Nicholas Ullo and Steven Hufnagel, Boothbay Region Land Trust and Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust executive directors, respectively, shake hands on River~Link joint conservation land. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record
Midcoast-area organizations and towns have been collaborating to accommodate the increasing need for housing in the region amid land conservation efforts.
Established in 2002, River~Link is a recreational trail and wildlife corridor connecting the Sheepscot and Damariscotta rivers. It extends from the northern forests to the southern marshes, encompassing woodlands where bobcats roam and lawns where groundhogs hibernate. Land for Maine’s Future secured the initial funding that launched the River~Link project, sparking a partnership among several neighboring land trusts, municipalities, nonprofit organizations and state agencies that has grown ever since.
Celebrating the latest acquisition — a 100-acre plot in Edgecomb — Boothbay Region Land Trust and Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust officials highlighted the importance of balancing conservation with the Midcoast region’s growing need for public housing.
Boothbay Region Land Trust Communications Manager Christine Selman said the new, forested land with frontage on River Road abuts Colby Preserve, connecting over 1,400 acres of continuous natural space and providing more habitat for wildlife at a critical time. The acquisition was unique as it involved relisting a 6.5-acre parcel for residential use.
“When a species gets isolated in a disconnected patch of habitat, it runs a higher risk of local extinction,” Selman said. “This project, the largest conservation tract on the Boothbay Peninsula, links major water sources, providing room for large mammals to migrate while protecting precious natural resources we rely on.”
River~Link corridor
The program was developed by board members from Boothbay Region Land Trust, the Damariscotta River Association and the Pemaquid Watershed Association, which eventually merged to form Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust.
“With good grant writing and thoughtful foresight from my predecessor, Mark DesMeules [former executive director of the Damariscotta River Association], the vision fell into focus,” said Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Executive Director Steven Hufnagel.”Here we are, 20 years later, continuing the important work.”
In 2015, a public trail was added to connect Dodge Point Preserve on River Road in Newcastle to a trailhead on McKay Road in Boothbay. Hufnagel said plans are underway to extend the trail farther north to the twin villages of Newcastle and Damariscotta. The ultimate goal is to allow residents to walk from town to town.
On a map, the corridor’s shape creates a Y with Dodge Point on one end and Marsh River on the other, both shooting down to Zak Preserve in Boothbay.
The idea of creating a wildlife corridor along waterways is not new.
| “You can’t live in a house made of hallways (wildlife corridors); rooms (preserves) are where life happens.”
Pete McKinley |
It mimics the natural migratory patterns of mammals, and recent research by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has proven the strategy effective at slowing extinction rates in biodiversity hot spots. Such tracts help species adapt to climate change by facilitating their migration to cooler habitats and higher elevations as temperatures and sea levels rise.
“Giving large animals like moose, bobcats and coyotes space to exist prevents the chance they end up where they shouldn’t,” said Boothbay Region Land Trust Executive Director Nicholas Ullo. “It keeps them out of roads, decreasing the amount of vehicle strikes, and allows them to foster sustaining habitats.”
Hufnagel agreed, noting the corridor gives creatures big and small an opportunity to hopscotch around. He recalled an analogy Pete McKinley, senior ecologist for the wilderness society, often uses: “You can’t live in a house made of hallways (wildlife corridors); rooms (preserves) are where life happens.”
“It’s one thing to conserve a property with vernal pools on site,” Hufnagel said. “It is another to conserve adjacent plots, ensuring safe migration throughout their lifespan.”
100-acre addition
In October 2023, Boothbay Region Land Trust purchased a 100-acre plot bridging the gap between Colby Preserve and the River~Link system.
The newly acquired property in Edgecomb provides an additional access point to the Damariscotta River. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record
The parcel borders the Damariscotta River, providing an additional access point. As such, the land trust has received feedback from neighbors, who have seen new animals using the area to access the waterfront since the acquisition.
Air Rhodes, an Edgecomb resident who resides on River Road, has spotted a sizable male bobcat, grandfather bucks, turkeys, porcupines, red and grey foxes, salamanders, and signs of a young black bear.
“We’re located in a densely populated part of the state,” Selman said. “There’s a lot of development pressure, and we recognize the need to balance human needs and conservation. Before acquiring land, we always look at how doing so will benefit the public.”
According to Ullo, the property was on the market for a while and listed higher than what it would likely sell for. Once the cost dropped, the land trust moved quickly toward acquisition, deeming the property a high priority for habitat preservation.
“Right off the bat, we focused on a buy, restrict, resell model,” Ullo said. “Housing is a hot commodity; we knew we wanted to put the farmhouse with substantial yard space back on the market.”
Ullo said Boothbay Region Land Trust bought the property in the fall but waited until spring to sell a 6.5-acre piece, hoping to recover more of the initial investment. The new homeowners got their keys just in time to enjoy a New England summer.
Hufnagel applauded the acquisition, calling it a win-win for conservation and the community.
“It’s a great example that we can have both — housing and natural space,” Hufnagel said. “Investing in the right spaces for conservation leaves those better suited for development untouched.”
Lofty goals
“The River~Link project has become a leading example, even in our work,” Hufnagel said. “We [Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust] oversee Pemaquid Wild Pathways, a parallel wildlife corridor on the Pemaquid Peninsula.”
Over the past five years, Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust has acquired five new plots, ranging from 10 to 70 acres each. The organization just closed on two additional purchases, which it plans to integrate this fall.
Like the latest Boothbay Region Land Trust addition, one of the plots fills a gap in the contiguous tract. Reed’s Trees in Newscastle once served as a small Christmas tree farm. As a 10-acre plot, its value outsizes its scale; it connects to a 165-acre plot to the south, Baker Forest, and a 70-acre plot to the north, Schaller Preserve.
“From 2021–2026, our goal is to double our conserved areas,” Hufnagel said. “At this point, it’s all about piecing together the missing parts of the puzzle.”
In the future, Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust hopes to merge the River~Link corridor with a more extensive project called 12 Rivers to expand the continuous tract from the Kennebec River to Penobscot Bay.
