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M a i n e Coast H eritage Trustis dedicated to protecting land that is essential to thecharacter of Maine, its coastline and islands in particular.Since 1970, more than 135,000 acres have beenpermanently protected, including 290 entire coastalislands. MCHT provides conservation advisory servicesfree of charge to landowners, local land trusts and stateand community officials. A membership organization,MCHT welcomes your support and inquiries.Main Office1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Suite 201, Topsham, Maine 04086207-729-7366P.O. Box 669, Mt. Desert, ME 04660207-244-5100P.O. Box 193, Milbridge, ME 04658207-546-2224Aldermere Farm, 70 Russell Ave., Rockport, ME 04856207-236-2739Maine Coast Heritage Trust1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Suite 201Topsham, Maine 04086Non-Profit org.U.S. PostagePaidPermit #208AUGUSTA MEVisit us at www.mcht.orgBecome a fan ofMCHT onFacebookPrinted on 100% post-consumer recycled stockDesign: ethosSta f f NewsMCHT bids farewell to BrianReilly who, as Land Project Manageron Mount Desert Island for six years,helped MCHT continue strongmomentum on MDI. Brian will beworking on the Gulf Oil Spill cleanup.Nicky Blanchard has been namedAssociate Director of Developmentand has oversight of the annualfund, membership, events and otherresponsibilities. Sue Telfeian, Directorof Development, will spend moretime focused on major donors whileretaining overall responsibility forthe department. In light of theincreasing complexity of MCHT’sfinancial functions, Joanne Favreauis assuming new responsibilitiesas Director of Finance. SusanConnolly will continue as Directorof Operations.Elizabeth Allen Straus, 1916-2010The MCHTcommunitywas saddenedto learn of thedeath of longtimesupporterElizabeth “Beth”Allen Straus onDec. 6, 2010, inMount Desert.Mrs. Straus andher family were among the earlylandowners to put a conservationeasement on their propertyin Somes Harbor in the mid-1970s and helped inspire otherlandowners to follow suit. Whileon the Board, she chaired thestrategic planning committeeand communications committeeand was veryactive on thefund-raisingfront. She wasinvolved inMCHT’s keydecision topursue its firstcapital campaignin pursuitof the BoldCoast properties in the late 1980s.“Beth was passionate about conservingthe Maine coast and inher support of MCHT,” said DavidMacDonald, Director of LandProtection. “She led by exampleand helped shape this organizationwith her sharp insight andwonderful way with people.”Mount Desert Land and Garden Preserve6 Maine Heritage Spring 2011
Maine HeritageT h e Newsletter of Maine Coast Herita g e Tr u s tS p r i n g 2011Kieth FletcherSouthern MaineOffers ConservationOpportunitiesA 36-acre parcel of Falmouth shorefront, in the same family since 1885, is now permanently protected thanks to itsconservation-minded owner.Conservation opportunities canappear anywhere, even within sightof the state’s most urban areas.Project Manager Keith Fletcher, whojoined MCHT’s staff barely a yearago, has specialized in finding theconservation potential of Maine’ssouthernmost coastal communities.Preserving a ShorefrontGem in FalmouthLarney Otis says the 36 acresshe recently placed under protectionwith MCHT was bought by her greatgrandfather,John Marshall Brown,in 1885. Since then it has been giftedfrom one generation to the next. Theland is steeped in family history andmemories and has long served asa place of inspiration, creativityand healing. “It was unimaginableto me that this land be divided upinto house lots,” she says, “and it hasalways seemed that it was my role, therole of my generation, to do what Icould to preserve it. I am immenselygrateful to MCHT for helping mecarry out that mission.” She turnedto MCHT after her two sons gaveher the green light for protectingthe property. MCHT was “the conservationorganization with which Ifelt the most sense of connection,”Ms. Otis says, noting that she andPeggy Rockefeller, daughter of MCHTcofounder Margaret M. Rockefeller,were high school classmates. Ms. Otisnot only donated the easement butalso made a generous contributionto a stewardship fund for the property.The 3,400 feet of shoreline teemswith wildlife, and together with its78 acres of intertidal zone servesas an important shorebird feedingarea almost within sight of Portland’sEastern Promenade. “This was the lastbig project left to do in Falmouth onthe shore,” says Fletcher. “It is extremelysensitive wildlife habitat, with a veryhigh ecological value.” Accordingly,the easement not only precludes allfuture development, it also does notprovide for public access.Expanding Biddeford’sClifford ParkClifford Park has long been popularwith Biddeford residents for its hikingand mountain bike trails, aswell as its proximity to the 16,000undeveloped acres of the Biddeford-Kennebunkport Vernal Pool Complex.Unknown to most visitors, though,continued on page two
Page 1: A Love of the Islands Inspires Deer
Page 5 and 6: Continuing a Heritage of Supporting

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