Creek acreage bequeathed to land trust

WOOLWICH – A former town resident has left 125 acres of waterfront property to the Lower Kennebec Regional Land Trust.

The parcel on Merrymeeting Bay and Chops Creek, a freshwater tidal creek, will remain undeveloped and will be open to hikers, bird-watchers, cross-country skiers and for nature study.

The parcel was donated by Eleanor Burke, who died in September in a Topsham nursing home at the age of 89.

“We’re not totally sure why she did this,” said Jack Witham, president of the land trust. “It came as a complete surprise to us.”

Burke and her husband, Walter Burke Jr., acquired what became known as “Merrymeeting East” in 1952 and lived in a farmhouse that was there. Walter Burke died in 1980, and Eleanor Burke continued to live there until 1991.

The 125 acres of fields, woods and shore frontage provides important habitat for migrating waterfowl, moose, bobcat and wild turkey and is home to several species of rare “mud plants” that only grow in freshwater tidal areas.

“Eleanor wanted to pass her legacy on by keeping the land undeveloped. She wanted this to be the final mark she left on Earth,” said Will Brune, a member of the trust’s board of directors.

Burke was born in Southboro, Mass., in 1913. She worked in education and was an art supervisor in public schools.

Brune, who is also assistant director of land protection for The Nature Conservancy, said the Burke property is within walking distance of the Robert P. Coffin Preserve, a 173-acre nature sanctuary that is managed by the New England Wild Flower Society.