2019 Land Conservation Program
Protecting the Places We All Cherish
In 2019, KELT protected five properties, which are now owned by the land trust. They contain over 136 acres of land in Bath, Westport Island, and Bowdoinham. Four of those five parcels were additions to existing preserves: Red Rose Preserve, Carl and Barbara Segerstrom Preserve, Lilly Pond Community Forest, and Butler Head Preserve (owned by the City of Bath). These conservation projects are important because of the preserves’ connectivity with neighboring, wild habitat and their vast recreational opportunities.
“How we coexist with the land and treat our environment today will directly impact what we leave for generations to come.”
Overlooking the ‘Great Marsh’. Photo courtesy of Paul Burns
100 acres Added to Lilly Pond Community Forest
Conserving the 100 acres south of the existing Lilly Pond Community Forest is no small effort. This ongoing conservation project will provide more protected habitat for local plants and wildlife. The acreage is part of the largest remaining undeveloped stretch of forest in Bath! A plethora of songbirds, bald eagles, and ospreys call this forest and the adjoining freshwater wetlands home.
The property also provides expanded recreational opportunities for people to get outdoors! Improvements to access and trail extensions for preserve visitors started last year and continue this year.
KELT could still use your help to officially open this extension with a new parking area and trails for hiking, biking, walking leashed pets, and hunting in 2020. Contact us to learn how.
Black Spruce/Tamarack Bog Conserved on Westport
The newly acquired 17-acre parcel of untouched habitat on Westport Island serves as a wildlife preserve and significant ecological observation area. The bog contains primarily black spruce trees and peat, a marshy soil made from decayed vegetation. This type of habitat is common further inland, but it’s unique to coastal Maine.
As a result, this location presents an excellent opportunity to study the impacts of climate change as we observe how this fragile habitat adapts over time and with changing conditions.
Small Additions, Big Impact
This year, KELT conserved two small parcels that are additions to existing conserved properties. Each less than an acre, these properties showcase how land conservation even on a small scale has big benefits for habitats and people.
Carl and Barbara Segerstrom Preserve at Squam Creek (Dunton in-holding, 0.7 acres) - Conserving this small parcel enabled the land trust to more holistically manage the entire preserve for plants and wildlife in addition to its rich land history.
Butler Head, Lot 22 (0.22 acres) - This parcel, conserved early in 2019, will be added to the City of Bath’s Butler Head Preserve. The preserve has a conservation easement on it held by KELT ensuring its forests and shorelines will remain wild forever. Although small, the newly conserved parcel prevents additional fragmentation and development of shoreline along the southern reaches of Merrymeeting Bay. It is the important and ongoing partnership between KELT and the City of Bath’s Community Forestry Committee that made this conservation project happen.