Land
Protection
The partners of MtA2C have collectively protected
an additional 1,827 acres of land since October
2002. Some projects have represented large land
areas, such as the 296-acre McIntire Highland
Preserve in York, while others are small in acreage
but key to completing links between already protected
lands. Here are some examples of MtA2C’s
successful land conservation projects:
 The
ATP lands of South Berwick – Situated
in the center of a 4,000-acre forested block,
the ATP lands were slated and approved for a 50-unit
subdivision that would have dramatically increased
traffic flow through prime habitat for the state-endangered
blandings turtle and state-threatened spotted
turtle. In protecting ATP’s 225 acres, the
MtA2C partners kept one of southern Maine’s
largest forested blocks intact, protected a key
wildlife habitat, and helped to defray additional
community service costs for South Berwick residents.
McIntire
Highlands Preserve of York – Home to
what are believed to be the oldest trees in York
County, the McIntire Highlands Preserve is a 296-acre
tract that abuts more than 4,000 acres of open
space owned by the Kittery and York Water Districts.
Protecting the parcel also served to bring the
MtA2C partners one step closer to connecting the
protected lands of Mt. Agamenticus with lands
protected along the upper reaches of the York
River – a key goal of the MtA2C Conservation
Initiative. Vernal pools and four rare plant species
are found on the property.
The
Sewall’s Bridge Dock Project of York –
Protecting a commercial fishing dock is not
normally the role of terrestrial-driven land trusts,
but MtA2C’s partners felt that protecting
traditional livelihoods was critical to York’s
culture and community fabric. In 2003, the York
Land Trust, a MtA2C partner, teamed with local
fishermen Jeff Donnell and Mark Sewall to purchase
and place a conservation easement on this piece
of working waterfront. With a new twist on an
old tool, the easement requires that the dock
must be used for commercial fishing in perpetuity
– forever.
 The
Kimball parcel of Kittery – Ten years
ago, Mary Kimball’s father, William F. Raynes,
conveyed 126-acres of his Cutts Island land to
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. Following
a family tradition, Mary Kimball donated nearly
all of the family’s remaining acreage to
the Refuge in March 2005. Kimball’s land
will be forever protected and actively managed
for the more than 100 waterbird species that use
the Refuge each year.
Collectively,
the region has more than 7,300 acres of permanently
protected lands. These lands, combined with the
York and Kittery Water Districts’ 4,500
acres, make up the 11,800 acres of open space
in the MtA2C project area.
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