I was extremely impressed by the turnout for the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust’s annual meeting last Wednesday. More than 100 people were there to meet land trust board members; Tom Hall, Scarborough’s new town manager; Stacy Brenner and John Bliss of the Broadturn Farm, winners of this year’s EcoMaine Award; and to honor Laurene Swaney for her many years of devoted and effective work for land conservation in Scarborough. Thank you to all who attended. Your presence was evidence of the importance that Scarborough residents place on land conservation.

I’d also like to thank the many former land trust board members who attended, as well as our corporate sponsors for the evening: Daniel Ravin, DMD, Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution and Whole Home Resource.

As we were able to announce at the meeting, the land trust has been provided with an office in Scarborough through the generosity of Steve Berg and Alpha Management. Although the rent is being donated, there are costs to the land trust for making this step forward. Internet, telephone and supplies will run $1,500 this year. We are asking for contributions to support those costs. If you can give, please send a check to the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust at P.O. Box 1237, Scarborough, ME 04070 or make a gift online at www.scarboroughcrossroads.org/slct.

In 30 years, the land trust has preserved nearly 1,000 acres of land in Scarborough, but open space has been disappearing at a much faster rate. We aim to at least double that in the next 10 years. Other land trusts in southern Maine are already running out of land to preserve. We estimate Scarborough may have a 10-year window of opportunity remaining for preservation of a significant amount of land for public access and ecological benefit. It is up to our generation to accomplish this: our children, and their children, will have only what we can preserve now to protect and enjoy.

Meanwhile, we need your help to accomplish this goal, and to help us take care of, and to help everyone enjoy, the land we already have under conservation. The Scarborough Land Conservation Trust relies on donations, and it relies on volunteers. The board members, committee members, Broadturn Farm volunteers, and the people who come out for hands-on trail maintenance all play crucial roles. We need your time, talent, and treasure to help us reach our ambitious goal.

There are many ways to be involved with the Land Trust. All of our efforts are organized through a series of committees, and you are invited to contact the following people to express your interest in working with one of these committees:

• Acquisitions (conservation easements / land donations): call Elizabeth Peoples, 799-1645;

• Stewardship (trail building and maintenance, property monitoring): call Marla Zando, 885-9677;

• Broadturn Farm (activities planning and assistance, strategic planning, and property management): call Paul Austin, 883-6050;

• Communications (newsletters, outreach, website support): call Tim King, 510-1352;

• Development (fundraising appeals, special events, arranging gifts and bequests): call Susan DeWitt Wilder, 883-6050.

Jack Anderson

Scarborough Land Conservation Trust president