July 24, 2025 Edition
By Emily Patrick
When we first introduced you to the Moosehead Regional Land Trust back in October of 2024, the fledgling organization was made up of three key players and a dream. Today, nearly a year later, the organization’s mission has not changed: “…to conserve and protect the headwaters of the Kennebec and Penobscot watersheds and to sustain the tradition of public access to land in the Moosehead region through land acquisition and stewardship.”
Something else that hasn’t changed is that the organization’s three original friends and dreamers still play a key part in the organization: Carla Ritchie, President, Bill Baker, Vice President and Kay York Johnson, Treasurer, are still working hard behind the scenes to strengthen the organization’s roots and further their goal of conserving land in this beautiful region of ours.
Though its foundation hasn’t changed, the organization’s framework has been built up as it approaches its 2025 Annual Meeting in August. Ritchie says at the outset, she thought the first thing a land trust needs is land. That may be the case in the long run, but Ritchie has found that building regional rapport and strengthening the organization internally have been the top priorities for its first year. She said, “We have a lot of work to do to build the organization and relationships with the community so when opportunities do come along, we have the basis to pursue them.”
Tom Warren, the board’s new secretary, has had a “lifelong interest in ecology.” He’s worked professionally as a marine biologist for many years, recently retiring from the federal government managing marine fish populations. He says with a grin that he “brings that bureaucratic training” to the board (meaning, of course, his acute attention to detail in his secretarial duties). All fun aside, Tom has a deep understanding there can be emotion and passion and controversy at the intersection of human use and science. With this insight, he brings his “passion for preserving the ecological function of the ecosystems up here…including human use.”
MRLT’s board is now also rounded out by Sandy Scholar, former Assistant General Counsel for the National Science Foundation, Cynthia Marcotte, RN and full-time resident of Burnt Jacket in Beaver Cove, George Bakajza, lifelong soil conservationist, and Pat Shafer, Chair of MRLT’s policy committee. Shafer says he has been working in conservation since college in various forms, and even worked previously with Hudson Riverkeeper, enforcing critical legislation by “identifying polluters and bringing them to justice” with the likes of Bobby Kennedy and other notable environmentalists. Shafter says his goal is to “continue to keep this place [the Moosehead Region] looking good for my grandkids.”
Ritchie added another main driver of the organization is to “help maintain that way of life that we’ve all learned to love and appreciate [here].” Though the vision of a land trust in this region goes back at least 30 years, with over 80 land trusts in the State of Maine, it’s surprising to many Moosehead has been one of the last areas to form one. With the Moosehead Region being such a “unique area in the country,” drawing all seekers of habitat, be they people, plants or wildlife, the region is also renowned for its dark skies, pristine waters and tracts of undeveloped forest, some of the last remaining on the Eastern seaboard. Land trusts can bridge the gap, so to speak, between people and preservation, and the value MRLT could offer to our community for generations to come cannot be understated. The board, with its diverse range of skill sets, interests, backgrounds and experience, shares one thing in common: a love for our region and a passion to conserve its essence while fostering responsible human use and development.
One benefit of MRLT being a smaller regional trust is they are able to conserve smaller parcels of land than, say, the Forest Society of Maine, which does an excellent job in its own right but cannot possibly steward countless patches of small land in the vast State of Maine. MRLT is focused right here in our region, from Kokadjo and stretching as far as Rockwood and possibly Jackman, and they want to hear from you on areas you’d like to see conserved!
In the future, MRLT is committed to growth and progress. Aside from officially conserving their first parcel of land, they’d like to see an Education Committee added to the four committees they’ve launched with: Communications, Land, Fundraising and Policy. Speaking of policy, they would love to someday form a 501(c)(4) policy-driven group and aid agencies like LUPC in policy and enforcement matters in our region.
Right now, they’ve still looking for board and committee members. MRLT is a membership organization, and they’re committed to keeping membership costs low so anyone wishing to be can become a member. Check out their new website at mrlt.org to find out more!
The public is also invited to their annual meeting scheduled for Saturday, August 2 2025 at the Center for Moosehead History Auditorium at 6 Lakeview Street in Greenville. The meeting will start at 9 am, and local author Karin Tilberg will give a talk at 10:30 about her book “Loving the North Woods- 25 Years of Historic Conservation in Maine.” Hosted by this fun and passionate group of friends, it’s an event you won’t want to miss!