The governor has released $11.5 million in Land for Maine's Future bonds, but some conservationists fear his efforts to scuttle the Howard Hill project are not over.
Read MoreKennebec Land Trust celebrates acquisition of Augusta’s Howard Hill
Howard Hill, 164 acres that provide a wooded, undeveloped backdrop to the State House tucked between otherwise largely developed areas of Augusta and Hallowell, now belongs to the Kennebec Land Trust.
Read MoreConservation deal for forest near State House expected to close in October
The Kennebec Land Trust plans to purchase Howard Hill, a 164-acre parcel behind the State House, with the help of a loan after Gov. LePage withheld voter-approved bond funding promised to the project.
Read MoreKennebec Land Trust meeting, race planned
Kennebec Land Trust will hold its 27th annual meeting and Tri-Sport Challenge Race on Sunday, Aug. 23, at Camp Winnebago on Echo Lake in Fayette. The meeting starts with KLT's popular Tri-Sport Challenge, which consists of a ¼-mile swim, ½-mile paddle and 5K run.
Read MoreLoss of funds leaves capital land preservation project in jeopardy
Working in cooperation with the City of Augusta, the Kennebec Land Trust is raising funds to purchase and permanently conserve the 164-acre Howard Hill property. Howard Hill is the scenic backdrop to the State House, but also a large and diverse natural area in the middle of Augusta.
Read MoreKLT reaches 5,000 acres of conserved land
Vienna residents Martha M. and James R. Floyd have pushed Kennebec Land Trust over the 5,000 acres conserved mark with their March 2015 donation of the 71-acre Vienna woods conservation easement. A trail and property dedication is scheduled for 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 3.
Read MoreProject to conserve Maine State House backdrop in limbo
AUGUSTA — A project that would preserve the wooded backdrop to the Maine State House has a problem in the Maine State House.
Howard Hill is caught in a political battle: Gov. Paul LePage’s administration says the governor doesn’t want to sell $11.4 million in voter-approved bonds as he tries to gain support for a plan that would increase the amount of timber harvested on state land to pay for energy efficiency programs.
Read MoreKennebec Land Trust’s 2015 Lyceum lecture series announced
The Geology, History and Ecology of Howard Hill is this year's program.
Read MoreHiking in Maine: Central Maine’s conservation land well worth the exploring
Some 36 miles of hiking trails offer myriad opportunities to explore these beautiful preserves, and in celebration of its 25th anniversary last fall, the KLT introduced the “Kennebec Land Trust Hiking Guide.” This attractive new full-color publication features 20 of the trust’s most popular properties and some of its best hiking trails.
“Our growing member base – now over 1,000 individuals – is pretty familiar with our properties, but the public at large is not as aware of what we have here,” said Matt Silverman, conservation assistant with the land trust. “The hiking guide highlights these properties and will help make them more accessible to more people.”
Read MoreFor 2015, five hopes for a brave new Maine
Mainers who work in fields such as agriculture, energy, forestry and fisheries wish for swift actions and policies that will move the state forward in the new year. Source asked five of them to answer the question: What is the one change you would like to see in your field in 2015 that would make Maine a more sustainable place to live?
Read MoreKennebec Land Trust celebrates 25 years with big campaign, new trail guide
Celebrating a quarter century of conservation, the Kennebec Land Trust is looking to the future with a $3.5 million campaign to strengthen its programs, preserve more wilderness areas and expand recreational opportunities for people in central Maine.
Read MoreFriday conference to promote Maine wood products, sustainable forestry
A coalition led by the Kennebec Land Trust has organized a conference Friday focused on sustainable forestry and its role in Maine’s local economies.
The land trust said the conference at the Augusta Civic Center will discuss the economic value of locally made wood products and the regional dynamics of New England’s forestland and forest products economy.
Read More1-minute hike: Davidson Nature Preserve in Vassalboro
The 97-acre Davidson Nature Preserve was donated to the Kennebec Land Trust by Elizabeth Davidson in 2005 and is open for the public to access year round. In the preserve, visitors will find winding paths that visit blueberry fields, forests and wetlands...
Read MoreLocal Wood Works to share lessons learned from local food movement
There are many untold stories of entrepreneurial ventures that source sustainably harvested Maine wood. As in the local food movement, we envision that consumers will be interested in how people and nature are connected to those products.
Maine’s first-ever Local Wood conference will be held Nov. 14 at the Augusta Civic Center and outdoors at several locations on Nov. 15...
Read MoreCarrying Aldo Leopold's Flag – One Land’s Trust Perspective
If Aldo Leopold were alive today, he would certainly be celebrating the efforts of land trusts and our forestland conservation work. Collectively we are a voice for a personal land ethic, for stewardship of the earth’s finite natural resources, and for preservation of wild places in the midst of a civilized landscape...
Read MoreBuilding a Local Wood Movement
Warren Whitney of Maine Coast Heritage Trust writes about Building a Local Wood Movement on the blog of Forests for Maine's Future
Read MoreFayette event to mark Kennebec Land Trust 25th anniversary
The celebration will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Camp Winnebago, on Route 17.
Kennebec Land Trust will celebrate its silver anniversary with an outdoor fete, nature workshops, triathalon, annual meeting and music on Aug. 24.
The organization, which is based in Winthrop, has conserved 4,860 acres, completed 32 miles of trails and worked in 21 communities in central Maine in those 25 years, according to executive director Theresa Kerchner...
Read More1-minute hike: Torsey Pond Nature Preserve in Readfield
Aislinn Sarnacki writes about Torsey Pond Nature Preserve in Readfield...
Read MoreAugusta’s Howard Hill quiet getaway in heart of city
...City councilors voted unanimously Thursday to endorse the acquisition of the property, contingent on an agreement being struck with the land trust, and authorized City Manager William Bridgeo to act as a co-applicant with the land trust to seek Land for Maine’s Future grant funds to help make the purchase...
Read MoreAugusta council to consider employee contracts, Howard Hill agreement
...Councilors also are scheduled to consider approving a proposal expected to result in the city ending up with the 164-acre Howard Hill property, which forms a wooded backdrop behind the State House...
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