L-R: Brie Holmes of Portland Water District and Lee Dassler of Western Foothills Land Trust explore the recently acquired tract of land in Otisfield. Little Pond in the background.

AREA — Western Foothills Land Trust is pleased to announce the acquisition of three forested parcels protecting 100 acres in the Sebago Lake Watershed. Acquired on March 23, the parcels are located near the Crooked River in the towns of Otisfield and Norway. The acquisitions will protect recreational access, fisheries resources, wildlife habitat, and drinking water quality for over 200,000 drinking water customers in the greater Portland region. The lands are adjacent to the 252-acre Twin Bridges Preserve and are part of a larger project set to close this spring that will preserve over 1,000 contiguous acres. To be called Twin Bridges Extension, the Trust plans to establish a parking area with kiosk, trailhead, and non-motorized trails on the newly acquired lands in 2024.

Harriet Robinson donated one parcel, nearly twenty acres, predominantly wetlands, with bog-shoreline on Little Pond in Otisfield. The second parcel, 59 acres north of Route 117 in Otisfield, was sold to the Trust by Joan Cummings of Norway. Joan generously donated an adjacent 20-acre woodlot across the Norway town line. Together the three parcels protect 3,500 feet of Brook trout habitat, 1000 feet of pond shoreline, and over 30 acres of wetlands. Due to the wetlands protection involved, the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program provided support for the acquisitions along with the Maine Community Foundation, Portland Water District, Sebago Clean Waters, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Open Space Institute, and an anonymous donor.

Western Foothills Land Trust’s Twin Bridges Extension project was supported through the Open Space Institute’s Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund, which supports the protection of climate-resilient lands for wildlife and communities. The Fund is made possible thanks to major support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding from Lyndhurst, Riverview, Tucker Foundations, and Jack McKee.

Western Foothills Land Trust is dedicated to conserving and protecting native ecosystems, farm and forestlands, watersheds, and scenic landscapes for the benefit of wild and human communities in western Maine. The Trust was founded in 1987 and protects 8,400 acres of land by ownership or easement in the greater Oxford Hills and manages over 33 miles of recreational trails on seven preserves, including Roberts Farm in Norway.

The Trust relies upon the generosity and skills of volunteers to oversee their preserves and to help manage trails. To learn more about getting involved or donating, contact info@wfltmaine.org or visit www.wfltmaine.org.