2020 Annual Report

2020 marked Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s 50th anniversary, and thanks to your generosity we capped our first half-century with one of the most successful years in MCHT history! Read more below for further perspective on 2020 from MCHT President Tim Glidden and Board Chair Tom Armstrong.

Read more from Tim and Tom

To the MCHT Community

What a year! 2020 was the confluence of so many streams: 50 years of conservation achievement at MCHT, reenergized plans for new progress, and then, unpredictably, the global pandemic and widespread social and economic turmoil. What might have been a year of celebration, reflection, and planning became a crucible for creativity, adaptation, and new initiatives driven by the imperative to respond to the daunting challenges for our organization, our state and our country.

This year’s annual report is a testament to the positive impact of the thousands of generous donors who stepped up for the coast in 2020. Thanks to your support, MCHT’s remarkable staff completed 34 conservation projects—well above average—and included many that represent meaningful progress in our efforts to address the challenges of climate change.

Thousands of first-time visitors enjoyed the solace, healing, and health that MCHT preserves provide. Our community programs pivoted in many ways—including a renewed emphasis on addressing rising food insecurity in Maine. More than 20,000 pounds of vegetables were grown for our longtime partner, the Good Shephard Food Bank and, leveraging the generosity of our supporters, MCHT provided more than 880 pounds of beef from our Aldermere Farm Preserve to Midcoast food pantries. With the support of far-sighted, generous donors, we distributed 28 emergency grants to help local land trusts across the state to confront the challenges we all faced.

It’s often said that the best things happening in Maine are those that come from partnership and teamwork. No single person, no one organization, does it all. As you read about our collective accomplishments in the pages ahead, I hope you will take pride in what you have made possible, what we all have achieved together. And together, we thank you—every single one of you—who have supported this work.

As we embark on the start of our next 50 years of work, we do so with excitement. This year (2021) will be a year of transition as we search for MCHT’s next President. Thanks to your support and an excellent board, council, and staff, we face this transition with confidence and from a place of strength. With every change comes opportunity, and there is no time like the present to recommit and redouble our efforts for the next 50 years.

With gratitude,

Tom Armstrong Jr.
Board Chair

Tim Glidden
President

Here’s a short video offering a few visual highlights of what we accomplished together.

Interested in more video stories of MCHT’s work? Check out our Videos from the Coast.

Together we protected 34 new places, increasing access to the land and water and making the Maine coast more resilient to climate change.

More places conserved

1,963 acres conserved (most with ongoing management by MCHT), including more than 12 miles of shoreline.

More lands cared for

MCHT stewardship staff monitored and cared for nearly 40,000 acres in 2020, including maintaining 99 miles of trail across Maine’s coastal counties.

You gave, and we got to work. Here’s what else you made possible.

Protecting salt marsh

MCHT partnered to complete 10 projects aimed at accommodating marsh migration. These projects protect more than 650 acres of coastal habitat and 160 acres of future tidal marsh. As sea level rises, these places will provide critical habitat for native plants and animals.

Building new trails

MCHT Land Stewards, with the help of some intrepid crews of volunteers, added 4.1 new miles of trails on new and existing preserves, bringing the total to 99 miles (that’s longer than a trip from Portland to Belfast!)

Saving seabird nesting islands

MCHT donated 6-acre Hardhead Island in Penobscot Bay to the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, (now totaling more than 70 islands) for ongoing management as a seabird nesting island.

Creating more campsites

MCHT’s 6 reservable campsites had a total of 219 bookings from March to November of 2020 while countless more stayed at the first come first served campsites all along the coast.

Providing internships

The Richard G. Rockefeller Conservation Internship Program provided positions for 9 Maine students to work with Maine Land Trusts and assist them with everything from invasive species management to virtual media outreach.

Donating food

20,563 pounds of produce were grown, harvested, and distributed from the Erickson Fields Preserve (90% went to food pantries and homeless shelters). Aldermere Farm, MCHT’s working Belted Galloway cattle farm in Midcoast Maine, donated 880 pounds of beef to local food pantries.

Land trust leadership by the numbers

MCHT’s Maine Land Trust Program distributed $180,000 in Maine Land Trust Covid-19 Response Grants to 28 land trusts across Maine. MCHT also redistributed $12,750 to land trusts through the L.L.Bean Maine Land Trust Grant Program.

MCHT convened 15 partners, including land trusts and state agencies, to develop state-wide messaging on how to recreate safely in the age of COVID-19.

42 land stewards gathered in Thomaston in February for the Maine Land Trust Network’s annual stewardship day, where field staff exchanged information and knowledge on topics ranging from working with historic preservation groups to ticks to building accessible trails.

Learn more about our Land Trust Program, devoted to strengthening Maine’s entire land conservation community.

Let’s map the impact

View a detailed, printable map (1.3 MB PDF download) of places conserved and cared for on the coast in 2020, and stats on all that donor support made possible.

Your generosity in action, 2020.

3,534 made donations to MCHT in 2020, including 697 for the first time! 114 donors were part of MCHT’s Next Wave (a 10% increase over last year). There were 633 members of The President’s Circle in 2020 and 266 of you are MCHT Anchors, supporting this work with a monthly gift, a 31% increase over last year.

We value your gift to Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and we’re making sure it goes as far as possible for the Maine coast. For every $10 MCHT spent in 2020, $8 went directly to protecting and caring for coastal lands and islands and connecting people to the coast.

Where funds come from

Private Restricted Contributions & Grants (35%)
Investment Draw (24%)
Annual Fund (19%)
Public Restricted Grants (17%)
Other Revenue (4%)

Fund Allocation

Where funds go

Land Acquisition $6.5 Million (45%)
Land Protection & Stewardship $5 Million (35%)
Public Education & Outreach $1 Million (7%)
Fundraising $1 Million (7%)
Administration $0.8 Million (6%)

Where do those funds come from?

Private Restricted Contributions & Grants (35%)
Investment Draw (24%)
Annual Fund (19%)
Public Restricted Grants (17%)
Other Revenue (4%)

The above represents a summary of how your generous contributions were spent during 2020 and the sources of funds applied. Our 2020 audited financial statements and Form 990 will be available later this year. A complete set of MCHT’s 2019 audited financial statements are available at mcht.org/financials.

You may notice that the percentages in the graphic above, which are approximate, are slightly different and more accurate than what appears in the print annual report. Apologies for any confusion!

In 2020, you did so much for the coast and the people who live, work, and play here.

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“Since the pandemic hit, the coast has been our refuge—the place we feel so lucky to have access to. Getting out on an island is like being in a different world; we relax, explore, and enjoy our kids, and just for a while, act like everything is right in the world.”

— Ryan Conery-Pulin, member of MCHT’s Next Wave

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