Stewards of Land for Maine’s Future

In 1999, six residents of Grand Lake Stream began a Washington County conservation project that eventually fulfilled their wildest dreams. I am one of this initial group that grew into the Downeast Lakes Land Trust with an 11-member board of directors, 35 people on six advisory boards and more than 600 supporters. In May, DLLT became the owner of the 27,000-acre Farm Cove Community Forest, a property with more than 62 miles of undeveloped shoreline on six lakes in two townships.

At the same time, the New England Forestry Foundation, our project partner, purchased a 312,000-acre conservation easement surrounding the community forest. Our combined effort conserved 445 miles of lakeshore on more than 60 lakes and ponds, 1,500 miles of river and stream frontage, 54,000 acres of wetlands, breeding habitat for more than 180 bird species, and significant moose, bear and deer habitat.

The community forest includes an ecological reserve, special management areas and a commercial forest that we will manage to the highest standards and for which we will seek Forest Stewardship Council green certification. We will of course continue to pay property taxes. Although we now own the land, it required using a New England Forestry Foundation forest in Massachusetts as collateral for $6 million in bridge financing. We are working hard to extinguish this debt.

The Land for Maine’s Future board awarded the Downeast Lakes Land Trust $1.5 million toward purchase of the Farm Cove Community Forest. This was the largest gift to an individual land trust in LMF’s history. The LMF process was thorough and professional and made us take a hard look at how we would manage the property if we were successful in raising the millions of dollars needed to purchase it. For example, the LMF process encouraged us to develop a forest management plan and ecological assessment before we became landowners in order to demonstrate to potential funders our commitment to good stewardship.

It worked: foundations, businesses, government agencies and individuals demonstrated their appreciation and enthusiasm for our management approaches through their generous support of the project. LMF’s early grant award was instrumental to our success; it showed other prospective funders that we had done our homework and were well prepared to assume ownership of the Farm Cove Community Forest.

Since we signed our sales option three years ago, land prices have quadrupled, lakeshore development has become much more widespread, and “no trespassing” signs have become a fact of life. But, as required by the LMF grant agreement, permanent public access for traditional outdoor recreation is assured in the Farm Cove Community Forest. Our 27,000 acres are now open for current as well as future generations to enjoy.

The LMF process also required that our local representatives and our state senator support the project, which they did, along with Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, Rep. Michael Michaud and Gov. John Baldacci. Indeed, seeking local and statewide support required that we listen carefully to local concerns and ideas. As a result, ensuring that a healthy forest was available for wood products as well as for wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation became paramount to our mission.

As land prices continue to escalate and traditional Maine outdoor experiences are threatened by development pressure, the Land for Maine’s Future program is crucial to protecting the values that Maine people hold dear. In fact, the public has overwhelmingly supported LMF since its inception. In my opinion, economic growth in Downeast Maine is fundamentally tied to natural resource protection for wood products as well as for traditional outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism.

Responsible stewardship of the land is directly linked to economic growth. LMF has helped the Downeast Lakes Land Trust fulfill its vision of the future and for this we are most grateful.

Stephen Keith is executive director of Downeast Lakes Land Trust.