FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kennebunk Savings Bank Supports Community Land Conservation with a $50,000 Gift
JUNE 29, 2017
KENNEBUNK — Kennebunk Savings has awarded the Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative (MtA2C) $50,000 to support land conservation in southernmost York County and environmental programming for people of all ages.
MtA2C is a collaborative effort of 10 partner groups working to conserve land centered on Mt. Agamenticus in York, stretching from the Tatnic Hills in South Berwick to the rocky coast in Kittery. MtA2C has a long-term goal of connecting 19,000 acres of conserved land in the region and has made significant progress since launching in 2002 — the region already boasts 13,500 acres of open space. MtA2C partners are also engaging with local community groups to ensure that the conserved lands serve the community in a range of ways including school programs, guided hikes and farming.
The MtA2C focus area is a biological hotspot, containing the largest unfragmented coastal forest between the New Jersey Pine Barrens and Acadia National Park, and represents the most biologically diverse region in Maine. It also protects drinking water for three towns and feeds clean water to rivers and popular beaches. “This generous gift allows us to move forward in protecting lands that are important to our regional communities for so many different reasons,” says MtA2C Coordinator Karen Young. “MtA2C envisions thriving communities connected by expansive landscapes that help sustain wildlife and enhance the health and well-being of our citizens. This funding supports our progress toward that mission.”
The funding from Kennebunk Savings will support land conservation projects by MtA2C’s three local land trust partners, including Kittery Land Trust’s (KLT) 150-acre Brave Boat Headwaters Preserve and Great Works Regional Land Trust’s recent acquisition of 16 acres within their Orris Falls Conservation Area in South Berwick.
These and other MtA2C properties offer community access to pristine outdoor environments as well as educational opportunities for local school groups. For example, Marshwood Middle School science teacher Scott Carson has taken his 6th grade class to Orris Falls each spring for the past 8 years to identify and document changes in the seasons.
“Orris Falls is an outstanding natural area,” says Patti Mitchem, GWRLT Administrative Coordinator. “This new plot includes an area with beautiful wooded uplands and wetlands, and adds to the popular hiking trails already on the property. It’s a wonderful addition.”
The Orris Falls Conservation Area now encompasses 187 acres, and fills in a corridor of preserved land between Orris Falls and Mt. Agamenticus. These types of connections are central to MtA2C’s mission of knitting together patchworks of protected lands to fulfill landscape-scale preservation available to the community at large.
“The MtA2C preserves are a wonderful resource for our communities, focused on protecting the land forever. We’re also pleased that this organization seeks to provide spaces for our community to access the natural world,” said Heather Harris, Vice President of Corporate Communications. “We are truly gratified that through our Community Promise Program we are able to support MtA2C’s efforts and the great work they are doing for the community.”
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