Camden locals request no change at Aldermere Farm

CAMDEN – For 101 years, the Chatfield family owned the land in Rockport that is known as Aldermere Farm.

When Albert Chatfield died last year at the age of 99, however, his will designated the farm be given to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

Tuesday night at the Merryspring Park office, trust representatives held the first of three meetings with town officials, neighbors of the property and the general public from Camden and Rockport to solicit ideas for how the property should be managed.

In group discussions, the overwhelming sentiment was that things should stay pretty much the same as they have been.

At the outset of the meeting, MCHT’s Jane Arbuckle described the conservation history of the 136-acre farm, which lies on both sides of Russell Avenue between Camden and Rockport villages.

Chatfield first put a portion of the property – a pasture on the northeast side – under a conservation easement in 1976, which permanently protected it from development. In 1980, a wooded area was placed under a similar easement.

Then in 1987, Chatfield placed the remainder of the farm under a conservation easement.

“They’re all quite restrictive,” Arbuckle said of the easements. The 31 existing buildings – a few houses, several barns and outbuildings – can stay, but just one new house can be constructed. In general, pastures must stay cleared, and wooded areas cannot be heavily cut.

A view from the road of Lily Pond must remain open.

About 61 acres of the farm are fields, about 64 acres are woods, and 11 acres include buildings or wetlands.

Over a period of seven years beginning in 1990, Chatfield had discussions with MCHT officials, then finally decided to leave the property to its care. MCHT was formed in 1970 and has protected some 105,000 acres in Maine, including 30 islands.

Aldermere Farm is different from most of the properties the trust protects, Arbuckle said, in that it is a working farm.

The Chatfield will expressly states that the property cannot be allowed to grow up with trees and brush and become “forever wild.” Yet the will also states that it can be developed as a wildlife sanctuary, or as a nature preserve, or as a working farm.

“We try not to move in and do anything quickly,” said Arbuckle, who directs MCHT’s stewardship program. She is working on the plan for Aldermere Farm with Ron Howard, the son of Dwight Howard, who managed the farm for Chatfield for 36 years. The younger Howard grew up on the farm.

Tuesday night’s group included a Camden Select Board member, the Camden town manager, the planning board representatives from both towns, members of a Camden-Rockport pedestrian-bicycle pathways committee, a member of the Conservation Commission in Rockport, and neighbors of the farm.

Meeting in two groups, the 20 or so who attended brainstormed about issues of public access, aesthetics, education programs and conservation leadership.

People in both groups were concerned about the impact the new Penobscot Bay YMCA building would have on the farm. The new Y is scheduled to be built on property adjacent to Lily Pond. Kim Chatfield, a relative of the late owner of the farm who lives nearby, said emphatically that the new Y should have no impact on the farm.

Most people also agreed that the property should continue to be operated as a farm. Chatfield established a herd of Belted Galloways – the distinctive black-white-black cattle – in the 1950s. The herd is now known around the world and wins awards. Currently, there are about 80 head of cattle.

People in both groups also opposed having the farm become a demonstration operation, such as Kelmscott Farm in Lincolnville.

People were receptive to the idea of creating a small path to the ocean shore, but several opposed the creation of a parking area, saying that people could park beside the road or walk from town.

In discussions, the group also felt that Aldermere Farm could become a leader in the area for local land trusts, and urge conservation elsewhere in the midcoast.

The next meeting for town officials is Monday night. The meeting for the general public is set for Jan. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Merryspring Park. MCHT asks that people interested in attending the meeting call 236-2739 to confirm.