Kittery Land Trust logo - woodcut by Holly Elkins of Braveboat Harbor

Our Mission

The Kittery Land Trust, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to working creatively with landowners, citizens and the Town of Kittery to conserve and steward important natural areas that improve the quality of life in Kittery now and for the future.

More than 270 members belong to the Trust, which now owns or protects 383 acres of land.

To become a member of KLT, click here to download a membership form that you can send in by mail or
you can become a member with a secure online donation to KLT.

The following are the Annual Membership Categories
$30 Individual
$50 Family
$100 Supporting
$250 Contributing
$500 Sustaining
$1,000 Partner
$2,000 Benefactor

Click on the Donate Now button below. With Network for Good, you can pay with a credit or debit card. You can increase (and we hope you will) the benefit to KLT by adding the processing charges to your donation.

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FAIRCHILD EASEMENT - February 5, 2009 - Portsmouth Herald
February 05, 2009 6:00 AM Kittery Land Trust protects 16 acres KITTERY, Maine — After a year of hard work and support from individuals and the town, the Kittery Land Trust has completed its first-ever capital campaign for the protection of 16 acres of land along Chauncey Creek. In December 2007, KLT purchased a conservation easement from Lincoln Fairchild to conserve 2,000 feet of shorefront along the creek. Since then, a campaign committee, headed by Ken Fellows, Debora Martin and Alex Dearborn, has raised $270,000 from individuals, the town and a federal grant to support the conservation project. With unaltered woodlands, sensitive wetlands and a rich intertidal zone, the Fairchild property provides valuable habitat for amphibians, waterfowl and migratory birds, said Fellows. The tall pines and steep slopes that line the shore provide a defining view of Kittery and the coast of Maine to those traveling near Chauncey Creek, he said. The Kittery Comprehensive Plan identified this property as one of the town's highest priorities for conservation. Fairchild, whose family has owned the property since the 1930s, could have subdivided the land, Fellows said. Instead, at a price below market value, he sold development rights to the Kittery Land Trust, which will hold the property for conservation purposes. More than half of the money needed for the Fairchild project was raised through the Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative, a collaboration of 10 local, state and federal conservation groups focused on protecting important open spaces between Mount Agamenticus and Gerrish Island. "KLT couldn't have succeeded as quickly as it did without the important early contribution we had from the town," said Fellows. "When the Town Council unanimously voted to direct $50,000 from the Open Space fund for this effort, we knew we were off to a great start." People from Kittery and beyond donated an additional $145,000, and KLT received $75,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. "I am so proud of our board, volunteers, and the entire community for stepping up to protect one of the most beautiful and ecologically significant places in Kittery. Even in these hard times, people care about the future and know that conservation is forever," said KLT president Melissa Paly.

See the News section for more information on this acquisition.

 

Learn about KLT
Learn more about the Trust by reading our newsletters. Click here to download

the Spring 2008 issue the Spring 2007 issue the Spring 2006 issue the Summer 2005 issue the Winter 2005 issue or the Spring 2004 issue.

Learn about the people behind the Trust - our board and staff members.


Learn about the properties the Trust protects and manages
Do you want to know where KLT's properties are or learn something about them? Click on KLT Properties for more details. There is one page for each property KLT owns or manages through a conservation easement.


Thanks to Kennebunk Savings Bank and our members who are its customers
Each year the Kennebunk Savings Bank Community Investment Program provides funds to non-profit and charitable organizations based on the results of its Community Investment Ballot. As in past years, the Kittery Land Trust is pleased to be one of the charitable organizations listed on this year's ballot.

This year's Investment Ballots are in the mail. Your votes for KLT allow us to continue our efforts to conserve and steward important natural areas in Kittery. Last year votes translated into $744 in grant money to KLT. We thank those of you who choose to support KLT.


New law on voluntary conservation agreements

Congress recently passed a law to enhance the tax benefits of protecting your land by donating a voluntary conservation agreement. To learn more about this law, download Conservation Agreement Changes. More information is also available at the Land Trust Alliance website.

The Trust is grateful for support from:

The Timberland Company
Kennebunk Savings Bank
The Rosamond Thaxter Foundation
All our members


To learn more about conservation options for your property, click to read "Conservation Options: A Guide for Maine Landowners."




Contact KLT

Last updated: April 19, 2009


The Trust is indebted to the Rosamond Thaxter Foundation for support of this web site and for annual support since 1997.

Kittery Land Trust
P.O. Box 467
Kittery, Maine 03904-0467

207-439-8271

Members of the
Board of Directors:

MJ Blanchette
Gillian Carter, Secretary
Tim Case
Alex Dearborn
Richard Emery, Treasurer
Ken Fellows, Vice President
Rob Nichols
William Paarlberg
Melissa Paly, President
Cameron Wake

Administrative Coordinator:
Kelsey Woodward