1977-2007: Celebrating 30 Years of Keeping Freeport Green
By Ed Brainard - June 2008
During the last 30 years Freeport
Conservation Trust has made significant and lasting contributions to the Town
of Freeport, and with your support we are positioned to continue.
It is valuable to take a minute to reflect
what 30 years means. Between 1970 and 2006, the population of Freeport
increased from 4800 to 8100 people, which is a significant 69%
increase. Changes to the landscape are striking and include many new houses
and subdivisions in the rural areas of town, the downtown becoming primarily
company stores and parking lots, and the increase of residents commuting to
Portland for work. What were you doing in 1978? I imagine it is quite
different from the present!
FCT’s impact on the town’s landscape over
these 30 years has been subtle but also powerful. With the effort of FCT
board members, volunteers, and landowners we have protected over 44 properties
and 1,400 acres with 880 acres having public access.
When I drive into South Freeport from the
south, the protected fields of Talbot Farm always provide calming, beautiful
views. Similarly, leaving South Freeport, it is thrilling to see Mt.
Washington glowing in the morning sun; an FCT easement protects the viewshed
from any building. The unpaved section of road passing through Wolfe’s Neck
Woods State Park is protected by an easement held by the Trust, and adds to
the character and value of the park. With the protection of Mitchell Ledge
Farm last year, the rural character of Flying Point Road will be
sustained. Views of Maquoit Bay on outer Flying Point Road are also protected:
Means Massacre Field was one of FCT’s first easements, donated by the Smiths,
while the nearby Trub Field is the Trust’s most recent easement. In north
Freeport, views from Grant Road across the fields of the town’s Hidden Pond
preserve are guaranteed by an easement held by FCT. Out on the Bay, FCT holds
easements on several of the lovely string of Silver Isles.
Properties owned by FCT are visited often by
local residents, and the public access is valued. Many walkers enjoy being
outdoors in Sayles Field daily. For several years visitors have enjoyed the
walk to Powell Point for views of the marsh and the Cousins River. Now they
can also reach the river from the YMCA on the newly built Cousins River Trail.
Quarry Woods, owned by the Town of Freeport and protected by an easement held
by FCT, is used by neighbors and school children from Mast Landing School. At
high tide in the summer, there are often people launching kayaks at the
Trust’s Mill Stream Landing.
This year we plan to continue to increase
public access through trail work, and to pursue opportunities for conservation
with landowners. We are planning to construct over four miles of public access
trail at Mitchell Ledge Farm, made possible with trail easements donated by
six neighbors. The LeMaistre’s have already built the public parking area
located on Litchfield Road. Completing this trail project will build momentum
for trail connections in the east Freeport area. In recent months the Trust
has accepted two easements and made an agreement with a third landowner, each
of which have provided trail links in this part of town. We are also
exploring a joint trail project with the Pownal Land Trust in west Freeport.
The efforts of many dedicated individuals
over the last 30 years have successfully contributed to our mission to
protect, preserve and connect open space lands and provide public access to
natural areas in Freeport, including forests, farmland, scenic vistas,
wildlife habitat, and shore land. Imagining how the town could change in
the next 30 years provides motivation to continue protecting and connecting
land in Freeport. I ask for your ongoing support to help us preserve this
beautiful town.
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