Spring 2006
Conservation Advances in Cobscook Bay
Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s ongoing effort to protect the scenic and ecological qualities of Cobscook Bay moved forward this March with the permanent protection of a key 194-acre property bordering Cobscook Falls. For more than two decades, the Trust has worked with Quoddy Regional Land Trust (QRLT), The Nature Conservancy, and state and federal agencies to protect most of the islands and more than 12 miles of shoreline in nearby Straight Bay. This region has been a target for conservation due to its great diversity of habitat types which support migrating, roosting and feeding waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as nesting bald eagles and abundant fish and invertebrates.
The newly conserved parcel, which includes 1.7 miles of pristine shorefront, lies between the Town of Pembroke’s 24-acre Reversing Falls parcel and a 297-acre State Wildlife Management Area. “The Cobscook Falls property is in a prime location,” notes MCHT project manager Patrick Watson, “at the end of a prominent peninsula that separates outer Cobscook Bay from Dennys and Whiting bays. The protection of this wooded acreage and scenic shoreline will ensure that a nearly contiguous block of more than 500 acres remains unspoiled.”
MCHT helped QRLT acquire this property through a bargain sale (well below its appraised value) from Markley Boyer, who bought the land more than 30 years ago when it was threatened by a 70-lot subdivision. QRLT purchased the land with funds from a federal Coastal Wetlands Grant (see article on page 3). Boyer acquired several undeveloped properties as they came up for sale or were threatened with subdivision and development. He dismisses any suggestion that he had a clear vision for long-term protection: “I just acted as opportunities came along,” Boyer says. Yet single-handedly, he has had a profound impact on sustaining the unspoiled character of these beautiful bays. In addition to the recent Cobscook Falls project, Boyer has donated two nearby parcels to The Nature Conservancy, including nearly all of 140-acre Falls Island—a prime eagle-nesting site by Cobscook Falls. Boyer hopes that his efforts will inspire further conservation work in the vicinity.
The Cobscook Falls property will enhance the region’s recreational and economic opportunities, ensuring public access for clamming, fishing, hunting, walking, wildlife viewing, canoeing and kayaking. “While I obviously haven’t seen the entire United States, I happen to think Cobscook Bay is one of the top natural places in the country,” Boyer says, “and I’d like to help make this an area where—50 years from now—people can go.”
President’s Column by Jay Espy
An Exceptional Commitment to Conservation Innovation
Several months ago, I received one of the most extraordinary phone calls of my 20-year tenure at Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Our board chairman called to say he’d just spoken to a supporter who was considering making a gift of up to $1 million to benefit the Maine coast and the future of land conservation. This prospective donor and his wife wanted to support an effort that was forward-looking but could be hard to fund. In the weeks following that phone call, we outlined a plan to research, develop and promote innovations that would enhance our conservation capacity at MCHT and, by example, advance the work of land trusts across the country. In many ways, this phone call answered a prayer. MCHT’s board and staff had recently identified “conservation innovation” as a critical strategy for increasing the pace and quality of land protection in coming decades.
We knew that our ambitious goals for future protection depended on creative new approaches in areas such as project financing, building community support for land protection, and gathering broader input into land-use planning. Thanks to the great generosity of Forrest Berkley and Marcie Tyre, of Wayland, Massachusetts and Swans Island, Maine, MCHT now can pursue these vitally important innovations and help keep Maine at the forefront of land conservation leadership.
Complementing their gift to MCHT, Forrest and Marcie made a significant donation to the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies that will further advance conservation innovations through research, student internships and the convening of leading thinkers in conservation and related fields. Forrest and Marcie’s companion gifts reflect their passion for the Maine coast and their commitment to sustain its integrity. Forrest told me recently, “Marcie and I and our family derive enormous personal strength from our ability to enjoy the Maine coast, and feel a profound obligation to support innovations that will help protect the coast for future generations.”
Their vision is mirrored by many individuals, families and foundations who have stepped forward during our Campaign for the Coast with contributions at the very upper limits of their giving capacity. Over and over in the past four years, we’ve seen donors stretching to give their utmost to help MCHT protect the natural character of Maine’s coast.
Such contributions are aptly named “stretch gifts,” not only because they push the limits of what a donor can afford, but because they encourage the Trust to envision new possibilities for conservation that we had not dared to imagine. The vision and faith of our leading donors inspires us to achieve more ambitious goals and to find ways of working “smarter”— using our resources to best advantage.
All these visionary donors give so generously and receive in exchange only the knowledge that they have enhanced the lives of others—most of whom they will never meet. I salute these quiet heroes of conservation, and want to acknowledge how honored and humbled our board and staff are to work with such dedicated and far-sighted individuals. They are truly beacons helping to create a brighter future.
Three Federal Grants Help to Conserve Prime Wildlife Areas
Three recent grants from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are supporting land conservation efforts in coastal settings known for their high wildlife concentrations. The Cobscook Falls project (see cover story) benefited from a National Coastal Wetlands grant of $528,000, which was matched by local and state contributions.
Another National Coastal Wetlands Grant boosted wildlife conservation efforts in the Mount Desert Narrows region, helping MCHT to acquire Thomas Island—a 65-acre undeveloped island surrounded by 57 acres of intertidal wetlands that support large concentrations of shorebirds and waterfowl. Thomas is part of an archipelago that includes two other critical wildlife islands, South Twinnie (conserved by MCHT and now owned by the US Fish & Wildlife Service) and North Twinnie.
A North American Wetlands Conservation Act Three Federal Grants Help to Conserve Prime Wildlife Areas (NAWCA) grant of $650,000, awarded in 2004, has supported the protection of 191 acres and more than four shorefront miles in greater Pleasant Bay, including the entirety of 80-acre Pinkham Island (in Milbridge)—an active nesting site for bald eagles.
“We are indebted to many partners for helping to direct such generous grants to conservation efforts in Maine,” observes MCHT President Jay Espy. “Much credit goes to our Congressional delegation who recognize the critical conservation values of these wildlife-rich areas. They have been steadfast advocates for coastal land protection at the federal level. We relied heavily on staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Program, who did a tremendous job helping us prepare the grant applications. The State of Maine continues to be a valued partner as well.”
Buy-Restrict-Resell: A Complex but Useful Conservation Strategy
Maine Coast Heritage Trust typically acquires conservation easements when landowners donate or sell certain rights to their land. Occasionally, though, owners of a property with high conservation value may support the land’s protection without wanting to go through the easement process themselves—particularly if they are trying to sell their entire parcel. The property may even be on the market by the time MCHT learns that it is available.
In such cases, the Trust may choose to purchase the property outright, place conservation restrictions on the portions that merit protection, and then resell some or all of the property to a private buyer. “In situations where we might lose all of a parcel’s conservation values, the ‘buy-restrict-resell’ technique allows us to step temporarily into the chain of title, preserving the land features we deem most essential,” explains David MacDonald, MCHT’s Director of Land Protection. “This approach works well when a property and the larger community are best served by the land continuing in private ownership.” Reselling the parcel with restrictions keeps the land on local tax rolls, while helping MCHT recoup some of its initial investment and transactional costs—freeing up vital funds for other conservation projects. “This strategy might not be appropriate,” MacDonald adds, “if a property has sensitive ecological features or public recreational use that would be better protected by longterm conservation ownership.”
MCHT recently completed a buy-restrict-resell transaction on Vinalhaven’s Winter Harbor, purchasing 62 shorefront acres that were slated for subdivision. The parcel lies near many conserved properties and offers a landing for small boats. After purchasing the property, the Trust began planning how best to protect the land’s scenic value and traditional shore access. MCHT staff consulted with a land use planner and a landscape architect, doing computerized photo simulations to assess the scenic impacts of potential new construction. After carefully considering the options, the Trust retained 13 acres as a community preserve and sold 49 acres as a single lot—requiring the primary structure not to exceed 900 square feet and all buildings to be limited to 20 feet in height and fit within a 1⁄2-acre building envelope set back from the water. “This process was complex and time-consuming,” acknowledges MCHT project manager Betsy Ham, “but it allowed us to take all the measures we felt were needed to protect the site’s scenic integrity, ecological values, and traditional water access, while stretching our limited acquisition dollars.”
MCHT currently has two additional buy-restrict-resell projects listed with real estate brokers: a smaller shorefront parcel on Vinalhaven’s Winter Harbor and an island property in Frenchman Bay near Mount Desert Island. For more information on these projects, visit the Trust’s web site at www.mcht.org/mchtnews.
Stewardship Endowments: Providing for the Long Term
Every conservation easement that Maine Coast Heritage Trust accepts represents a commitment in perpetuity. “As the easement holder, we agree to protect the conservation values of a property for countless generations,” reflects Jane Arbuckle, MCHT’s Director of Stewardship. “That major responsibility will place real demands on our organization over time.”
The commitment to long-term stewardship carries a financial cost— for the organization and often for the easement donor. “Our annual cost of stewarding a single easement typically runs around $300 (with a range in any given year from $100 to $10,000, depending on the property’s size and accessibility, the easement’s complexity, the landowners’ needs, and whether or not MCHT holds affirmative rights such as maintaining trails or fields),” Arbuckle notes. When an easement is first drafted, MCHT staff compiles topographic and aerial base maps of the property and completes baseline data documenting its natural and built features. Every year thereafter, stewardship staff commits to visit the property to ensure that easement conditions are being upheld.
The extent of restrictions in a given easement affects how expensive it is to steward over time. Easements that involve forest management plans or public use often require extra staff attention. The most time-consuming easements tend to be those that allow for future home sites and require staff to review and approve building plans. One such easement that involved multiple building reviews consumed more than 100 hours of MCHT legal and stewardship staff time.
Stewardship costs can increase when conservation properties change hands as new owners often have questions about the easement that require interpretation. And if a violation occurs, the Trust must be prepared to defend its easement (a legal process that can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars).
To cover the legal defense and ongoing monitoring of its easements, Maine Coast Heritage Trust generally asks easement donors to contribute at least $6,000 to a pooled easement monitoring fund (assuming that a 5 percent interest income per annum from this gift will cover the Trust’s routine annual easement costs). “It can be hard to make this request of families who are generously giving away much of their land’s market value,” observes David MacDonald, MCHT’s Director of Land Protection. “We don’t make this a condition of acceptance, and we try to be flexible. Many landowners who can’t afford a gift at the time of the easement signing are able to make their donation over several years or pledge a future donation (such as a bequest in their will or a commitment to contribute if they ever sell their land in the future).” In some instances, neighbors even contribute—appreciating the benefits they receive from those lands.
Most landowners readily recognize that their contribution helps to ensure long-term care of a property they cherish. Annie Faulkner, whose family donated an easement on Norton Island and a stewardship endowment to MCHT, reflects that “with an easement donation, the landowner and land trust become partners in the long-term stewardship of the property. The endowment helps the land trust fulfill its role in that partnership.”
Marshall Island Trails Update
The State’s Land for Maine’s Future Program has awarded Maine Coast Heritage Trust $70,000 from its access improvement fund to construct a 6-mile trail system on Marshall Island over the next two years. The Maine Conservation Corps will begin work this coming summer, constructing trails for 6 weeks (with work continuing in 2007). MCHT will be recruiting citizen volunteers to lend additional support with trail construction. Anyone interested in helping should contact Terry Towne (244-5100, ttowne@mcht.org).
MCHT SUMMER FIELD TRIPS
WHALEBOAT ISLAND WORK TRIP
MAY 13 Bring your clippers and help keep at bay the meadow saplings on Whaleboat Island.(Boat departs from Harpswell)
HAMILTON COVE BOG-BRIDGING
WORK TRIP JUNE 10 Help construct bog bridging over wet trail areas at MCHT’s Hamilton Cove Preserve in Lubec.
JORDAN’S DELIGHT BIRDWATCHING
(BY BOAT) JUNE 17 Come observe the guillemots that frequent the cliffs of Jordan’s Delight Island in Narraguagus Bay. (Boat departs from Milbridge or Winter Harbor)
CALDERWOOD ISLAND WORK TRIP
JULY 7 Enjoy a picnic and help out colleagues from North Haven Conservation Partners with juniper pruning on Calderwood Island. (Travel to and from North Haven on the State Ferry from Rockland)
FRENCHBORO WALK ’N’ ROLL
JULY 14 Walk the length of Frenchboro’s incredible shoreline trail and conclude this hike with lobster rolls at Lunt Harbor. (Boat departs from Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island)
MARSHALL ISLAND
JULY 19 Experience one of Maine’s most impressive undeveloped islands. (Boat departs from Bass Harbor on MDI)
MERCHANT ROW BOAT TRIP
JULY 20 With our friends from Island Heritage Trust, enjoy a boat tour of the spectacular Merchant Row archipelago. (Boat departs from Stonington)
MARSHALL ISLAND
AUGUST 9 Here’s another chance to explore this unspoiled 981-acre island. (Boat departs from Bass Harbor on MDI)
BOLD COAST BY BOAT
AUGUST 19 Enjoy a dramatic stretch of shoreline unlike any other on the eastern seaboard. (Boat departs from Cutler)
WHALEBOAT ISLAND HAWK WATCH
SEPTEMBER 23 Watch for hawks during their peak migration: last year’s trip participants sighted hundreds. (Boat departs from Harpswell)
To sign up for these trips, please contact Warren Whitney (wwhitney@mcht.org, 729-7366).
