mcht-dsc0039-2400w
Jay Espy, Burnham Martin, and Tim Glidden
Stories from the Coast >

Burnham Martin Receives the 2019 Espy Land Heritage Award

April 23, 2019 |

Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) has named Burnham Martin as recipient of the 2019 Espy Land Heritage Award. 

Each year MCHT presents the award to an individual, organization, or coalition for exemplary conservation efforts in Maine. Martin, Maine Project Director for the National Park Service, has been instrumental in the success of the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program in Maine and has been involved at every level at creating trails and expanding access to the outdoors in Maine.

Burnham Martin

Upon presenting the award, MCHT President Tim Glidden remarked, “Burnham has worked for three decades to improve Mainers’ access to the outdoors in almost every part of our state. This work has been with, for, and about an exceptionally diverse group—landowners, hunters, bird watchers, snowmobilers, fishermen and fisherwomen, loggers, mountain bikers, hikers, and more. He is truly deserving of this special award.” 

In southern Maine, Burnham helped form the Eastern Trail Alliance and, with many partners, facilitated creation of the Eastern Trail—an off-road, shared use recreation path that will extend from Kittery to South Portland. 

In western Maine, Burnham assisted the Rangeley Region Trails Partnership in funding and constructing a trail system along the lower slopes of Saddleback Mountain. 

In Grand Lake Stream, he worked with the Downeast Lakes Land Trust to create walking trails in the Downeast Lakes Community Forest.

In honoring past President Jay Espy with this award, the board of directors at MCHT created a fund that awards $5,000 per year to a conservation charity in honor of that year’s Espy Land Heritage Award winner.  

This year, this financial award will be given to the Bethel Community Forest project. The local community, in partnership with Mahoosuc Pathways, The Trust for Public Land, and the Northern Forest Center is working to protect 978 acres to create Bethel Community Forest—a new community-managed open space to be shared by all residents.  

More Stories from the Coast

In Memoriam

All of us at Maine Coast Heritage Trust mourn the passing of Peter Blanchard, a true champion for the Maine coast.

Love of Place

“This place, and the people who also call this place home, made me who I am and instilled in me a desire to care for this land and the lives and livelihoods it supports. For me, that’s what conservation is all about.”

Birth of a New Era at Aldermere Farm and Erickson Fields

Aldermere Farm and Erickson Fields require much-needed investment to make them safer, more efficient, and more inclusive community preserves. How do we extend access to the special experiences they offer?

What the Birds Have to Say

By 2022 MCHT Richard G. Rockefeller Conservation Intern Calvin Lucindo

Why We Support Replacing the Machias Dike

We have the opportunity to enhance recreational and commercial opportunities in the Machias area and the ecological health of the Middle River by improving fish passage and restoring 300 acres of salt marsh.