Press Room

This page provides current and archived news stories along with accompanying photos and maps for members of the news media to download and publish. It also offers background information on Coastal Mountains Land Trust. If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact us.

Please also visit Coastal Mountains Land Trust on Facebook.

News Stories 2010

Land Trust Executive Director Joins Accreditation Commission (8/2/10)

From The Herald Gazette: Article on local commercial blueberry harvesting features our crew at the Beech Hill Preserve (7/29/10)

Land Trust Conserves More Than 8,000 Acres by End of 2009 (1/6/2010)

Land Trust Completes First Project in Morrill (11/25/2009)

Archived News Stories (2008-2009)

________________________________________________________________

LAND TRUST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOINS NATIONAL ACCREDITATION COMMISSION

(Saratoga Springs, NY)--Scott Dickerson, Executive Director of Coastal Mountains Land Trust, has been elected to serve on the national Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance created to ensure the quality of work and accountability of land conservation organizations. The Commission was established in 2006 and has awarded accreditation to more than 100 land trusts. Coastal Mountains Land Trust was accredited in the inaugural round of applications, announced in 2008.

sd-head

Fifteen representatives of professional staff and members of boards of directors from land conservation organizations distributed throughout the United States serve on the Commission, which has two principal roles: to set policy and procedures for the accreditation process, and to participate with the Commission's staff in the review of applicants for accreditation. The Commission awards accreditation to organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. More information is available at www.landtrustaccreditation.org.

"The accreditation seal lets the public know that the accredited land trust has undergone an extensive, external review of the governance and management of its organization and the systems and policies it uses to protect land," said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn.

The accreditation process is done through a detailed review of 26 "indicator practices," a focused subset of the Land Trust Standards and Practices established by the Land Trust Alliance Board of Directors. They were selected to indicate a land trust's ability to operate in an ethical, legal and technically sound manner and ensure the long-term protection of land in the public interest.

Preparing for accreditation and the application process affords land trusts the opportunity to review and implement policies that will help streamline their operations and lead to more effective land conservation. Among the ways Maine land trusts are preparing for accreditation is by participation in the Maine Land Trust Excellence Program, provided through a partnership of the Land Trust Alliance and Maine Coast Heritage Trust and delivered by the Maine Land Trust Network. Fifteen land trusts are currently participating in this program, and five more are expected to enroll for 2011.

"Whether it's the park down the street, the farm that raises our food, or a preserve in the mountains, land is a crucial foundation for our well-being as individuals and as a community," said Dickerson. "Accreditation recognizes that approved land trusts have the capability to sustain protection of the natural, scenic, and productive lands they're conserving. It's an honor to help advance land conservation as a member of the Accreditation Commission."

For more information, please contact: Laura DiBetta, Program Manager, Land Trust Accreditation Commission, www.landtrustaccreditation.org or (518) 587-3143.

###

LAND TRUST CONSERVES MORE THAN 8,000 ACRES BY YEAR-END

(Camden)--Coastal Mountains Land Trust has surpassed an exciting benchmark, having now conserved more than 8,000 acres! The completion of two significant land protection projects at the end of 2009 boosted its conserved land total to 8,071 acres of the farms, forests, wildlife habitats, and scenic places of upper Western Penobscot Bay. These conserved properties also feature more than 22 miles of public trails and protect 33 miles of shorefront along the bay, lakes, and rivers of the region. The two new conservation projects--in Belfast and on Megunticook Lake--bracket the Land Trust's service region.

In late December the Land Trust purchased a 94.7-acre farm along the Passagassawakeag River in Belfast, thanks to the cooperation of former owners Jason and Martha Campbell. Ninety-two acres of this picturesque property have now become the "Head of Tide Preserve," so named because it marks the uppermost reach of the river's tidal waters. During 2010 the Land Trust will complete an ecological inventory and management plan that will guide the siting of a trail on the new preserve. The future trail--which will take advantage of the preserve's spectacular river frontage and scenic woods and fields--will increase by more than 50% the Land Trust's Passagassawakeag Greenway trail system. Although there are currently no maintained trails, the preserve is open for exploration. Parking is available off Doak Road at the adjoining Stover Preserve, but is not allowed at the former Campbell house.

headoftide

The Head of Tide Preserve features scenic riverfront buffered by forest.

In order to fund the purchase of this keystone Greenway preserve, the Land Trust launched Phase Two of the Passagassawakeag Greenway Campaign. Many people have already donated to this effort, as well as the Savage Family Foundation, Davis Conservation Foundation, William Wharton Trust, and Fields Pond Foundation. These gifts and grants were supplemented by bridge financing from Bangor Savings Bank, which enabled the Land Trust to close on the purchase while providing crucial time to raise additional funds necessary for this new preserve.

Because of the excellent potential of the old farm fields and woodlot, the Land Trust is working with Maine Farmland Trust to find a farmer for the property. The hope is to sell the house, barn, and three acres of land, and enter into a long-term lease of the fields and woodlot. This will greatly reduce the farmer's up-front capital costs. If this plan is realized, Belfast could have a source of fresh, locally raised food within city limits.

One day after the Land Trust closed on the Head of Tide Preserve, a second major year-end project was completed when the Ledwith family donated a 41-acre conservation easement on Megunticook Lake in Lincolnville. The easement permanently limits uses of the land to protect its conservation values--4,950 feet of scenic waterfront, including a secluded cove and two uninhabited islands, and a large wetland with wading bird and waterfowl habitat recognized by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The Land Trust, as holder of the conservation easement, is responsible for ensuring that its terms are followed. The land is still owned by the Ledwith family, however, and is not open to the public without their permission.

ledwith

The Ledwith Conservation Easement protects a notable section of Megunticook Lake waterfront, including the cove shores and island pictured here.

In total, the Land Trust had a banner year, protecting over 200 acres and almost 3 miles of shorefront in 2009. In addition to the two projects described above, other projects included the Camden Riverwalk easement, two conservation easements on Mixer Pond in Morrill, and purchase of a parcel along the Ducktrap River that was transferred to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The Land Trust was also closely involved in the process that ultimately established the 601-acre conservation easement on Sears Island held by Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

"As a new year begins, we celebrate the amazing accomplishments of Coastal Mountains Land Trust, made possible by a community of individuals who believe in the power of land conservation and have led the way in preserving these important pieces of land for the future," said Bland Banwell, President of the Land Trust's Board of Directors. "We look forward to building upon our efforts in the year before us."

Coastal Mountains Land Trust has been working since 1986 to permanently conserve land to benefit the natural and human communities of western Penobscot Bay. For more information on the Land Trust, call (207) 236-7091.

###

LAND TRUST COMPLETES FIRST PROJECT IN MORRILL

(MORRILL)--Coastal Mountains Land Trust has protected two properties that surround the southern portion of Mixer Pond in Morrill, forever ensuring that over 40% of its shores will remain undeveloped. Courtney Collins donated the Kingfisher Conservation Easements to the Land Trust in memory of her husband, Keith H. Swartley. The easements are the first conservation projects to be completed by the Land Trust in Morrill.

The conserved land totals 58 acres of forests and wetlands on the shorelines and slopes around Mixer Pond, including two completely natural islands. The unbroken forested shorelines provide spectacular scenes of the vibrant pond, busy with working beavers, nesting loons, bald eagles, and other wildlife.

kingfisher1

Collins wished to protect the properties not only because of this wildlife but also to honor a place her husband loved. She explained, "When my husband visited friends in Maine he was convinced that he wanted to find a place on a pond here. When he found the property on Mixer Pond, he felt he'd found home. He then took steps to protect what he'd found by buying the property on the eastern side of the pond. I wanted to honor his memory by making his vision lasting and permanently protecting the properties with the Land Trust."

A conservation easement is a legal agreement that permanently limits uses of the land to protect its conservation values. Conservation easements allow landowners to continue to own and use their land, and sell it or pass it on to heirs, with the land always remaining subject to the easement's terms. Easements are tailored to each property, varying in the uses they restrict. On the Kingfisher Conservation Easements, Collins has retained portions of the property for forestry use, while the remainder will be "forever wild." The Land Trust, as holder of the easement, is responsible for ensuring that the terms of the easement are followed. The land, however, is still privately owned by Collins and not open to the public without her permission.

Coastal Mountains Land Trust has permanently conserved land since 1986 to benefit the natural and human communities of western Penobscot Bay. To date, it has protected almost 8,000 acres in the region for their natural, scenic and public recreation values. The two Mixer Pond conservation easements also boost the total of bay, lake, and river frontage protected by the Land Trust to 31 total miles. For more information on the Land Trust, please call (207) 236-7091.

###

Archived News Stories

Note: all news stories below are in PDF format. Please be patient if you see a white screen for awhile--most of these stories contain images, which may slow the download process on your computer.

2009

LAND TRUST COMPLETES FIRST PROJECT IN MORRILL (11/25/2009)

Wonderful Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine article on Beech Nut by Carol Des Lauriers Cieri, with photographs by Brian Vanden Brink (11/11/2009)

LAND TRUST COMPLETES BEECH HILL CAMPAIGN! (10/09/2009)

FIRST ANNUAL RUN FOR THE HILLS A RUNAWAY SUCCESS IN BELFAST (9/21/2009)

LAND TRUST TO PURCHASE KEY RIVERFRONT PROPERTY IN GREENWAY (9/10/2009)

ART FOR THE LAND: CONTOURS ART SHOW AT CARVER HILL GALLERY TO BENEFIT LAND TRUST (7/24/2009)

TOWN OF CAMDEN SIGNS RIVERWALK EASEMENT (5/1/2009)

BANK OF AMERICA DONATES BELFAST LAND TO LAND TRUST (1/30/2009)