Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) is a community-based organization in Maine involving members from Arrowsic, Bath, Bowdoinham, Dresden, West Bath, Georgetown, Westport Island, and Woolwich. KELT does their work through conservation easements, property donation and outright purchase. They collaborate with state and federal agencies and private conservation organizations within the Maine Wetlands Protection Coalition.
History
In the late 1980s the Arrowsic Conservation Commission began discussing the need for a local land conservation organization. These discussions led to a decision to hold a meeting in which local representatives from Arrowsic, Bath, Georgetown, Phippsburg, West Bath and Woolwich would discuss such issues. Soon after, an organizational committee was formed. In the winter of 1991, KELT received its first easement, made up of a major portion on Long Island across from Fort Popham. The area covers more than 80 acres and two miles of shoreline. KELT was originally known as the Lower Kennebec Region Land Trust until renamed by a member vote accepting this and other changes to the Bylaws in February 2009. As of 2009, the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust owned 700 acres of land and had 951 acres of land under easement.
Kennebec Estuary Land Trust Leadership
The Executive Director of Kennebec Estuary Land Trust and main contact is Carrie Kinne. The President of Kennebec Estuary Land Trust is Dennis Dunbar. The Trust is staffed by seven individuals and has approximately 200 members.
Kennebec Estuary
The Kennebec Estuary is home for every species of waterfowl that uses the Atlantic flyway. The center of the estuary is Merrymeeting Bay, where six rivers meet in an inland freshwater tidal delta.
Mission
“Conserve, restore, and instill appreciation of the land and water resources of the Kennebec Estuary to benefit today’s communities and future generations.”
Conserved Land
Source:
- Lilly Pond Community Forest
- Merrymeeting Fields Preserve
- Thorne Head Preserve
- Sewall Woods Preserve
- Higgins Mountain Preserve
- Green Point Preserve
- Bonyun Preserve
- Weber Kelly Preserve
- Morse Pond Reserve
References
- ^ Kennebec Estuary Land Trust http://kennebecestuary.org/. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Kennebec Estuary Land Trust". Maine Land Trust Network. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Our Staff". Kennebec Estuary Land Trust. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- "Board of Directors". Kennebec Estuary Land Trust. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- "About the Kennebec Estuary in Maine | The Nature Conservancy". www.nature.org. Archived from the original on 2015-08-19. Retrieved 2015-11-04.