Land Protection

Places for walks in the woods. Places for weary migrating birds. Places for launching a kayak, growing food, and digging clams.

We protect the precious places, experiences, and ecosystems that make the Maine coast so extraordinary.

We get it—the term “Land Protection” raises questions. Questions like… So, what kind of land are you protecting, exactly? And why?

To “protect” land is to ensure it will remain largely undeveloped and natural, with any development used to benefit the public or wildlife. At Maine Coast Heritage Trust, we work with landowners, towns, communities, and other partners to protect coastal lands that benefit people, plants, and animals. These places range from local sledding hills to traditional water access sites to bird nesting islands to vast, wild places offering miles of hiking trails.

Is this land special to the local community? Does it offer exceptional opportunities for outdoor recreation? Is it important wildlife habitat?

These are some of the many questions we ask ourselves when protecting land. There are lots of ways to go about it… but almost always, a project begins with a person interested in conserving their special land.

Over the past 50 years, MCHT has helped protect more than 170,000 acres of land from Lubec to Kittery—that’s three times the size of Acadia National Park and includes more than 150 preserves open to the public.

Thanks to partnerships with other organizations and the generosity of MCHT supporters, those numbers grow every year.

Want to help protect special places on the Maine coast?

What We’re Working on Now

Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s work spans the entire coast and involves dozens of conservation projects at any given time. Here’s more information about some projects currently underway: