SCARBOROUGH — The Scarborough Land Trust recently announced that it has met the $500,000 fundraising goal it had set to purchase the Benjamin Farm property on Pleasant Hill Road.

The trust plans to purchase the property in December. According to a news release, a $50,000 matching gift from anonymous donors allowed the trust to meet its goal two months early.

The $500,000 is the largest amount SLT has raised in private support for a land conservation project. The rest of the $2.5 million project will be paid for through Scarborough’s Land Bond Fund; the Town Council approved the $2 million in funding in June.   

According to the release, “the 135-acre former farm is one of the last, large natural areas in one of the most densely populated regions of Scarborough.”

The trust has been trying to conserve the property, which abuts Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge and headwaters of the Spurwink River, for over 15 years.

In 2015, the SLT will finalize the plans for the property, which is owned by the children of cattle farmer Jerrerd Benjamin. Top conservation priorities include the creation of public trails and the management of invasive species. 


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