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

Contents KLT Joins Kennebec Highlands Project President's Message Welcome To Our Newest Members 2000 Summer Field Trip Schedule Board of Directors Advisory Board Another Mount Pisgah Parcel Secured Field Trip and Service Hostel - Camp Bearnstow 1999 Annual Fund Was Our Best Ever! KLT Property Information Sheets Available Soon Notes From the Field Contributors

Photo by Jym St.Pierre

Save the Date!

2000 Annual Meeting - August 20, 2000

- more details to follow -

Since our last report on the Kennebec Highlands (Spring 1999), this once-in-a-great-while project continues to move forward. Fund raising is continuing, initial purchases of some of the parcels has been approved, and public awareness is growing. The KLT board is proud to announce it is officially joining with the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance (BRCA) to develop a coalition of central Maine organizations to help make the Highlands a success.

The Kennebec Highlands are more than 6,000 acres of land located in the central Maine towns of Vienna, Rome, and Belgrade. The parcels proposed for purchase include six mountains - with two of the highest peaks in Kennebec County - five pristine ponds, and many miles of trails for hiking, biking, snowmobiling, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing.

No central Maine property of similar size or value is available for purchase. We are facing a unique opportunity to conserve a large portion of land for permanent public use as well as protection of the Belgrade Lakes watersheds.

To date, BRCA has raised $300,000 in pledges, Land for Maine's Future grants and donations. The total acquisition is expected to cost $3 million. Of this amount, BRCA will raise $1.2 million in order to leverage the remaining money from a second Land for Maine's Future proposal to be submitted this year. The KLT will fund raise with BRCA in order to make the purchase of the Kennebec Highlands a reality.

Negotiations with the 17 landowners are progressing well, with options negotiated and secured on half of the properties - including the largest, core parcel. We expect these negotiations will be completed within the next several months.

We still need to raise the final $700,000. If you know any businesses or individuals who might be interested in donating to this important project, or you wish to volunteer to help in other ways please contact any KLT board member, visit the Highlands Project web site at: www.KennebecHighlands.org or call (207) 397-5945.

Help Us Protect The Highlands!

Dear Readers,

This issue of the KLT newsletter features recent progress in land protection, highlights stewardship programs, and reports on membership activities.

While there are many projects on our plate right now, two are of note. If you have not yet heard, we purchased another 100 acres on Mount Pisgah in Winthrop. What is outstanding about this recent purchase is the incredible support provided by members and supporters of the Trust. It is very encouraging and heartwarming to see so much support and financial backing for our efforts. The purchase was made possible by your generous contributions in response to the annual appeal, and to an additional focused fund raising appeal conducted by the Board. Many thanks and much gratitude for your continued support.

To the east of Mount Pisgah, the 6,000-plus acres Kennebec Highlands project is a very significant, even audacious, regional project conceived and launched by the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance that has already received major support from the Land for Maine's Future Program and local fund raising. The KLT Board voted to endorse this project by adding our name to a coalition of organizations actively supporting the project through fund raising. I urge your support for this important project.

This year will mark our second year of responsibility for the stewardship and use of Norris Island in Androscoggin Lake -- a responsibility that would go unfulfilled without the support and active involvement of residents and lake users in Wayne. Beginning this season, we adjusted our camping policies to better accommodate use of the island by "commercial" outfitters, such as the LL Bean Outdoor Program. This year the stewardship committee will be adding outhouse facilities to assure healthful conditions at the campsite and at the cabin. In addition, the Board adopted a plan offering the use of the cabin to members of the KLT as a place of refuge, relaxation, and renewal.

Expanding our membership is a major effort this year, and taking stock of our initial gambit -- asking members to recruit new members has yielded some early results. The Education and Membership committee is hard at work developing a focused membership campaign for land owners around Parker Pond in Mt. Vernon and Fayette. We hope to convince our "neighbors" on various parcels we own or manage to join the Trust. Early returns on the mailing are very encouraging.

Once again it is a pleasure to highlight some of the many incredible accomplishments of the KLT, a testament to the talent and dedication of our Board and members.

Sincerely,
Jim Connors

For years the KLT has focused on the Mount Pisgah area in order to complement the state's ownership on the mountain. Mount Pisgah is a very special place and we want to keep it open to the public for a long time to come. This newly acquired, 100-acre parcel connects the KLT's and the State's ownership to create a sweep of open space and recreational land from the Shores of Dexter Pond up and over the peak of Pisgah.

We look forward to continuing our work with the Mount Pisgah area landowners in order to expand the conservation area even more.

The purchase of the 100-acre parcel was made possible in part by a limited special fund raising campaign conducted in conjunction with the 1999 annual campaign. Friends and members responded very generously because this was an important piece of property that was purchased for a good price.

Back to top

KLT is hosting a field trip to Bearnstow on Saturday July 29 (raindate July 30) from 10AM until noon. KLT members are encouraged to come and hike, canoe or swim and enjoy this special place. Bring your picnic lunch for after the tour. No registration is necessary but if you have any questions about the event please call Paula Thomson at 685-9541 or Ann Judd at 685-3159.

On July 5-9, Gruaet is hosting a service hostel camp, with the intention of opening up old logging trails for hiking and birding. For more information about Bearnstow go to their website at: www.bearnstow.org

Directions to Bearnstow:

Continue on Route 17 West in Readfield to Kents Hill. Bear right onto Route 41; continue eight miles and take a left onto Seavey Corner Road in Mt. Vernon (before the Mt. Vernon County Store). Travel 2 miles and take a left onto the Ithiel Gordon road. Continue one mile and take a right at the entrance to Bearnstow. Watch for Land Trust Signs.

Back to top

Many thanks to all of our members and supporters who contributed more than $12,000 to this year's annual fund.

Your donations work hard for the KLT - we are an all-volunteer organization with little overhead costs. So annual fund monies go right to where they do the most work -- on the ground.

There are a lot of projects in the wings that we will be talking about in future issues. Your contributions make that work possible.

Thanks!

Back to top

Beth Connors, from Monmouth, has volunteered to develop information sheets on two of our properties -- Mount Pisgah and the Besse Farm. These information sheets will present a property map, travelling directions, significant namtual features, available activities such as hiking, biking, or skiing, and the KLT management plan for the property.

These information sheets will be available to people attending KLT field trips, and to KLT members who want to visit the properties on their own. We hope to eventually construct a visitor kiosk at certain properties that would display these and other materials. These information sheets will be available here and in print soon.

Back to top

This year the Stewardship Committee is pleased to announce completion of the final phase of the management plan, begun in 1997. The plan calls for continued improvement of the cabin as a permanent facility for use by the KLT membership. A reservation system will be established and annual stewardship needs for the facility provided by users of the cabin.

Following construction of outhouse facilities this spring, the cabin will be made available to members through a telephone reservation system. Availability will be dependent on the completion of the outhouses in the next few months.

If you would like more information on the cabin, please call Jeff Musich, Stewardship Chair at (207) 933-3159.

Back to top

Back to top

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