Kittery Land Trust

KLT News

Fairchild Easement acquisition

In December 2007, Kittery Land Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving land and the quality of life in Kittery, permanently protected 16 acres of shorefront along Chauncey Creek in Kittery Point. The property includes 2000 feet of frontage on the Creek, one of the longest stretches of undeveloped coastline in Kittery. With is unaltered woodlands, sensitive wetlands and a rich intertidal zone, the property provides valuable habitat for amphibians, waterfowl and migratory birds. The tall pines and steep slopes that line the rocky shore provide a defining view of Kittery and the coast of Maine to anyone traveling by land or water along Chauncey Creek. Indeed, the Kittery Comprehensive Plan identified this property as one of the Town's highest priorities for conservation.

Mr. Lincoln Fairchild, whose family has owned the property since the 1930s, has long hoped to keep the property in its substantially undeveloped state. While the property could have been subdivided into four waterfront house lots with docks and landscaping, that wasn't Mr. Fairchild's vision for his family's property. “I cannot imagine this land in any other state than it is today. With the help of my family, the Town of Kittery, and the Kittery Land Trust, I am pleased to know that it will remain as is forever.” Mr. Fairchild has generously sold his development rights to the Kittery Land Trust for $530,000, a figure substantially below market value. The Kittery Land Trust has raised over 60% of the total needed to pay for this remarkable property with funding from the Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative, a partnership of ten local, state and federal conservation organizations, as well as the Town of Kittery through the Open Space Fund,. A capital campaign is underway to raise the remaining funds.

While Mr. Fairchild will continue to own the land, the Kittery Land Trust will hold a conservation easement on the property, ensuring that it will never be developed. The easement preserves the aesthetic and ecological values of the property forever and provides for the creation of a public walking path at the end of the property closest to Pocahontas Road.
“We are grateful to all of the individuals and organizations who made this project happen,” said KLT President Melissa Paly. “We are indebted to our partners in the Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea partnership, (MtA2C),to the Kittery Town Council for voting unanimously to use town funds to help conserve this property, to KLT Board member Rob Nichols for his vision and persistence in structuring this agreement, and most of all, to Mr. Fairchild for his steadfast commitment to the conservation of this exceptional property that so defines our community.”

FairchildfromCC

Top: A satellite view of the Fairchild easement
Middle: Looking east across Cauncey Creek to the Fairchild easement
Bottom: The Fairchild easement looking west

For more information about the Fairchild Easement, see the KLT Properties page.

Friend of Kittery Conservation Award

GraceFrawley

KLT Board member Bill Paarlberg and Grace Frawley in 1999 on the 52 acres donated to KLT.

At KLT's seventh annual Clambake and Annual Meeting held at Fort Foster on September 9, the highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of the third "Friend of Kittery Conservation Award." KLT president Melissa Paly presented the Award to Grace Frawley with this tribute: "Grace Frawley raised 6 kids and a lot of animals at her home near the end of Norton Road, a lovely home surrounded by acres of classic New England woodlands. Laced with old stone walls and 100 year old hardwoods, the land was farmed for generations that preceeded her. Like many Mainers, Grace has had a life-long fascination with the natural world, and the land around her home. She glows with excitement when describing the cow slips, jack in the pulpits, lady slippers and blue fringed gentians in her woods. And also like many Mainers, she realized that these woods were more than a place for future houses – they provided home for animals, and place to walk and connect with nature."

In 1999 Grace donated 52 acres to KLT so that it would remain forever wild and accessible for people to enjoy. Grace has said that “everyone has a part to play in protecting Kittery’s open spaces”. Mrs Frawley has played her part magnificently, and for that we wish to award her the third annual “FRIEND OF KITTERY CONSERVATION AWARD”.

Accepting the award was Grace Frawley surrounded by her six adult children. For pictures of the award, click on the picture above or here.

Seventh Clambake and Annual Meeting

The Kittery Land Trust's seventh annual Clambake was held again at Fort Foster on September 9, a beautiful clear fall day. We enjoyed the traditional clams and mussels, followed by lobsters, chicken, corn on the cob, and various salads and desserts. Dick and Alice Emery planned and coordinated the preparation, cooking and clean-up assisted by Walter and Rosemary Perrin, Bill and Myra Cutts.

Click here or on the picture above to see more images of the clambake.

In conjunction with our clambake and annual meeting, Martha "Marty" Petersen, Principal, Petersen Designs spoke about sustainable gardening in our own backyards.

Marty is shown to the right. KLT President Melissa Paly is on the left in the background.

Photograph by Stephen Delaney

Other issues covered at the meeting included KLT's Year in Review and a financial summary of the year.

Stay tuned for plans for our 2nd Gala in the spring of 2008

Our 2006 Gala was such a huge success, we are planning another event for June 11th from 5:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Click the image below to learn about KLT's first-ever gala celebration.

Learn about Climate Change

Climate change is at the forefront of our conversations locally and globally. While Dr. Cameron Wake, Research Associate Professor, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space at University of New Hampshire, and KLT board member, gave the keynote address at KLT's 2005 Annual Meeting, entitled "New England's Changing Climate: What's Happening in our Backyard?", the materials he presented remain timely. Learn about our changing climate in an article that Dr. Wake co-authored with Clean Air - Cool Planet: Indicators of Climate Change.

For information on events, contact:

Melissa Paly, President of the Board of Directors
(207-439-8271)
or
Kelsey Woodward, Coordinator

Contact KLT

Last updated: July 3, 2008

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