The Kennebec Land Trust

Stewardship - klt staff and board members oversee the management of klt's fee lands, monitor conservation easements and work with 71 volunteer stewards. Klt's stewards collectively volunteered over 715 hours for trail maintenance, monitoring, and public access projects. Conservation parcels that are especially large in acreage, or have unique or complex management needs, have more than one volunteer steward. Klt recently completed an update of the trust's strategic conservation plan. The plan incorporates thirteen ecological and community priority conservation values, including proximity to trail access and resiliency to climate change, two additions to the previous strategic conservation plan. Klt's strategic conservation plan was developed with gis base natural resource information, and with information from community open space and comprehensive plans. Our plan helps to identify high priority conservation areas for our 413,000-acre service area.

Land protection - since 1988, klt has worked cooperatively with landowners and communities to conserve our region's natural assets. Klt has conserved almost 7,800 acres in a service area that covers 413,000 acres and 21 towns primarily in kennebec county, but also androscoggin and franklin counties. Klt holds conservation easements on, accepts gifts of, and purchases significant lands to further the mission of the organization. Klt's community conservation lands protect wildlife habitat, water quality, working forestland and farmland, and scenic beauty, and provide many opportunities for year round outdoor recreation for maine residents and visitors. Klt has accomplished many noteworthy projects over the past several years, including the following: strategic conservation planning - klt recently completed an update of the trust's strategic conservation plan. Our plan incorporates 13 ecological and community values, including proximity to trail access and resiliency in the face of climate change, two additions to the previous strategic conservation plan. This plan helps us identify high priority conservation areas for our 413,000-acre service area. New land projects - 35-acre downing woods mount pisgah conservation area was added to the 1,000-acre mount pisgah community conservation area in july 2023. This generous conservation donation protects valuable woodlands and wetlands near klt's largest conservation landscape. 65-acre wagner woods conservation area protects valuable woodland, wetland, and field habitats and features impressive stone ledges and walls, as well as scenic views of manchester bog and cobbosseecontee lake. Wagner woods is contiguous with the maine department of inland fisheries and wildlife's 1,140-acre jamie's pond wildlife management area and the 228- acre town of manchester conservation lands. Taken together, these 1,436- acres comprise an ecologically significant conservation landscape. 53-acre bamford woodlands conservation area is located south of the historic kent cemetery in fayette. The property protects valuable woodland and wetland habitats in a largely undeveloped landscape. When combined with other nearby conservation and privately owned lands these forests and wetlands provide critical habitat for black bear and moose - wildlife species with extensive home ranges. 41-acre davis mount pisgah conservation area addition provides landscape connectivity and protects important woodland and wetland habitat. With this acquisition, klt supporters have protected 1,110 acres of diverse natural landscape in winthrop and wayne. Baldwin hill conservation area: after five years of planning and research, klt's 10-acre baldwin hill conservation cemetery was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the state of maine in february,2020. The corporation, managed by a five member board of directors, is a 501(c)(13). Baldwin hill directors and klt staff lead frequent tours of the cemetery and are providing guidance to land trust and other non-profits who are interested in initiating a conservation burial ground planning process in maine or in other parts of the country. The cemetery is situated in a stand of tall white pines, with an open understory, surrounded by rock walls. A .25 mile universally accessible trail weaves through the pine stand and offers a chance for reflection and a lovely view. The fall foliage is stunning in late september and october. Visitors who linger at the benches overlooking the rolling hills will likely observe many species of birds and butterflies in an area that will be managed for pollinators and early successional habitat. The cemetery provides ecologically sound burials for people of all faiths. On the operations end, the klt office manages the burial grounds and coordinates plot sales. We are partnering with funeral homes that have established expertise with grief support, memorial services, and transportation of the deceased, and burials. The burial ground has received certification as a conservation cemetery according to the standards and best practices defined by the green burial council and the conservation burial ground alliance. The cemetery began operations and the sale of interment rights in june 2021. Since the opening, 163 people have purchased interment rights. Eight burials took place in 2023-24. The most recent project was additional work on the pollinator field habitat.