By Dan Aceto

Staff Writer

When Jack Anderson first contemplated moving to Scarborough he was struck by the town’s picturesque landscape.

“I don’t think there’s anybody living in town who doesn’t place a special value in the rural character of town. It’s unique for a bedroom community that’s so close to Portland to have such a character and feel,” said Anderson, president of the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust.

Last Wednesday the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust held its annual meeting at town hall to discuss the organization’s goals for the coming year and development of its trail system.

The trust, founded in 1977, helps acquire and protect the town’s sensitive and undeveloped land, which over the years has grown to include Broadturn Farm, Fuller Farm, Libby River Farm and Sewell Woods, among other land parcels.

Guest speaker Bob Shafto of the Falmouth Land Trust spoke about his town’s the success preserving space for a variety of uses and its innovative ideas.

This year Scarborough’s land trust will focus on maintenance and development of an extensive trail network that runs through many of the trust’s preserved parcels of land, said vice president Paul Austin.

The work, he said, is never-ending.

“One of the things that the land trust has found out over the years is that with 1,000 acres, there is an awful lot of work to do,” Austin said. “All of our properties have management land – some for forest, some for wildlife, some for habitat, some large areas like Fuller Farm for hay and grassland. So we need to update a lot of management plans and hire foresters, which is a huge part of maintenance.”

Parcels of land that will be outlined for new trail development and maintenance include a section of woods adjacent to Frith Farm on Ash Swamp Road and woods on Broadturn Farm. 

Austin said the land trust is always looking for volunteers to help maintain the organization’s existing properties and that regular trail maintenance is needed throughout the year for work such as removal of invasive plant species and realignment of boardwalks on walking trails.

“What we’ve done in the past on a number of occasions has hired Maine Conservation Corps, who are high school to college-age people who spend a summer camping on, and laying out trails,” Austin said. “We don’t have a project going this year, but anyone interested in helping with trail maintenance or cleanup, calling the land trust and signing up is a great thing to do.”

Austin said he has been impressed with the Falmouth land trust’s progressive thinking and would like to employ some successful techniques Shafto has tried over the years.

“One of the things they’re doing is harvesting junk lumber on land owned by the trust and using it for bio mass to heat their schools,” Austin said. “It’s a really exciting concept and an idea maybe we could think about. We have a ton of forest that we don’t do anything with that is owned by the land trust so there’s some potential there.”

Although Austin is not against development of land in town, he believes it is imperative that towns strive to achieve a balance between commercial and residential development and preservation of open space.

“I think communities need to have a cross section of all kinds of things, including residential, industrial and business areas,” Austin said. “One of the pieces that makes a well-rounded community is to have open spaces with scenic views so people can get out and walk in the country, cross-country ski and take their kids to the farm and see vegetables. It’s important to have a well-rounded community.”

Marla Zando, land protection and stewardship coordinator, agreed.

“We all need a place to go that’s quiet and away from traffic and noises, and gadgets and gizmos, and it’s something that’s becoming rarer and more special,” Zando said. “It’s essential get time in natural area where we can experience the outdoors in natural setting, essential to our existence. These are great places for families, and the elderly to go for walks, and do some birding, and they’re right in your backyard.”

For Austin, his work with the land trust over the years has had one goal: betterment of the community.

“Everything we do is for the absolute benefit of Scarborough, we don’t derive any personal benefit. It’s all for the town and all for the future.”