
We are indebted to more than 100 families, business, foundations, and other funders that donated and helped us reach our $200,000 campaign goal. Thank you! The Town of Yarmouth took ownership of the parcel on July 15, 2019.
Together we helped save one of Yarmouth’s last remaining pieces of unfragmented habitat and shoreline along the Royal River: In Yarmouth the Royal River’s undeveloped shoreline and habitat is rapidly disappearing as our community grows. The Royal River’s shoreline from East Elm street upriver to North Yarmouth still remains mostly undeveloped and naturally supports beavers, otters, deer, and a variety of bird species and distinct flora. This environment creates a surprisingly remote experience for paddling in the summer and skating, snowshoeing and skiing in the winter.
Our generation conserved the remaining land: The Royal River Conservation Trust and the Town of Yarmouth worked in close partnership to raise the necessary funds to purchase 24 acres of riverfront land that is owned by Steve and Greg Dugas, Yarmouth residents. The Dugas riverfront property abuts the 22 acre Town-owned Hilda Barker Preserve and the 35 acre Town-owned Sligo Road Preserve directly across the Royal River. The connection of these preserves as a new combined Riverfront Woods Preserve creates a corridor for trails and protects one half mile of shoreline. This new Riverfront Woods Preserve creates a lush sanctuary that is also accessible from growing neighborhoods. These lands are part of a nearly 1,000 acre multi-town unfragmented habitat.
More information online:
Riverfront Woods Preserve trails and public website
Recent press articles on the campaign
Click here: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and campaign fine print.
For questions or information, please contact:
Alan Stearns, Executive Director, RRCT: Alan@RRCT.org cell (207) 215-8315
For questions or information on the Town’s role, planned trails, and emerging new rules, please contact: Karyn MacNeill, Director of Community Services, Town of Yarmouth, KMacNeill@yarmouth.me.us (207) 846-2406
CAMPAIGN BUDGET INFORMATION:
Steve and Greg Dugas generously agreed to sell this riverfront land for below the appraised value. The Town Council committed $110,000 in available land acquisition reserve funds. The Land for Maine’s Future program awarded $110,000 and the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership contributed $8,000. The remainder – including transactional costs, property management costs, and conservation easement stewardship — was met by donations from more than 100 families, businesses, and foundations through the Royal River Conservation Trust.
Thank you Riverfront Woods Donors:
Pamela B. AdamsCharles and Laurie Ammann
AVANGRID Foundation
Bafflin Foundation
Dan and Julia Bailin
Anne Ball and Dennis Welsh
Kyo Bannai and Craig Schneider
Dave and Cynthia Barnard
Sam Barouch
Laurie Bean
Jeremy Bell and Elizabeth Pratt
Julie Benavides
Bob and Judith Bishop
Donald and Tracy Booth
Nan Butterfield
Doug and Linda Cardente
Marcie and Corvis Catsouphes
David Chalmers
Erin Cinelli and Ben Slayton
Clayton’s Cafe
Kerry and MaryEllen Connell
cowles studio| landscape architecture
Laurel Cox and Adam Sharp
David Craig
James Crofts
Darcy Cunningham
David Kitchen
Deb and Garreth Debiegun
Anthony Debruyn
Peter Dickson
Mary Dowd
Margaret and Tom Downing
Bruce Drouin and Janet Hansen and Family
John Duffy
William Dunn
Eric Elwin and Susan Murr
Estabrook’s
Mark and Pattie Fasold
Irving and Donna Felker
Mr. & Mrs. David Field
Gro Flatebo and Kent Wommack
Richard Flewelling
Ted Foden
Deborah and Crombie Garrett
Ed and Celena Gervais
John Given
Lisa Gorman
Linda and Schuyler Grant
Maura Halkiotis and Tom Renehan
Gardiner Hall
Frank and Constance Harrison
Kathy and Paul Hassett
May Hiebert
Vivian Horoshak and Robert Hawkins
Richard Hubbell
Christopher and Anne Jacobs
Karyn MacNeill |
Kennebec Savings BankJudy Knaub
Robert and Caroline Knott
Erik and Catherine Knudsen
Michael and Carolyn Lane
The Laputz Family
Peter Lawlor
Alex Lawrence
Jean and DIck Leslie
Douglass and Rosemarie Lloyd
Christine Manderson and Brian Peters
Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust
Karen Massey and Jeff Thaler
Chris and Steve McDuffie
Sharon McHold and Tom Settlemire
Hillary M. McKinnon
Tred and Lizzie McIntire
Kathy Mills
David and Ruth Morine
Morton-kelly Charitable Trust
Chistiane Northrup
Ann Nye
Hannah and Dan Ostrye
Isabella Pardales
Stacey Pardales
David Pearl
Christine Phelps
Hillary and William Pidden
Christopher and Nancy Pierce
Virginia Remeika
Lisa Fideout and Michael Foley
Robert and Betsy Robson
Josh Royte and Leigh Baker
Karen and John Saucier
Curt and Nina Scribner
Lynne Seeley and Peter Lee
Megan Sevitelli and Michael Dedekian
The Kew/Sharpless Family
The Shurman Family
Elizabeth Small
Bertran Smith and Mary Webber
James Stevens
Jaime and Colles Stowell
Paul and Mary Stuart
Tania Jo and Beth Sturtevant
James and Elizabeth Taylor
Jim Glenn Thatcher
Ann Thayer
The Babbling Brook Fund
Carl Troy
David Truesdell
Tux Turkel and Amy Sinclair
Sarah and Jim Van Fleet
Village Improvement Society
The Waeldner Family
William Ruth and Phyllidia Ku-Ruth
Mary Williamson
Robert Smith and Margaret Creighton
The Town of Yarmouth |
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