Bethel Maine History – The Bethel Journals
Mahoosuc Land
Trust
Chronology
of activities as a conservation land trust
1988
to 2009
October
13, 2009
October 1988 - Community Visioning
Conference The need for a community land trust is
identified at a Community Visioning Conference held in Bethel. The Mahoosuc
Land Trust, the Mahoosuc Arts Council, the Bethel Conservation Commission and
the Bethel Retirement Community are all outcomes of the Conference.
March 27, 1989 - Articles of Incorporation
MLT Articles of Incorporation are
approved by the Maine Secretary of State.
October 22, 1989 - First Annual
Meeting Mahoosuc Land Trust holds its first
annual meeting. Kirk Siegel is elected president; Bill Pooley, secretary, and
Marcel Polak, treasurer. The first board includes Tim Carter, Andi Clones,
Betsey Cooper, Marie Hickey, Keith Hodsdon, Sally Rollinson (Taylor), Jim Sysko
and Jim Yarnell.
December 7, 1989 - Tax Exempt Status Mahoosuc Land Trust receives 501 (c) 3 designation
from the Internal Revenue Service. The designation enables donors to claim tax
deductions for their gifts to the trust.
May 31, 1990 - School’s Canoe Landing The first land protection project is completed. Eva Schools of Bethel donates seven acres of
land including 1,000 feet of Androscoggin River frontage to the Mahoosuc Land
Trust in memory of her late husband, George Schools. The project is a
collaborative effort with the Friends of the Androscoggin.
Summer, 1990 - First Newsletter
published
December 27, 1990 - Scruton Easement The first conservation easement is completed protecting the
204-acre Scruton Tree Farm in Upton. The easement is a gift of The Rev. Norman
and Marion Scruton of Anacortes, WA. Rev. Scruton served as the minister of
churches in Errol, Newry and Upton during the 1940s and 50s and had a lifelong
fondness for the Lake Umbagog Region.
August 20, 1991 - Marcel Polak of Woodstock is hired as part-time executive director, the
first employee of the Mahoosuc Land Trust. The Betterment Fund supports the new
staff position.
October 10, 1991 - Kendall Island Becky Kendall of Bethel donates a 35-acre island near
Newt’s Landing in West Bethel. The Island is named Maurice Kendall Island in
memory of her husband, who planted the pine plantation on the island and who,
like Becky, had a life-long appreciation of the out-of-doors.
June 15, 1992 - Williamson Easement Buster and Ginny Williamson of Upton donate a conservation
easement on their 133 acre woodlot in Newry. The easement includes the site of
the Williamson homestead and is now a very highly productive woodlot and the
site of many fine cross country ski trails.
February 26, 1993 - Philbrook Islands Roy and Mary Newton of Gorham, New Hampshire, donate the
Philbrook Islands totaling 21 acres in Gilead to the Mahoosuc Land Trust. One
of the islands contains a fine example of a mixed hardwood floodplain forest.
June 11, 1993 - Pat Angevine Pat Angevine of Upton is chosen the second president of the
Mahoosuc Land Trust.
November, 1994 - Ken Bohr of Bethel is chosen as the third president of the Mahoosuc
Land Trust.
1994 - MLT Logo Arla Patch of Woodstock designs the Mahoosuc Land Trust logo.
July 27, 2005 - Songo Pond Easement The
Songo Pond easement is concluded. The easement protects 40 acres including
3,200 feet of frontage on Songo Pond, owned for many years by the Rich Family
of Roanoke, Virginia. The property was initially donated to the Nature
Conservancy, which initiated the conservation easement before selling the
property.
September 3, 1995 - Intervale Gateway The
Intervale Gateway project is completed. It is the first Mahoosuc Land Trust
project requiring fundraising. The MLT Board successfully raises $60,000 to
purchase the Gateway Preserve and $12,000 for its long term stewardship. The
purchase preserves the scenic entry into Bethel Village.
December 1, 1995 - Jim Mitchell succeeds Marcel Polak as executive director.
July 1, 1996 - Merger with the Friends
of the Androscoggin The Mahoosuc Land Trust completes a merger with the Friends
of the Androscoggin.
September 1, 1996 - Gateway Hayfield
Restoration The Intervale Gateway hayfield
restoration begins. The Gateway field contains highly productive agricultural soils,
but had become overgrown with weeds and shrubs over the years. MLT receives
funding from the Davis Conservation Fund and the Oxford County Farm Service
Agency to restore the western part of the field. Les Robertson of Newry plows, cultivates and re-seeds the field with timothy grass
and clover. The next summer the field yields 1,108 bales of hay.
September 4, 1997 - Newt’s Landing Roy
and Mary Newton of Gorham, New Hampshire, donate Newt’s Landing to the Mahoosuc
Land Trust in memory of Roy’s father, the late Bert Newton of West Bethel.
Newt’s Landing is the second gift of land from the Newtons.
December 18, 1997 - Hay Crossing Becky Kendall donates the Hay Crossing, including 735 feet of
frontage on the Androscoggin River, to the Mahoosuc Land Trust. Hay Crossing
includes the site of the ford between Kendall Island and the mainland
historically used to transport agricultural supplies and products to and from
the island when it was used for agriculture. The Crossing provides easy access to the island for
the land trust.
October 14, 1998 - Trade Lands Michael
and Priscilla Dolan, formerly of Bethel, donate the first of two parcels of
land to the land trust for the purpose of re-sale. The properties include land located
in South Paris and Woodstock. The proceeds of the sales are used to support
MLT’s land protection program.
October 24, 1999 - John Laban Ken
Bohr steps down after serving four years as president. He is succeeded by John
Laban, the fourth president of the Mahoosuc Land Trust.
December 27, 1999 - Willis Island Helen Dolloff of Hanover donates 12 acre Willis Island to the
Mahoosuc Land Trust. The island, located in the Androscoggin River at Hanover,
includes prime wildlife habitat.
December 12, 2000 - Androscoggin Canoe
Trail Mahoosuc Land Trust establishes the Androscoggin Canoe Trail. The
trail includes a series of access points to the river between Shelburne and
Rumford. The project is supported by the National Park Service Rivers and
Trails Program. Becka Roolf,
a National Park Service employee, works with the Canoe Trail Committee over the
next two years to complete the project.
December 23, 2000 - Gateway Extension The
Mahoosuc Land Trust completes a successful capital campaign to raise $33,000
for the purpose of buying four and a half acres abutting the Intervale Gateway.
May 31, 2001 - Moran’s Landing The
Canoe Trail Committee successfully submits an application to the Land for
Maine’s Future (LMF) Program for funds to purchase Moran’s Landing, a five acre
parcel at the confluence of the Androscoggin and Bear Rivers in Hanover. Bob
and Cynthia Laux sell the property to the land trust at less than fair market
value. The Department of Conservation and LMF funds complete the purchase.
October 28, 2001 - Landon Fake Landon
Fake becomes the fifth president of the MLT.
November 14, 2001 - Local Knowledge Series The
Local Knowledge Lecture Series begins with a presentation by Seabury Lyons, a
Bethel resident and research associate with Bat Conservation International.
October 14, 2003 - Frenchman’s Hole MLT launches the
Frenchman’s Hole Project. The Maine
Department of Conservation submits an application to LMF for funding to
purchase Frenchman’s Hole in Riley. Frenchman’s Hole is an extremely popular
swimming and picnicking site, having been used by local residents for
generations. The new property is owned and managed by the Maine Bureau of Parks
and Lands and becomes part of the existing Mahoosuc Unit of the Maine Public
Reserve Lands. MLT agrees to raise the local match funds for the department’s
LMF grant and to be the caretaker of the property.
April, 2003 - Moran’s Landing Improvements MLT
receives Maine Recreational Trails Program funding to make improvements to
Moran’s Landing. A parking lot and handicap access trail to the river are
built.
October 29, 2003 - General Alger Farm
Easement The General Alger Farm Easement is
completed. This easement will protect 130 acres surrounding the historic
General Alger Farm on Route 232 in Woodstock.
October 14, 2004 - Mahoosuc Initiative
The Mahoosuc Land Trust formally joins
the Mahoosuc Initiative, a collaboration of community, regional and national
organizations, working together to promote conservation and sustainable development
in the Mahoosuc Region of Maine and New Hampshire.
Fall 2004 - Bethel Area Trails The Mahoosuc Land Trust partners with the Bethel Area Trails
Committee to improve pedestrian access to Bethel and to extend the Bethel
Pathway to nearby communities.
May 12, 2005 - Maggie’s Nature Park
Easement: Margaret Ring of Greenwood donates an 86 acre easement on her land
near South Pond in Greenwood. Mrs. Ring subsequently donates the fee to the
Town of Greenwood, which operates the undeveloped Maggie’s Nature Park at the
site.
October 3, 2005 - Steve Wight becomes the sixth president of the Mahoosuc Land Trust.
February 25, 2005 - Stewart Family
Preserve Bob Stewart of Cumberland donates 485 acres
of land, including the three summits of Puzzle Mountain and five miles of the
route of the Grafton Loop Trail, to the Mahoosuc Land Trust. The gift doubles
the acreage owned by Mahoosuc Land Trust and protects an environmentally
sensitive mountain top and an important hiking trail.
March 13, 2006 - Goodnow Island Patty Dooen of Bethel donates nine acres of Goodnow Island in
the Androscoggin River at West Bethel to the Mahoosuc Land Trust. The island is
recognized for its wild plentiful wild grapes and excellent wildlife.
2006 and 2007 - The Rumford Whitecap
Mountain Preserve The Mahoosuc Land Trust launches a
project to purchase and protect 750 acres of land on Rumford Whitecap Mountain.
The open summit of the mountain has a 360 degree view, is abundant with
blueberries in the summer, and provides fine telemark skiing in winter. MLT
raises $490,000 to match LMF funding and acquires the preserve on March 31,
2007.
June 14, 2007 - Grafton Loop Trail
Parking Area Bob Stewart of Cumberland donates land
on Route 26 in Newry to be used for public parking by Grafton Loop Trail
hikers.
October, 2007 - Bethel Pathway
Extension The Bethel Pathway is extended crossing the Androscoggin River
on a new pedestrian bridge, following the river to North Road.
December 26, 2007 - Chandler Family
Woodlot John and Martha Chandler of Laconia,
New Hampshire, and Henry Chandler of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, donate a
conservation easement on their 212-acre woodlot in Andover. The property is the
site of a network of historic carriage trails built in the 1880s.
September, 2008 - The Twenty Five /
Twenty Five Endowment Challenge Grant Mahoosuc Land Trust receives a $25,000 challenge grant from the
Maine Community Foundation. The organization is challenged to raise $25,000 for
its endowment to be matched by a $25,000 grant from the foundation.
September 2008 - Land Trust Excellence
Grant Mahoosuc Land Trust receives a grant of up to $18,000 from
the Maine Land Trust Network and the Land Trust Alliance for the purpose of
preparing the organization to apply for accreditation by the National Land
Trust Accreditation Commission. The organization is currently reviewing its
policies and procedures in preparation for the accreditation application in
2012.
March 2009 - Bethel Pathway Extension
to the Intervale Gateway
The Trails Committee receives a major grant from the Maine
Recreational Trails Program to extend the Bethel Pathway onto the Intervale
Gateway. The planning for the project is currently underway.
July 15, 2009 - First Mountain
Easement: Larry Ely and Jennifer Lawson of Falmouth donate an easement on
130 acres of scenic First Mountain in Shelburne, NH. This is the Mahoosuc Land
Trust’s first land protection project in New Hampshire. The project is part of
a community based collaborative effort to protect the rural character of
Shelburne.
Source: Compiled by the Mahoosuc Land Trust, Inc on
the occasion of reaching its 20th Anniversary.
The Bethel Journals
Donald
G. Bennett
PO
Box 763
Bethel,
Maine 04217