mile trail network on this spectacular island.

“There is nothing like being on the ground to fully appreciate a place as special as Marshall Island and the dire consequences had not MCHT come to the rescue.”

~Emily Beck, Seal Cove

Malaga Island’s Past

Archaeology professor Nate Hamilton and graduate students captivated 25 Malaga Island trip participants—sharing finds and inviting visitors to dig for artifacts.

“The USM archaeologist and students were full of enthusiasm and information”

~Suzanne Ewing, Portland

Petroglyphs on Machias Bay

Visitors listened eagerly as Passamaquoddy tribal historian Donald Soctomah explained the stories behind the ancient petroglyphs.

“It was a treat to combine kayaking in one of Maine’s most scenic areas with the opportunity to learn about Native American culture.”

~Norman Alt, New York City and Brooksville

2008 Field Trip Photo Contest Winner: John Rivers

John River's panoramic image of Sand Cove at Marshall Island was chosen as the winning entry for the first annual MCHT field trip photo contest. John will receive a free MCHT field trip next summer. Thanks to all who participated in this year's contest.

Staff News

Kris Campbell, MCHT’s new Assistant to the President, worked most recently as an Executive Assistant at Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation in South Portland. A resident of Topsham, Kris is pleased to be working close to home. She holds a Political Science degree from the University of Southern Maine and enjoys spending time with her daughters Alicia and Carmen.

Work on MDI Field Office Begins

Maine Coast Heritage Trust has begun site work at its new office location near Babson Creek in Somesville, with spring 2009 as a target date for the building’s completion. Bar Harbor architect Stewart Brecher helped design an efficient, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified office that will minimize water and energy use, incorporate solar energy, and use materials from local and environmentally responsible providers to the greatest extent possible. The new office will have a low visual profile so that it best suits the 35-acre preserve along Babson Creek.

In Memoriam: George Taber

MCHT staff, board and council members were saddened to learn of the loss of George Taber, a former Board member and Council member for two decades, who died this September at age 79. Mr. Taber chaired the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for nearly two decades and served as a Vice President of the Richard King Mellon Foundation (known for its generous land conservation grants within the U.S. and abroad). “George was a true conservationist,” recalls David MacDonald, MCHT’s Director of Land Protection, “and we will greatly miss his wise guidance. He was instrumental in protecting the 12,000-acre Cutler Coast lands in Washington County and helped build the political support and funding necessary to conserve 4,400-acre Long Island in Blue Hill Bay.”

Preserving a Storied Casco Bay Island

Lying at the seaward edge of Eastern Casco Bay, Ragged Island is a 77-acre landmark rich in history and ecology. Much of this offshore island provides valuable nesting habitat for eider ducks (325 pairs at last count) and guillemots, while a traditional farmstead area adds ecological diversity and cultural interest—with overgrown orchards, pastures where oats, hops and timothy have gone wild, and a lobster pound painstakingly hand-crafted from stone.

For decades during the 19th century, people lived year-round on Ragged. One of the better-known residents, Reverend Elijah Kellogg, served Harpswell as a Congregationalist minister for long stretches between 1843 and 1901—happily situated equidistant by boat from his parishioners on Bailey and Orrs Islands and those in Cundy’s Harbor. Kellogg was one of Maine’s most prolific writers, completing 30 books for boys—including an Elm Island series of adventures set on Ragged Island.

Abandoned for a time in the early 20th century, Ragged Island became a favorite spot of rumrunners during Prohibition. In 1933, poet Edna St. Vincent Millay bought the island and summered there with her husband until her death in 1950.

Paul and Claire Sifton purchased Ragged Island the following year, and their three grandsons—Sam, John and Toby Sifton—now share ownership. Late this summer, they will transfer a conservation easement to Maine Coast Heritage Trust that prevents future subdivision and limits future construction—clustering it near the existing house. The easement provides for continued public use of a traditional picnicking beach at the island’s northern end. “Ragged has always belonged to the people of Harpswell as much as to us,” John Sifton says, noting how area residents use it both for fair weather enjoyment and foul weather emergencies. “We’re preserving it for them as much as for us.”

“Our mother has always wanted the island to be protected,” Sifton adds, “and none of us cared to see a building or lifestyle here that wouldn’t serve the wildlife well.” That desire lay dormant for years until—in just three years—the island’s property taxes rose 250 percent, motivating family members to take action. The Siftons sought to keep Ragged Island in their family and give the fourth generation of Siftons a chance to experience the place as their great grandparents had. By selling an easement to MCHT (even at a very generous “bargain sale” rate 40 percent below appraised value), they could generate funds to cover future taxes and upkeep while ensuring that—in John Sifton’s words—“the island will stay the way it is forever.”

Thanks to Ragged Island’s high conservation values, MCHT has been able to secure a diverse array of grants to help fund the easment acquisition. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which has long viewed Ragged as a top priority for permanent habitat protection, awarded funds toward the project, along with the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, the Julie N. Oil Spill Settlement Fund, and Ducks Unlimited. “To complete the purchase,” notes Project Manager Betsy Ham, “we still need $75,000 in private contributions. We hope that those who know and love Ragged Island will step forward to help us secure the future of this exceptional place.”

From MCHT’s Board Chair

Tom Ireland

Over the last six months I have had the opportunity to be more deeply involved in MCHT’s work than ever before. It has proven to be an exhilarating experience, watching the Trust’s staff and board members advance ongoing programs; organize an inspir-ing and informative conference for 400 conservationists; launch several new initiatives (like the Maine Land Trust Excellence Program,

The Norumbega Society and “carrying capacity” assessments, all highlighted in this issue); and complete a successful search for a new president.

Our capable and hard-working Search Committee, under the very able leadership of Chair Linzee Weld, found a new president for MCHT with the skill, passion and energy to sustain this fabulous momentum. We are delighted to welcome aboard Paul Gallay, who comes to us from Westchester Land Trust in New York State where he served for eight years as executive director—achieving a seven-fold increase in conserved lands and creating five local conservation chapters. He had worked previously in the New York Attorney General’s Office on wetlands issues and as Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Paul will be using this column—in future issues—to express his ideas and initial impressions.

It has been my great pleasure over the past six months to share the helm with David MacDonald, MCHT’s experienced and insightful Interim President, and to get better acquainted with so many of the Trust’s energetic and dedicated staff, board and supporters. I want to extend particular thanks to David from the entire Board for his especially committed service during this interim period. I look forward to continued work with all of you during this exciting and energizing time at the Trust.

First Espy Land Heritage Award Honors David Getchell, Sr.

At the 2008 Maine Land Conservation Conference, MCHT announced that it had renamed the Land Heritage Award in honor of former Trust President Jay Espy and that several generous donors had personally endowed it to provide a $5,000 cash gift that could go to any land conservation organization of the recipient’s choosing. The Trust then presented the first Espy Land Heritage Award to David Getchell, Sr., a pioneering conservationist who founded both the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) and the Conservation Trails Program at Georges River Land Trust (GRLT), and was the inspiration behind the Georges Highland Path (an ambitious 36-mile footpath involving nearly 40 different private landowners). He also co-founded the North American Water Trails Association and served for 12 years on the Maine Trails Advisory Committee. Getchell has chosen to share the cash award with MITA, GRLT and Friends of Baxter State Park (where he serves as an Honorary Director).

In receiving the award, Dave Getchell emphasized the importance of good relationships with landowners and a well-educated public in creating conservation success. “In these somewhat cynical times,” he observed, “it’s heartening to see so many private landowners willing to share their land with a caring public. In my experience, the vast majority of hikers and boaters do not need strict rules or policing. They respond with respect and appreciation, feeling privileged to enjoy these beautiful places.”

Getchell has shared his prodigious knowledge of trail construction and management, boating and other outdoor skills through service on numerous committees and through informal counsel to others. “Dave is one of those rare individuals who—through his unique gifts and talents—has greatly advanced the cause of conservation in Maine and has left indelible impressions, not just on the land he loves, but also on the people who work with him,” reflects Rachel Nixon who worked closely with Getchell in her former role as GRLT’s Executive Director. “He has inspired people, brought them together, extended their collective vision, and set high standards that others then follow. Working with Dave improves the quality of one’s own work.”

The Norumbega Society

Maine Coast Heritage Trust has established The Norumbega Society to recognize those who have invested in the Trust’s future with a planned gift. Over the years, a number of donors have chosen to support MCHT during their lives and beyond by incorporating the Trust into their estate planning (through such means as charitable bequests, charitable gift annuities, and charitable remainder trusts). These gifts play an important role in supporting our conservation work and through The Norumbega Society we seek to honor the vision and generosity of donors who make these special gifts.

Europeans exploring the coast of New England in the 16th century frequently wrote about a mythical setting of great riches—called Norumbega—reported to lie by a great bay (and often situated along the coast of Maine on their maps). MCHT chose this name for our planned giving society because we believe that the splendor and bounty of the Maine coast gave rise to this prevalent myth, and we feel that the allegorical wealth of Norumbega still lies in the natural landscape of this spectacular coast.

If you have already named MCHT as a recipient of a bequest or other planned gift, please be sure to inform us so that we can welcome you as a member of The Norumbega Society. Members of The Norumbega Society will be invited to special events and receive a dedicated newsletter. If you are considering your estate plans and would like information on our planned giving opportunities, please contact MCHT’s Development Director, Jonathan Labaree, at 207-729-7366 or jlabaree@mcht.org.

Maine Land Conservation Conference Highlights

MCHT held its annual Maine Land Conservation Conference in early May, welcoming 400 conservationists from around the state for an enriching two days of activities. Participants enjoyed an inspiring keynote address by author Janisse Ray, a field trip to Merrymeeting Fields Preserve in Woolwich, and a choice of more than 30 workshops at all skill levels—on topics ranging from legal and logistical mechanics of land transactions to fundraising and community outreach.

The conference also marked the launch of the new Espy Land Heritage Award and the Maine Land Trust Excellence Program. This new program, created through the generosity of private donors and the Pew Charitable Trusts, will offer competitive grants of up to $18,000 to 20 small and mid-sized Maine land trusts, providing them with individualized coaching, board and staff training, and technical assistance to help them prepare for accreditation and build their capacity for land conservation and stewardship. MCHT is administering this program over the next five years in partnership with the national Land Trust Alliance.

Stewardship: Planning for Public Use

Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s recent strategic plan commits the organization to expanding opportunities for public use of its preserves. The Trust now owns more than 50 island preserves and 18 mainland preserves where visitors can go to experience the wonder and beauty of undisturbed settings. “People need to experience natural lands first-hand in order to appreciate the value of land conservation,” reflects MCHT Stewardship Director, Jane Arbuckle. “MCHT wants to offer more opportunities for people to enjoy its lands, but we want to do that in a thoughtful, deliberate way that ensures these lands and the visitors’ experience of them aren’t degraded through too much use or the wrong kinds of use.”

Over the last year, MCHT has developed a standardized process for assessing a preserve’s “carrying capacity” (i.e., how many people can enjoy a preserve without diminishing its natural resources or detracting from the experience of those who visit it). For each preserve, stewardship staff members:

• Gather thorough natural resource data (including information on rare/endangered or invasive species, types of soils and ecological communities, sensitive habitats or notable features, current and traditional human uses, archaeological/historical significance, and the conservation intent of the landowners or donors);
• Determine what visitors will be seeking from this property (e.g., solitude, quiet, expansive views) and how the physical infrastructure (such as trail width and parking limitations) can sustain that experience;
• Identify indicators for measuring potential human impact (e.g., soil compaction, vegetative trampling);
• Gauge the acceptable limits of change, and decide what actions are needed to keep within these limits; and
• Monitor the property over time to assess impacts and update management recommendations as needed.

MCHT’s stewardship staff now incorporates this “carrying capacity assessment” into the detailed management plans created for each of the Trust’s preserves. “This systematic process helps us think through the implications of each management choice we make—whether it’s the size of a parking lot, the routing of a trail, or how we publicize the property,” notes Andy Walsh, a regional land steward active in management planning. “It’s a lot easier to make those decisions of scale and capacity early on than to limit use once signs of heavy impact appear.”

“We want to offer MCHT preserve visitors the best possible experience,” Arbuckle adds, “while being sure to maintain the ecological well-being of each property. It’s a challenging balance to strike, but our carrying capacity work should give us the information we need to make good decisions.”

Staff News

MCHT is pleased to welcome Nancy Mooney as its new Development Assistant. Before joining MCHT, Nancy worked in the health care data field for several organizations. Nancy holds a degree in Business from the University of Maine at Orono and lives in Brunswick.

Staff members extend their best wishes to John Tooze, who held this role formerly, as he embarks on a new life in South Korea.

Field Trip Opportunities

Experience first-hand some of the spectacular places Maine Coast Heritage Trust has helped conserve: sign up for one of the remaining spaces on these field trips by contacting Patty Renaud (prenaud@mcht.org or 207-729-7366).

August 13, 9 AM – 3:30 PM

Discover the Islands of Blue Hill Bay

Learn about the cultural and conservation history of many local islands while enjoying breathtaking views. We will stop for a picnic on MCHT’s Tinker Island. $55. Departs from Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island.

September 27, 9 AM – 1 PM

Whaleboat Island Cleanup and Hawk WatchJoin in Maine’s annual Coastal Cleanup during Coastweek, helping collect flotsam and jetsam on MCHT’s Whaleboat Island in Casco Bay. If weather permits, there will be chances to spot hawks in their annual migration. Bring your lunch, or have some at a waterfront chowder house on your return. Free. Departs from South Harpswell. Rain date: September 28.

MCHT Conserves 1,500 Acres along Bold Coast

Maine Coast Heritage Trust recently used an array of creative approaches to protect four key parcels that lie at the heart of the Bold Coast, including the largest property in single ownership that remained unprotected along this dramatic and diverse shoreline. Thanks to conservation-minded landowners and generous foundation support, MCHT secured more than 1,500 acres including grasslands, blueberry barrens and shorefrontage. The newly protected lands encompass most of the Bog Brook watershed and nearly two miles of coastline that lie between the State’s 12,000-acre Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land and MCHT’s existing preserve at Moose Cove.

The 900-acre Bog Brook Cove Farm property encompasses tremendous biological diversity. A long, cobble beach spans the Cove, framed by forested headlands and decorated by graceful, wave-sculpted volcanic formations. Just up from the Cove, 10-acre Norse Pond offers high-value habitat to wood ducks and American black ducks. The upland portions of the property hold a mix of wet meadows, grasslands, birch-aspen woods, and spruce-fir forest. Consulting ecologist Norm Famous described the grasslands here as “the second highest quality grassland barren of its type in the lower 48 states.” Around 90 acres of upland are in active blueberry production, helping support the local economy and providing habitat for marsh hawks, northern harriers and savannah sparrows.

For more than 20 years, local conservationists have hoped to secure the future of Bog Brook Cove Farm. “These lands have always ranked high in our local list of priorities, and have been recognized by State programs—like Land for Maine’s Future and the Natural Areas Program—for their exceptional conservation values,” notes Alan Brooks, Executive Director of Quoddy Regional Land Trust. To protect this valuable setting, MCHT worked with eight landowners and drew on a wide array of techniques to stretch conservation dollars.

In that process, the Trust received help from Greg and Catharine Moser—who acted as conservation buyers to purchase 82 acres on and around Stone Hill, the highest promontory in the area, saving it from fragmentation into house lots. This wildlife-rich property encompasses the upper reaches of Bog Brook, and supports rare communities of blue-joint grass meadows and yellow rails—a bird seldom seen in Maine. MCHT now holds an easement on the Mosers’ land that provides for public access to the hill (and allows for a future trail to the State’s Reserve Unit). In September, MCHT purchased a 500-acre parcel adjoining Stone Hill that will further protect sensitive habitat and buffer Bog Brook and Rice Brook, both of which contain healthy populations of native brook trout.

Trust staff then worked with landowners at Moose Cove on a creative land-for-structures swap to conserve additional undeveloped shoreline. “While largely undeveloped, Bog Brook Cove Farm does have some residential structures on it,” explains MCHT Project Manager Patrick Watson. “Knowing that landowners at nearby Moose Cove were planning to build a waterfront home abutting our preserve there, we asked if they would consider swapping their undeveloped 50 shorefront acres for the clustered compound of buildings already at Bog Brook Cove.” That way, the buildings at Bog Brook Cove Farm would remain in private ownership and on local tax rolls. In February, that swap was completed, preventing further development along 3,700 feet of Moose Cove (where MCHT had preserved 75 acres of raised coastal peat bog in 2005). The Trust retains a conservation easement on the Bog Brook Cove homestead area and a right of first refusal should the new owners ever want to sell it.

The four newly protected parcels help create a contiguous wildlife corridor of more than 8 miles and 13,500 acres, stretching from the Bureau of Parks and Lands’ Cutler Coast Unit to MCHT’s preserve at Moose Cove. By linking existing conserved lands, these four new acquisitions will greatly expand wildlife habitat—particularly for wide-ranging mammals such as black bear, bobcat and fisher.

Potential for future trail linkages enhances the high recreational value of the newly conserved lands. Washington County is one of three regions in Maine participating in a statewide initiative to foster nature-based tourism, drawing visitors for low-impact outdoor experiences. “The Bold Coast has a lot to offer those who enjoy hiking, wildlife-watching and spectacular scenery,” notes Judy East of the Washington County Council of Governments, who co-chairs the Vacationland Resources Committee that is promoting sustainable tourism in the area. “We’re delighted that Maine Coast Heritage Trust is making more natural destinations accessible to the public, protecting lands that can help support our regional economy.”

Fundraising efforts for this ambitious project are ongoing, and the Trust is relying on gifts both large and small. In addition to receiving support from foundations, MCHT has submitted a proposal to the Land for Maine’s Future Program and is reaching out to Trust members. To make a contribution or to learn more, please contact Warren Whitney, MCHT’s Associate Director of Development, at 207-729-7366 (or wwhitney@mcht.org).

From MCHT’s Board Chair: Persistence and Creativity Downeast

Twenty years after MCHT first saved several key peninsulas along the Bold Coast from the prospect of 30-lot subdivisions, it has conserved another key stretch of this remarkable shoreline. There’s a wonderful symmetry in having this latest milestone fall on the 20th anniversary of the Trust’s first commitment to Bold Coast preservation. But looking at the cumulative map of conservation achievements downeast, what strikes me is how much steady progress occurred without fanfare during the intervening decades.

What this map cannot capture is the fullness of each project story—such as the incredible generosity of the private landowners who donated easements and land or who offered MCHT key parcels at a fraction of their market value. The Bold Coast might look very different today were it not for the vision and conservation ethic of landowners like Ernst Martin, Charles and Madeline Lookabaugh, Gordon and Ruth Corbett, and the Bohlen, Pike and McGhie families.

Foundations and public funders also have been powerful allies in sustaining the exceptional conservation values of this region. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation loaned MCHT the money it needed—in short order—to secure Boot, Western and Great Heads back in 1988. The next year, the Richard King Mellon Foundation helped fund a significant purchase by The Conservation Fund encompassing 2,100 acres and 4 miles of wild shoreline, along with 8,900 acres of woodlands and rare grasslands (all of which later became part of the State’s Cutler Coast Reserve). The Land for Maine’s Future Program played a critical role in helping fund that major acquisition. Sweet Water Trust later assisted MCHT in purchasing shorefront land now incorporated into the Hamilton Cove Preserve.

MCHT has a number of grant proposals pending for its work at Bog Brook Cove Farm and gratefully received generous contributions late last year from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts through its Northeast Land Trust Consortium. We look forward to updating you further on support for this work in future issues of Maine Heritage.

While the map and photos shown here convey some of the vast scope and grandeur of the Bold Coast, these two-dimensional views don’t begin to do justice to the place. If you haven’t yet ventured east of Machias, I urge you to go see this remarkable landscape for yourself. When I visited there last summer, it gave me an even greater appreciation for the 20 years of steady effort that has gone into sustaining this exceptional corner of Maine.

Caring for Conserved Lands: MCHT’s Regional Land Stewards Part II

To assist in caring for its 75 preserves and 183 conservation easements, Maine Coast Heritage Trust now has six regional land stewards. Two were profiled in the last Maine Heritage: the other four are introduced here.

Kirk Gentalen, Vinalhaven

Kirk Gentalen works on Vinalhaven and North Haven as MCHT’s part-time land steward—maintaining trails, monitoring conservation easements, working on management plans, conducting wildlife surveys and doing educational outreach (relying on 15 years of experience as an environmental educator). He also does stewardship work for Vinalhaven Land Trust so MCHT’s work with the local trust is well integrated. “When I came to Vinalhaven four years ago, I didn’t expect much in the way of open space,” Kirk observes. “What is here in terms of natural areas is truly awesome.” Last year, he studied a 255-acre property on the Basin that had recently been given to MCHT and found 33 species of breeding birds!

Doug McMullin, Penobscot Bay Region

Nearly all the skills Doug McMullin picked up in a diverse assortment of former jobs—as a climbing guide, windjammer crew member, outdoor educator, and commercial pilot—inform his work caring for preserves and easements around Penobscot Bay and Deer Isle. Doug takes delight in what he calls the “fantastic diversity” and dynamic nature of stewardship work, which has “no task that isn’t interesting to me.” His position involves a great deal of travel on and offshore, and frequent interactions with preserve visitors, easement grantors and community members.

Terry Towne, Mount Desert Island and Vicinity

Having grown up along the intracoastal canal in Florida, Terry Towne has always felt at home on the water. His work for MCHT has him offshore a great deal—traveling to and from Marshall Island, Frenchboro and Tinker Island. Terry holds a captain’s license and knows the local waters well, having worked formerly as a lobsterman and scallop diver. His previous experiences as a code enforcement officer and construction worker come in handy as well during trail building and improvement projects. Terry says he likes “making these places available to people and seeing the enjoyment they get out of being there.”

Melissa Lee, Downeast

Melissa Lee began her part-time position on Washington County preserves 10 years ago, making her MCHT’s first regional steward. Her job responsibilities keep growing: just in the past year, the acreage she’s responsible for more than doubled. Melissa loves her “fantasy job,” saying “it’s always been such a privilege to care for these properties that are part of my neighborhood.” Her strong background in natural history informs both her preserve management and community outreach (e.g., Melissa runs an elementary school outing club that gets children out to area preserves for snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking and rock-climbing). Recently, she helped MCHT’s stewardship team assess the “carrying capacity” of its preserves—a topic we’ll cover in the next Maine Heritage.

Volunteers Needed

In our Topsham office, we are seeking a person to help answer phones on Monday mornings, and volunteers willing to help with occasional mailings and administrative tasks. Our Somesville office needs volunteers to periodically answer phones and help staff when the office manager is away. There are also long-term projects that would benefit from the attention of a few focused volunteers (who could schedule work at their convenience).

To volunteer in Topsham, call 729-7366 and speak with Donna Bissett or Celeste Black. If you'd like to help out in Somesville, contact Heidi Smallidge at 244-5100.

Maine Land Conservation Conference

“Conservation and Communities”; May 2 and 3 in Brunswick

This year, MCHT's annual conference offers an array of speakers, trips and workshops: for details, please visit www.mcht.org. Conference highlights include:

• Sustainable Communities, Meaningful Lives, a keynote talk by writer, naturalist and activist Janisse Ray (author of the Ecology of a Cracker Childhood);
• A Friday afternoon field trip to the Lower Kennebec Regional Land Trust’s 125-acre Merrymeeting Fields preserve—which offers great birdwatching opportunities and impressive water views;
• Thirty-five informative workshops on Friday and Saturday, providing all levels of guidance on topics related to organizational management, stewardship, development, mapping and collaboration;
• Two “idea forums” for brainstorming new techniques, funding mechanisms and partnerships within Maine’s land trust community; and
• A Friday evening reception at Brunswick’s Frontier Café, with short conservation films and a photography exhibit of works by area schoolchildren.

Notable Conservation Gains in 2007

Saddle Island, Penobscot Bay

Visitors to Camden Hills State Park who ascend Mount Battie look out at a chain of islands that extend south from Islesboro—just a few miles out from Camden Harbor. Near the end of that chain lies Saddle Island, a 10-acre wildlife haven with an active osprey nest, eagle perching sites and seal haulouts. A conservation easement recently given to Maine Coast Heritage Trust will protect forever the ecological and scenic values of this wooded gem and guarantee that people can continue to enjoy its two beaches.

Saddle Island belongs to David and Jack Taylor, whose father purchased the property in 1940 (for the princely sum of $250). Their family has enjoyed picnics and outings on Saddle over the intervening decades and wanted to pass the island on to the next generation without it being a financial burden. The easement precludes all future development (save for a possible tent platform), while granting public access to the two cobble beaches and a trail that links them. Jack Taylor says his family is pleased with their decision to preserve Saddle in perpetuity: “Now we can continue to enjoy the place,” he notes, “knowing it is well-protected for future generations.”

Small Point, Phippsburg

A conservation easement donated to Maine Coast Heritage Trust now protects the easternmost point in Casco Bay, a 30-acre peninsula in Phippsburg. With more than a mile of shore frontage, this property encompasses a wide array of habitats—including rocky headlands, scrub brush, woods, dunes and two small beaches. The easement precludes all future development, preserving the land’s exceptional scenic and ecological values (but it does not provide for public access).

The property is jointly owned by members of the Lee and MacFadyen families, two branches of the Sewall family that has held the land for decades. The owners are deeply committed to conserving their land and several generations of the family worked for more than 15 years to ensure its permanent protection. Family members credit their grandmother, Camilla Sewall Edge, and their mothers, Camilla Edge Lee and Mary-Esther Edge MacFadyen, for the foresight to pursue preservation of this land. “Our families have always wanted Small Point to remain wild and now we know that it will,” reflects Richard Lee, one of the property’s owners. Camilla MacFadyen Lewis, another family member, adds, “With the signing of this conservation easement, our families are finally realizing a dream that is several generations old—to preserve the Point forever.”

Little Kennebec Bay, Machiasport

During 2007, MCHT secured several new properties totaling nearly 70 acres along the western shore of Moose Snare Cove in Little Kennebec Bay, a “whole place” that the Trust has worked for more than two decades to protect. The recent purchases conserved lands along Moose Snare Cove and Johnson Point that had been slated for subdivision into 11 lots.

The newly conserved acreage adjoins lands that MCHT protected in 2006 in cooperation with the Passamaquoddy Tribe, and lies just across the water from MCHT’s Hog Island and 425 acres on Mill Pond owned by Bill Coperthwaite, who completed an easement with MCHT in 2003.

“The beautiful lands surrounding Moose Snare Cove and Mill Pond contain exceptional wildlife habitat and may afford opportunities in the future for shorefront trails that the public could enjoy,” notes MCHT Project Manager Patrick Watson. “Our most recent acquisition includes a trail easement along the eastern shoreline of Narrows Mountain. Within this 1,500-acre area, we now have more than 6 miles of undeveloped shoreline permanently protected. And work is still underway.”

One Member’s Steady Support

Ann Cort moved to Maine in 1990 following decades of summer visits that had deepened her love for the Maine coast. Since settling on Orr’s Island, Ann has felt a strong commitment to conserving this coast’s precious heritage. In 2001, inspired by the campaign to protect Whaleboat Island, Ann became a member of Maine Coast Heritage Trust. “I’ve seen how things have changed in Maine,” she reflects, “and I can’t bear the thought of the whole coast being vulnerable to development.”

Since joining the Trust, Ann has mailed in a contribution every month. She says simply, “it’s just a priority for me.” MCHT’s Development Director, Jonathan Labaree, notes how much this consistent support means to the Trust: “Receiving Ann’s monthly gift always brightens our day. Her dedication is both humbling and inspiring: we are grateful for the trust she places in us and we always work to match her passion for the coast.”

Ann’s family ties in Maine stretch back three generations: she first came as a child to Kittery with her grandparents who had a summer camp there. “Through the generations, we all seem to gravitate here,” she observes. “There’s just something about the Maine coast.” Ann lives in the spot where her brother once had a small camp, a few minutes’ walk from dramatic cliffs overlooking Lowell Cove in Casco Bay. “I try to get out for a walk every day,” she notes. “It helps remind me of how special the Maine coast is.”

L.L. Bean Regrant Program Builds Local Land Trust Capacity

For the past four years, L.L. Bean has funded a grant program that has provided more than $75,000 to Maine’s local land trusts, helping expand their capacity for land protection and stewardship. Maine Coast Heritage Trust is a partner in this effort, selecting grant recipients and administering the program. The L.L. Bean grants have gone toward a wide array of projects—from membership development and conservation planning to public outreach. “These grants have a big impact because they cover dimensions of land trust work that can be hard to fund through other sources,” explains Megan Shore, MCHT’s Maine Land Trust Coordinator. “L.L. Bean’s consistent and generous support has given a meaningful boost to 19 land trusts throughout the State.” The company’s contribution has been supplemented by a personal donation to the grant program from Lisa and Leon Gorman, who chairs the board of L.L. Bean.

2007-2008 Grant Recipients

• Mahoosuc Land Trust – $4,000 for a fundraising consultant to help strengthen the Trust financially
• Woodie Wheaton Land Trust – $2,000 for a summer intern who will conduct landowner outreach
• York Land Trust – $4,000 to help support municipal outreach work as part of the Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Initiative
• Bangor Land Trust – $4,725 to help develop collaborative management plans for two well-loved preserves
• Western Foothills Land Trust – $4,025 to help launch an acquisition campaign for a 150-acre farm in Norway
• Cape Elizabeth Land Trust – $4,000 to create and distribute strategic outreach materials

Land for Maine’s Future Program: Celebrating Two Decades of Success

Maine voters extended funding in November for the State’s popular and far-sighted Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) Program. For the fourth time since the Program’s creation in 1987, voters resoundingly approved LMF funding (with a majority vote recorded in all 16 Maine counties).

MCHT and Maine’s land trust community worked actively in the coalition that garnered support for the $35.5 million measure ($17 million of which will go to the LMF Program). Maine Coast Heritage Trust extends thanks to all the individuals and organizations who worked and voted in support of the latest LMF bond.

Over the past two decades, the LMF Program has helped fund more than 200 land conservation projects across Maine (two dozen of which MCHT had a key role in).

LMF Support for MCHT Projects

(most of which were completed in partnership with local land trusts)

• Beech Hill in Rockport
• Crowley Island off Jonesport
• Cutler Coast
• Donnell Pond/Tunk Lake Region around Franklin
• Flag Island in Casco Bay
• Grand Lake Stream in Eastern Washington County
• Jasper Beach in Machiasport
• Indian Point in Ellsworth
• Lower Kennebec River Estuary near Merrymeeting Bay
• Mackerel Cove and Skolfield Shores, both in Harpswell
• River-Link Partnership in Newcastle and Edgecomb
• Marshall Island in Jericho Bay
• Mowry Beach in Lubec
• Nicatous and West Lakes
• Pettegrow Beach in Machiasport
• Seward Neck in Lubec
• Pleasant Bay, encompassing lands in Harrington, Addison and Steuben
• Robinson Woods in Cape Elizabeth
• Schoodic Bog in Sullivan
• Thorne Head near Bath
• Tide Mill Farm in Edmunds
• Tinker Island in Blue Hill Bay
• Whaleboat Island in Casco Bay

For more information on these and other LMF projects, visit the Program’s project directory at http://www.maine.gov/spo/lmf/index.htm.

Caring for Conserved Lands: MCHT’s Regional Land Stewards

As Maine Coast Heritage Trust has taken on more lands and easements, its stewardship responsibilities have grown. MCHT now has six land stewards working along the length of Maine’s coast to ensure that its 60 preserves are well managed and its easements are monitored annually.

“We moved to a regional stewardship model so that our staff would be part of the communities we serve and be able to respond quickly as needs arise,” notes Jane Arbuckle, MCHT’s Stewardship Director. “Having regional land stewards has proven more efficient and cost-effective.”

In this and the next Maine Heritage, we’ll introduce you to MCHT’s regional land stewards who help maintain and improve the Trust’s preserves, monitor its easements, and work with local communities and volunteers.

Andy Walsh, Southern Maine

Andy Walsh came to the Trust recently from the Trustees of Reservations in Massachusetts where he worked as a regional ecologist—helping develop preserve management plans, conduct plant and bird surveys, initiate habitat restoration projects and control invasive plants. Prior to that role, Andy worked as a wetlands scientist.

Andy is thrilled to be back in Maine (he earned his graduate degree in geology at University of Maine—Orono and did extensive freelance photography here). “It’s wonderful to be working on behalf of this landscape and enjoying the coast with my family,” he says.

In addition to caring for lands in his region, Andy will help coordinate preserve management planning. “Management plans are key to the Trust’s ongoing stewardship and its work toward accreditation,” Andy explains.

Ron Howard, Midcoast

Ron Howard found himself coming full circle when he was hired in 2000 to manage Aldermere Farm (after MCHT received the 136-acre saltwater farm in Rockport through a bequest from Albert H. Chatfield, Jr.). “I had worked at the Farm summers, weekends and holidays through my youth,” he notes, “because my father was Chatfield’s farm manager.”

During college, Ron pronounced he would “never have anything to do with farming again,” and headed off for a 23-year career with Bass Shoes.However, his path then led back to Aldermere Farm where he found that his human resources work experience helped in his farm management duties.

Ron oversees farm operations and public programming, and supports sustainable agriculture through work on numerous regional and statewide boards. He also monitors MCHT’s easements in the area and works closely with those who own hayfields managed by Aldermere Farm.

Tax Incentive Bill Progress

In 2006, Congress approved a bill (originally set to expire December 31, 2007) that expanded federal tax benefits for donating conservation easements. Under this measure, individuals could claim a charitable deduction up to 50 percent of their adjusted gross income (up from 30 percent previously), with the remainder eligible to be carried forward up to 15 years (up from 5 previously). Qualifying farmers and ranchers could deduct up to 100 percent of their adjusted gross income (if 50 percent or more of their gross income is from farming).

MCHT worked closely with the Land Trust Alliance throughout 2007 to make this bill’s provisions permanent. All four of Maine’s Congressional delegates and more than 170 other members of Congress cosponsored legislation to make the incentives permanent. The Senate Finance Committee, with the help of Maine Senator and Committee member Olympia Snowe, passed conservation easement tax incentive language in September and sent it to the full Senate for their consideration. In response, Senate leadership attached the language to the Farm Bill reauthorization, which they approved in December.

For the conservation tax incentive provisions to become permanent, the House and Senate must iron out differences in their respective Farm Bills and pass a measure the President is willing to sign. The two bodies were scheduled to conference on the Farm Bill in late January. For the latest update visit www.lta.org.

Wanted: A Seaworthy Boat

To assist with island stewardship during upcoming field seasons, MCHT is looking for a seaworthy lobster-boat hull ( 22-26’ long) in good condition with a hardtop and small cabin space. Gifts or bargain sales welcome! Please contact Douglas McMullin at MCHT’s Somesville office (244-5100).

Staff News

Joanne Favreau has joined Maine Coast Heritage Trust as a Staff Accountant in Topsham. She will assist with the annual audit and help meet the Trust's ongoing financial administration needs. Joanne spent the past six years as the finance director at Merriconeag Waldorf School in Freeport.

From MCHT’s Board Chair

Maine Coast Heritage Trust made tremendous progress during 2007 and is well-positioned for a productive 2008. More than 50 land conservation projects were completed this past year (a record for MCHT), including nine entire coastal islands and nearly 20 miles of shoreline. To ensure that all the lands entrusted to our care are managed well, and to deepen our connections to the communities we serve, we’re expanding our regional stewardship work (see page 5). I’m also pleased to report on the continued advancement of the Maine Land Trust Network, which now includes our new Circuit Rider Program launched in the spring of 2007. With one-to-one training assistance, this initiative is helping local land trusts work more sustainably and efficiently—furthering statewide conservation efforts.

In December, the Board named David MacDonald, MCHT’s long-time Director of Land Protection, as interim President while it engages in a national search to find Jay Espy’s successor. We all miss Jay greatly, but the staff and board are both benefiting from David’s experience and wisdom in this transition time. And David is excited to take on this assignment: “It’s an honor to lead the Trust at a time when so much good work is underway with landowners and partners statewide,” he notes. “Our staff and Board are fully committed to realizing many ambitious goals in the coming months.”

We expect to have a new president aboard by summer, and will keep you posted on progress in the next newsletter.

Conserving Family Lands on Great Cranberry Island

A family with roots on Great Cranberry Island dating back to 1886 recently protected nearly 30 acres of land—in their words—“as a tribute to the people who handed it down to us.” The property stretches a half-mile from the large, shallow harbor known as “The Pool” to bold oceanfront on the island’s southern side. In between the wildlife-rich mudflats to the north and the cobble shore at the south are a beautiful array of spruce-fir woodlands and fields. The southern half of the property adjoins 28 acres of private conservation land on which Maine Coast Heritage Trust already holds an easement.

The four siblings who own the property—Malcolm Donald, Peter Donald, Deborah LaMontagne, and Susan Michalski—all shared a strong desire to keep much of their family’s land wild. “Coming from other places and seeing where relentless development can lead, we wanted to make sure that wouldn’t happen here,” says Malcolm Donald. “With the growing cost of maintaining the property and rising taxes, we knew it was time to act. We didn’t want to have to subdivide and develop the land or create a financial burden for our children.” After some discussion with MCHT and a conservation consultant, the family decided to donate an easement to MCHT on 10 acres bordering “The Pool,” and to offer MCHT their 19-acre oceanfront parcel at a small fraction of its appraised value. Proceeds from the sale will go toward maintenance costs and taxes to help keep the property affordable for the next generation.

“Many extended families with shared properties face questions and concerns similar to those of the Donalds—as families grow, buildings age, and maintenance costs and taxes rise,” observes project manager Bob DeForrest. “By taking a creative approach to these challenges, the Donalds were able to set aside some funds to maintain their family place, while preserving the land’s wild beauty, and helping to create a public preserve where others can enjoy a spectacular, oceanfront setting.” From the family’s vantage point, Malcolm Donald says, “this was the best thing for everybody.”

While maintaining the wild character of the property, MCHT plans to extend an existing foot trail through woodlands so that walkers can enjoy the cobble shores and expansive vista along the Island’s southern shore.

President’s Column by Jay Espy

Bidding Farewell

When I joined the staff of Maine Coast Heritage Trust in1985, MCHT was a small organization facing a big challenge. The Trust’s four staff members and its visionary board were contending with an unprecedented real estate boom and rampant land speculation along Maine’s coast. This trend threatened the character of Maine and motivated MCHT to accelerate its land protection efforts. Shortly thereafter, the Trust launched its first capital campaign—securing two wild headlands downeast that were slated to become 35-lot subdivisions. That real estate boom was followed by even greater waves of development, and today land values have soared to heights that were once unimaginable. Fortunately, so have the forces of conservation! In 1985, MCHT had protected 21,000 acres. Now, thanks to the incredible support of countless donors and partners, we’ve secured 125,000 acres (including 270 entire coastal islands). In 1985, Maine had 14 land trusts: today, that number stands at more than 100. MCHT’s leadership and support of local trusts have made it a model for conservationists around the U.S.

It has been a great privilege and joy for me to participate in the growth of MCHT and Maine’s land trust community over the past two decades. At the end of November, I will be leaving the Trust to pursue a different means of supporting Maine land conservation—as the first executive director of the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation. Its mission is to support conservation of the natural environment and the well-being of animals and human beings, primarily in Maine.

I know that Maine Coast Heritage Trust will successfully meet the challenges ahead— pioneering new approaches to conservation, establishing and managing accessible natural preserves, and completing ever more ambitious land protection projects. Thanks to each and every one of you for your support over the years and your continuing dedication to the Trust.

A Message from Tom Ireland

MCHT’s Board Chairman

All of us will miss Jay’s steady hand at the helm, his willingness to tackle the impossible (and succeed—time after time!), and his ready sense of humor. His name has become synonymous with Maine Coast Heritage Trust and he leaves the organization a great legacy that will endure for a long, long time.

Jay’s remarkable dedication and leadership over the past two decades has placed MCHT in a strong position to undertake new initiatives, increase its commitment to land stewardship (thanks to the successful Campaign for the Coast), and strengthen its partnerships with Maine’s local land trusts. MCHT’s board, council and staff look forward to these and other opportunities that lie ahead.

The Board has formed a search committee and we are confident—given MCHT’s stellar reputation around the country—that we will be getting many highly qualified applicants. I will report back on our progress in the next issue of Maine Heritage.

Kathryn W. Davis

Celebrating 100 Years of Passion, Wonder and Generosity

Dr. Kathryn W. Davis, a well-known peace advocate, educator and philanthropist, celebrated her 100th birthday this year. To mark the occasion, she joined MCHT’s Richard Rockefeller for a flight—relishing the chance to see more of MCHT’s conservation work in the Mount Desert region from a bird’s-eye view. An aerial tour in a small plane might not appeal to many centenarians, but Dr. Davis’s hallmark is her irrepressible enthusiasm for learning and for the world around her.

Over many decades, Dr. Davis and her late husband, Dr. Shelby Cullom Davis, contributed generously to educational institutions, humanitarian causes and peace initiatives. “I just feel that I’ve been lucky,” Dr. Davis reflected in a recent interview, “and I should give back because I’ve been so lucky.” She and her husband first came to Maine more than six decades ago, after spending time in Europe getting their doctoral degrees. “As a young couple, Shelby and I summered on the Cape with my parents and family,” she recalls. “All very fond memories, but the Cape didn’t have any mountains! Shelby and I agreed that Maine had it all and with far less congestion.”

In the midst of many professional demands, Maine offered the couple a wonderful setting for rest and renewal. “I love Maine’s mountains and its coast, the hiking, the horseback riding, the saltwater swimming, the views and the fabulous sunsets!” Dr. Davis says. “I even enjoy the different kinds of fog, as long as it comes and then goes out again ‘on little cat’s feet.’ And did I mention the lobster picnics?”

In her honor, the Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation has pledged $5 million to Maine Coast Heritage Trust for land conservation in the Mount Desert Island area. This gift in her name is a way for Kathryn Davis to acknowledge her gratitude for the place Maine has played in her family’s life. “Mount Desert Island has been my family center every summer for over 60 years,” she says. “I get to see both of my children, all of my grands and all of my great-grands sometime throughout the summer. I simply love that. It’s great that they ALL love Maine, many of them as much as I do. It keeps them all coming back for more of this wonderful oasis of humanity... my true vacation land.”

Stewardship: Community Trails

While remote and expansive tracts of conserved land hold a value all their own, some of the best-loved coastal treasures are community trails that local residents use routinely for walking, shore access and wildlife-watching. Maine Coast Heritage Trust works on a variety of projects that protect traditional trails and the lands over which they cross.

“Some of our biggest trail projects have involved properties where the public use goes back generations,” explains Jane Arbuckle, MCHT’s Director of Stewardship. “These established trails cross private land that nearly everyone assumed already was conserved. In settings like Long Pond and Hunter’s Beach (in Seal Harbor) and at Schoolhouse Ledge (in Northeast Harbor), we worked with the landowners so that long-standing tradition of public use would continue.”

The future of community trails often hinges on the vision and generosity of private landowners. Fortunately, many of them recognize how important these trails are to local residents and they are willing to sanction continued public use (with a land trust overseeing trail stewardship). For example, two Matinicus island landowners recently donated easements to MCHT that provide for trail access to a beautiful stretch of shoreline where island residents like to walk.

Frenchboro Long Island, where MCHT owns nearly 1,000 acres, has an extensive trail network enjoyed by both island residents and visitors. “There’s 10 miles of hiking trails, some of which extend from Trust land onto adjoining properties,” notes MCHT Regional Steward Terry Towne. “Those landowners graciously permit people to enjoy the trails, helping to maintain an important community tradition.”

Landowners who wish to support traditional trail use can provide that access informally, or can ensure the future of the trail through a trail easement or conservation easement transferred to a land trust. “Often landowners start off with a ‘handshake agreement,’” Arbuckle says, “and later include a provision for trail access if they place a conservation easement on their land.”

In some instances, a land conservation project will open the way to reestablishing a trail that had become closed off or overgrown. On Swan’s Island, a family generously donated to MCHT 25 acres on High Head that allowed the Trust to reopen and extend an old trail. MCHT transferred both properties to the Town, and helped clear the original trail (following blowdowns) so that island residents could enjoy a beautiful ocean vista.

“We always like hearing from people interested in protecting community trails on their land,” Arbuckle says. “And sometimes we approach landowners to discuss trail opportunities.” Even in cases where people aren’t ready to pursue a conservation easement, they still may sign a simple trail license agreement that allows MCHT (or another land trust) to create and maintain a foot trail for public use. “We’ve got several exciting projects underway,” Arbuckle adds, “that will be great community assets when they’re completed.”

Summer Trips Engage MCHT Members

Members and friends of MCHT enjoyed exploring twelve conserved settings along the Maine coast this summer—ranging from the York River to Straight Bay downeast. The diverse array of tours included boat trips (in Merchant Row and downeast), hiking (in Castine’s Witherle Woods and at MCHT’s Frenchboro Preserve), a tour of MCHT’s Aldermere Farm, and an archaeological presentation at Malaga Island.

MCHT offered its first-ever canoe paddle (along Northeast Creek on Mount Desert Island), and quickly added a second trip to accommodate the overwhelming response. Visitors were surprised and delighted to find such a pristine and tranquil setting in the heart of Mount Desert Island. “We had no idea that we had such a gem of an unspoiled estuary here on our island,” one MCHT member observed.

Participants on a Pleasant Bay boat trip downeast enjoyed seeing the marked contrast among the region’s islands—from the low, flat and grassy Nash Island (where participants observed the annual sheep-shearing amid hundreds of seabirds) to the stark and stunning cliffs of Jordan’s Delight. This excursion (co-hosted with Maine Audubon) offered great opportunities to observe seabirds and explore a magnificent area dotted with islands that MCHT and others are working to conserve.

On Malaga Island (off Phippsburg), nearly 30 people were treated to fascinating presentations by students of the University of Southern Maine Archaeology Field School. With Professors Nate Hamilton and Rob Sanford, these students had spent several weeks uncovering artifacts from a community that was forcibly removed by the State almost 100 years ago. The students walked small groups of visitors around several digs, setting the scene, enthusiastically explaining the displays, and answering questions. “The students really transformed a few holes in the ground into a rich story, not just about Malaga, but of their own discovery,” one participant reported.

MCHT extends special thanks to longtime member and naturalist Peter Blanchard who helped guide several of this year’s trips.

Staff News

Deb Chapman is the new, part-time Land Trust Circuit Rider with Maine Land Trust Network (MLTN). She is former president of the Georges River Land Trust and has been involved with MLTN for years, serving most recently as vice-chair of the Steering Committee. Deb also worked as a consultant conducting organizational assessments for local land trusts through the Maine Coast Protection Initiative.

Andy Walsh has joined MCHT as a Regional Steward (based in Topsham). Andy spent the past twelve years with the Trustees of Reservations serving as their Regional Ecologist and Wetlands Specialist in southeastern Massachusetts.

Katherine Birnie, MCHT’s Conservation Innovation Program Manager, is a recent graduate of Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Prior to pursuing an MBA, Katherine worked as a project manager for Peninsula Open Space Trust in the San Francisco Bay area.