© Jym St. Pierre

The Kennebec Land Trust has announced the Sunday, Aug. 22, release of its first book, "Between Person and Place: Conservation Histories from the Kennebec Land Trust."

Featuring essays and photographs that capture stories behind KLT’s conservation lands, the book is based on interviews conducted in summer 2009 by KLT intern Katie Epstein from Davidson College.

Epstein asked 18 land donors questions, including, "Why did Gov. Kenneth Curtis donate his family farm in Leeds to a land trust?" "How are the Vaughan Woods in Hallowell intertwined with American history?" and "Why is a forest in Wayne with 125-year-old oaks and pines called Gott Pasture?"

Three Maine writers reviewed "Between Person and Place."

"Maine has so many heroic stories of land conservation," wrote Deirdre Fleming, outdoors writer, Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram and MaineToday Media. "This collection of essays brings that home unlike any other because it looks at the very people who made the protection achieved by the Kennebec Land Trust possible. Each of these stories is different, but each looks at people who cared enough to pass it on, and each is worth reading."

Robert Kimber, author of "A Canoeist's Sketchbook" and "Upcountry," wrote, "This book celebrates the natural beauty and richness of Central Maine, its lakes and streams, its forests and farms, its myriad creatures great and small. It celebrates the dedication and energy of the men and women who founded the Kennebec Land Trust and have made it one of Maine’s most effective land-conservation organizations. It celebrates the generosity of the good people whose stories are chronicled here and whose love of their places has moved them to protect those lands in perpetuity either by outright donation or by conservation easements. This book is an inspiration. Go, it tells the rest of us, and do likewise."

And Colin Woodard, author of "The Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators, and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier," offered, "Ties between people and the land run deep in Maine. 'Between Person and Place: Conservation Histories from the Kennebec Land Trust' captures the diverse human stories behind places in the Kennebec Valley and how they came to be protected."

Theresa Kerchner, Barbara Libby and Deborah Sewall edited the 48-page book.

“If you own your own land, roam the countryside, or spend summers in Maine, you will identify with the people and places in this book," said Kerchner, KLT executive director. "We hope that these stories inspire people to visit lands that are open to the public and to learn more about the importance of conserving land in Maine for current and future generations.”

Two book release events are planned at KLT properties — one at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 22, at Small-Burnham Conservation Area in Litchfield, and another Saturday, Oct. 2, at Sturtevant Farm Scenic Area in Fayette. More detail may be found at tklt.org. Copies of the book will be available at local bookstores and shops, and may be ordered online at tklt.org for $12 each, plus shipping and handling.

The publication of "Between Person and Place" would not have been possible without the time and expertise provided by the LPK Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is committed to social responsibility and advancing the goals of sustainability. Mort Libby, principal of LPK, is a founding member of KLT. Libby and his wife, Barbara, are East Winthrop summer residents.

Working with conservation-minded landowners since 1988, KLT has protected more than 3,700 acres in the Kennebec River and Lakes Region through donations, purchases and conservation easements. The trust maintains more than 20 miles of trails and its conservation properties are open to the public for hiking, hunting, fishing and enjoying nature.

For more information, call KLT at 207.377.2848, e-mail glamarche@tklt.org or visit tklt.org.