Home	Property Map	Properties	Volunteer Info	Board Members	Field Trips	About Our Work	Membership Info	Newsletters

KLT is happy to announce that after many months of patience and hard work, we have successfully acquired and preserved ninety acres of Bog Pond and surrounding uplands in Manchester, a substantial portion of which had been slated for development.

This new conservation area is significant for several reasons: 1) the property abuts the northwestern boundary of Jamies Pond Wildlife Management Area (JPWMA), an 840-acre preserve; 2) it preserves a significant portion of the Bog Pond watershed, including considerable uplands on both the easterly and westerly sides of the bog; 3) a portion of the property had recently been under contract for the development of fourteen house lots, which would have resulted in a major encroachment into the watershed, adversely impacting water quality, wildlife, recreation, and scenic views.

KLT partnered with Dr. Anthony and Donna Mancini, Manchester residents, to acquire 80 acres of land, 50 of which are now held by KLT. The Mancinis retained 30 acres of this purchase and generously donated an additional 30 acres of their own abutting property, to add to KLT’s protected lands. Another neighbor, Dr. Jeffrey Timm, contributed ten acres of his land to significantly add to the size and value of this important conservation area.

Bog Pond and the surrounding area provide habitat for moose, deer, fox, fishers, beaver, squirrels, skunks, otter, raccoons, and porcupines. Numerous birds, including osprey, ducks, geese, herons, hawks, loons, woodpeckers, turkey, partridge, and a wide variety of songbirds can also be found on the property. In addition, as on most KLT lands, opportunities for hunting, hiking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and other outdoor activities abound.

Bog Pond is the third property KLT has acquired and conserved along JPWMA’s boundaries since 1999. The Jamies Pond area is of particular value due to its hardwood and softwood forests, beautiful stone walls, streams, ponds, and wildlife habitat. By increasing the size of conservation lands in this area we help to ensure that this ecologically rich land is preserved for generations to come.

This project would not have been possible without the help of many people, particularly Tony and Donna Mancini and Jeff Timm. Their conservation ethic, flexibility, and willingness to partner with KLT were invaluable in the effort to save this ecologically sensitive landscape. We also extend great thanks to Jon Lund, KLT Advisory Board Member and long-time advocate and supporter of Jamies Pond; Dr. Robert Mohlar, KLT founding Board Member and chair of the Trust’s lands acquisition committee; and Howard Lake, KLT Board Member and attorney at Hufnagel and Lake in Winthrop, for his pro-bono legal work on this and every KLT acquisition since our founding in 1998.

Back to top

Dear KLT members,

KLT today is the result of some key investments: land, money, and, most importantly, vision. Some of the returns on these investments are tangible – carpets of lady’s slippers sloping towards a woodland path, cattail stands along a quiet lake shore, birdsongs, beaver dams, blueberry bushes. There are also less tangible rewards: the work is (mostly) fun, you meet some wonderful people, and how often do any of us get the chance to make a difference well into the future?

But while the best things in life are free, preserving them is not. A well-run nonprofit organization resembles a well-run business. Our task is to sell our product: conserving local natural treasures, offering healthy recreational opportunities, and increasing knowledge about conservation. Our competition is a host of well-deserving causes that also have compelling needs for support.As Treasurer Amy Trunnell points out, KLT’s annual budget reflects our values and our optimism as much as our resources.

Every president’s message comes down to the same theme - heartfelt gratitude to KLT’s amazing members for your ongoing support. Our Business Partners in Conservation have been most generous - please let these community business leaders know that you appreciate their investment.

The benefits of preserving natural resources are substantial now, and they grow over time. Come to our trail opening at Parker Pond Headland – it’s enough to make anyone “irrationally exuberant.” Or as they say in those classic credit card ads, “taking a walk on land that you have preserved for future generations……..priceless.”

Thank you so much and looking forward to seeing you over the summer,

Deb

Back to top

Conversations with many members have made it clear to the Board that the KLT budget is a mystery to most people. The following is an effort to remove some of the mystery by explaining the basics of our budget process.

Our financial structure has three key components that help us accomplish our goals and realize our mission. Those components are capital funds, stewardship funds, and operating funds. The capital and stewardship funds are obviously critical to our success in acquiring land and maintaining it, but the operating budget deals with the day-today operations of the Trust, and that is what I will address in this article.

Our budget is discussed by the Board in May and is then adopted for the fiscal year, which begins on July 1. In the past three years, as our needs have changed with the addition of 11 properties, our operating budget has grown significantly as well. Our budget for the fiscal year 04-05 was $66,900; for 06-07 it is $81,025.

Where does all this revenue come from?

It comes primarily from you, the members. With 486 current members, I’d say we’re a pretty committed group.

Our current budgeted revenues break down as follows:

• 81% is from membership dues or sponsorships;
• 11% is from grants and scholarships;
• 4% is from investment interest;
• 2% is from our annual meeting fees; and
• 2% is from other sources.

• 68% is for staff - mostly for KLT’s stewardship program, office operations, and membership tracking;
• 16% is for annual stewardship financial responsibilities;
• 10% is for educational programs, Lyceum, and newsletter communications;
• 5% is for annual meeting costs; and
• 1% is for membership dues in national conservation organizations.

KLT protects very special properties. It takes significant resources – both voluntary and financial – to run such a successful organization. I hope you will spread the word about our good works so that our membership will grow as our responsibilities for land conservation and maintenance expand.

Back to top

Over the past 19 years member investment in KLT has conserved:

Due to the generosity and support of our members, our children and grandchildren will have the privilege of experiencing these woods and waters in the same way that previous generations have. Thank you.

Back to top

No doubt we had weather this year: balmy days in January, a bitter cold and windy February, seasonal temperatures in March, beautiful snowstorms, heavy winds and rains in April, and then finally the long awaited spring air. Even with summer on the horizon, I am thinking back to this year's steady April rains and the importance of undeveloped landscapes.

When the Patriot's Day storm flowed into a weeklong event, Maine's wetlands took first prize in the conservation show. It didn't take long to realize that wetlands were storing water that would otherwise have been flooding local roads, backyards, and cellars. A drive or hike through any undeveloped region in Kennebec County was a showcase for forested and open wetlands, which were seemingly filled to capacity. These "swamplands," nature's efficient and free flood control devices, are often seen as insignificant and uninspiring parts of the landscape until rain dominates the weather report.

KLT's March Lyceum on Wetlands Ecology and Conservation addressed the complexity and richness of wetland ecosystems. Phillip de Maynadier, Skip Lisle, Aram Calhoun, and Andrew Fisk spoke to over 150 Lyceum participants about wetland functions and their associated plants and wildlife, rare and endangered species, the management of beaver flowages, and the ecological importance of vernal pools on the landscape. With this knowledge, and the April rains behind us, we can now better appreciate Maine’s valuable wetlands, including KLT’s newly conserved Bog Pond property.

Back to top

Despite the year’s wildly fluctuating weather, our hardy stewards, board members, and volunteers:

• monitored our 3,000 acres of conservation lands;
• cleared blowdowns from 18 miles of trails;
• met with landowners to monitor easement conditions;
• developed bird inventory and invasive plant control projects for our properties;
• designed new trails with Eagle Scouts; and
• gathered for our annual January stewardship workshop to exchange information and stewardship skills.

The KLT Board has recently approved two policies that pertain to public use of KLT lands, one on hunting and trapping, and another on ATV use. Please call our office (377-2848) if you would like a written copy of these policies.

Back to top

This past fall, Mrs. Westman bequeathed the woodland property adjoining her home on the South Road in Readfield to KLT. This bequest conserves 26 acres of wildlife habitat across the road from KLT’s St. Andre Fields easement and protects the watershed of Maranacook Lake. The western portion of the property contains a conifer-hardwood tree stand dominated by hemlock trees, some of which are over 100 years old. In accordance with Mrs. Westman’s wishes, Westman Woods Preserve will forever be a haven for wildlife. KLT deeply appreciates this generous gift, an enduring testament to her love of nature.

Back to top

Planned giving allows you to make charitable gifts at a future date while enabling you or your family to retain the use of the asset in the meantime. There are several ways (detailed below) to arrange a future gift that can meet your estate planning needs and fulfill your charitable intentions. If you would like to explore options for making a planned gift to KLT, please contact our office and Theresa will put you in touch with a knowledgeable board member for a confidential discussion. We will gladly work with your attorney or financial advisor, who can advise you in light of your individual circumstances.

Bequests are perhaps the simplest form of a planned gift. The following is an example: “I hereby give The Kennebec Land Trust, a Maine nonprofit organization, a bequest of $_____ to be used for its general charitable purposes.”

You might also consider a share or percentage of your residuary estate:“I hereby give The Kennebec Land Trust, a Maine nonprofit organization, 10% of my residuary estate to be used for its general charitable purposes.” Please be sure to let us know about your planned bequest, so your gift may be properly acknowledged.

Land donations are another option. If this is something you are considering, please contact us so that we may visit your property to see that it meets our criteria for permanent protection. Even if it does not, you may still want to leave it to the Trust, understanding that we would sell it and use the proceeds to conserve other ecologically important properties. For conservation property donations, please consider including a generous cash bequest so that we may meet all of the anticipated future costs of caring for the land. An example is: “In the event I do not make such a conveyance during my lifetime, I hereby devise and bequeath to The Kennebec Land Trust, a Maine non-profit corporation, certain real property described as follows: (Insert legal description of the land). I also bequeath to The Kennebec Land Trust the sum of $_____ for stewardship of this and other Trust properties.”

Designating KLT as the beneficiary to your IRA, Keogh, or other qualified pension plan can have significant tax benefits to you and your survivors. Assets in these plans accumulate without being taxed but when they are distributed, substantial income tax can result. Designating a charity as the beneficiary of the plan, while leaving other types of assets to surviving family members, can maximize your ability to provide for both your family and the charity.

Back to top

Vassalboro Wildlife Habitat (VWH) is a new property now held by the Kennebec Land Trust. Late in 2006, this generous gift secured over 200 acres on and near the southerly half of Webber Pond, including 2,200 feet of shore frontage on the west shore and 600 feet on the east shore. The donor wishes to remain anonymous.

The parcels west of Webber Pond lying just south of the Natanis Golf Course are generally flat and predominantly forested, and they include several beaver bogs located along three minor streams. A trolley line built in 1909 and abandoned in 1932 runs through the property and is now a snowmobile trail managed by the local club. The parcel east of Webber Pond can only be accessed by water. It has an older stand of timber and rises to provide a glimpse of the Bigelow Range from the easterly boundary. A stewardship committee was formed and met for the first time this past January. Work has begun on a management plan and on a trail between the Webber Pond Road and the Pond. Individuals interested in supporting the Vassalboro Wildlife Habitat with donations of their time should contact KLT.

Back to top

Two local scouts have recently worked on service projects with the Kennebec Land Trust.

Kyle Marvinney, working towards his Boy Scout Eagle Award, completed portions of foot and bog bridges at Torsey Pond Nature Preserve in Readfield. Kyle’s ambitious project has improved the hiking trails on this conservation easement property and the recreational value of this natural resource.

As part of her Girl Scout Gold Award, Marissa Griswold of Monmouth designed and created a tabletop display that illustrates KLT’s mission, properties, and the different ways people can get involved in local conservation efforts. The display is already in use, showcasing the organization’s conservation work throughout our region.

Back to top

Back to top

The Business Partners in Conservation program recognizes business leaders and companies in our community who have made significant contributions of cash, goods, and services to support the regional conservation efforts of the Kennebec Land Trust.

To learn more about this program, please contact KLT board member Norm Rodrigue at 207-622-6204.

Back to top

Vassalboro Wildlife Habitat The morning walk turned warm for early May, enough so to stimulate the full arrival of black flies. In the air were the sounds of ducks, turkeys, geese and grouse with a couple of turkeys crossing the trail just ahead of us. Deer tracks were all around. On the ground were violets, including a tiny white one with purple striations, lots of bluets and the occasional trillium. Some blowdowns were observed, brought on no doubt by the high winds experienced earlier this year. John Melrose, KLT steward, May 6 - 7, 2006.

Davidson Nature Preserve Theresa Kerchner, Elizabeth Davidson, and Ron Joseph botanized and birded the Davidson Nature Preserve in Vassalboro on Memorial Day, 2006. Highlights included 18 species of warblers, including several blackpoll warblers. Blackpolls are champion long distance migrants among songbirds. Smaller than a sparrow and weighing less than a few ounces, blackpolls nesting in Maine migrate to and from South America twice a year. Most winter in the Amazon Basil of Brazil, approximately 2,500 miles from Maine (who said you can't get there from here). It's impossible to know the final destination of the blackpolls we saw on Memorial Day. Maybe they'll nest on Mt. Katahdin, or Labrador, or Newfoundland. But for three lucky birders, we felt privileged to hear and see an extraordinary bird refueling by consuming large quantities of caterpillars from the trees of KLT's Davidson Nature Preserve. Ron Joseph, KLT steward & Elizabeth Davidson, land donor. May 29, 2006.

Back to top

Home Property Map Properties Volunteer Info Board Members
Field Trips About Our Work Membership Info News