Stewardship
Caring for the Land
Through our stewardship department, we fulfill our promises to land and people — in perpetuity.
Bold Action in a Changing Climate
We prioritize ecologically sound land management and restoration to build climate resilience.
Community Approach to Conservation
We collaborate to care for preserves to ensure they meet community needs and meaningfully contribute to people’s daily lives.
Partnerships That Make More Possible
We work with a robust network of local land trusts and other partners to share resources and capabilities that maximize our collective impact and progress toward the goal of connecting people to lands and waters.
Types of Land in Our Care
Land Owned by MCHT
Conserving land through acquisition provides us with unique opportunities to connect people with places. Currently, we own and manage more than 160 preserves, and each is unique. We care for them all differently depending on their ecological and community value, which evolves over time and requires continual collaboration with partners and community members.
Land Owned by Others
Since our founding in 1970, MCHT has been conserving land through easements, which are voluntary legal agreements between landowners and conservation organizations that limit development of special lands to protect their unique ecological and community value.
Our stewardship team currently cares for over 330 conservation easements spanning all of Maine’s coastal counties, totaling more than 23,000 acres. Where MCHT holds conservation easements, we are responsible for ensuring that the agreement is upheld.
We work closely with landowners to provide guidance and support to help them care for the land in a way that protects and enhances its ecological and community value.
Our Work Priorities
Marshes
We’re working with partners to conserve Maine’s most resilient marshes (marshes most likely to adapt to changes over time) to curb the impacts of climate change.
Outreach
We’re fostering connections between people, land, and communities through outreach and collaborative stewardship efforts.
Working Farms
We manage two farms in midcoast Maine that demonstrate the power of conservation to connect people with land, farming, the natural world, and one another: Aldermere Farm and Erickson Fields.
Why we do it
Ensuring a Healthier Future for Maine
Our wellbeing depends on the health of Maine’s lands and waters. When lands and waters are conserved, natural areas can better withstand the impacts of climate change, people have clean air and water, wildlife has more room to adapt and thrive, and communities and livelihoods are supported.
Connecting people and communities to the many benefits of conservation inspires more people to take part in the movement to help address many of the challenges Maine faces and improve our quality of life. Together, we can accelerate the pace and scale of conservation so that lands, waters, communities, and ecosystems are healthy, working, and open to all for generations to come.
