The Scarborough Land Trust Conservationist of the Year Award was presented Aug. 25 to Eddie Woodin at its Annual Broadturn Farm Dinner. Pictured in the award presentation are, from left, Betts Armstrong, board president of Scarborough Land Trust; Eddie Woodin, award recipient; and Andrew Mackie, executive director of the Scarborough Land Trust. Courtesy photo
Scarborough Land Trust named Eddie Woodin as its first Conservationist of the Year award on Aug. 25 at its annual Broadturn Farm dinner event.
Volunteering, giving back and encouraging others to do the same is at the core of all that he does, according to an SLT news release. For the past two decades, this spiritual and inspirational philanthropist has championed many local causes, including Maine Audubon, Center for Wildlife, Boy Scouts of America, Southern Maine Agency on Aging, Scarborough’s Project Grace, Scarborough Garden Club, Scarborough Public Library, Friends of Scarborough Marsh, Friends of Casco Bay, and Scarborough Land Trust.
Often, his commitment to helping his community comes in the form of a significant “challenge grant” that inspires others in the community to give back as well, like Project Grace’s annual “Rally to Keep Our Neighbors Warm” to raise money for fuel assistance, leveraging his initial gift into a $40,000 fuel fund, or a similar gift to the Center for Wildlife that grew to a $22,000 fund to rehabilitate injured owls back into the wild. He has also been the biggest supporter of Scarborough Land Trust’s annual Broadturn Farm Dinner for the past 10 years, again inspiring other local community business partners to contribute and help grow this important Scarborough Land Trust fundraiser.
Broadturn Farm Dinner Chair Dawn Piccolo said, “Eddie was our first Broadturn Farm Dinner Lead Sponsor, and what a creative and inspirational sponsor he has been. He motivated other business leaders to join him in supporting Scarborough Land Trust, and was always there with new ideas and opportunities on how to get people out on Scarborough Land Trust properties while keeping them safe habitats for wildlife.”
Woodin engaged community members of all ages through educational walks and talks, he offered a challenge grant that provided the foundational funding for Scarborough Land Trust to Raise the Roof at Broadturn Farm, and he celebrated Scarborough Land Trust’s 40th Anniversary with a gift of 40 “National Audubon Society Field Guide to New England,” signed by author Peter Alden, and accompanied by a collection of binoculars for use on Scarborough Land Trust walks.
His love of the environment and wildlife began as a child growing up in Concord, Massachusetts, near Thoreau’s Golden Pond where he spent a lot of time outdoors observing and learning about the creatures that lived there, especially birds, according to the release. An expert and largely self-taught birder, he has led many bird walks on Scarborough Land Trust preserves over the years, volunteering his time and sharing his enthusiasm and vast knowledge of birds and their habitat. For decades, he has been an avid collector of bird art and has amassed a world-class collection of paintings, drawings and prints that he is working to find a suitable home for.
“A longtime environmentalist, Eddie has helped protect healthy and natural outdoor spaces for the benefit of people and wildlife,” said Scarborough Land Trust Executive Director Andrew Mackie. “As a supporter of many of our Scarborough Land Trust capital campaigns over the years, he has helped us conserve places like Broadturn Farm, Warren Woods, Pleasant Hill Preserve and Blue Point Preserve, ensuring public access and the enjoyment of nature for all, as well as the protection of farmland, forests, wildlife and watersheds for generations to come.”
Kathy Mills, former Scarborough Land Trust executive director, said, “Eddie is a true conservation champion. His love of our natural world comes from his own experiences in the outdoors over many years, and his reverence for creation. He is passionate about conservation, and a tireless advocate, educating others about how people can and must make a difference for our land, waters and wildlife.”
On a personal level, he has gradually established over the past 20 years, a beautiful, two-acre, green oasis at his home on Grondin Pond here in Scarborough, not only creating a healthy habitat for birds and other wildlife, but also using it as a way to educate and advocate for pesticide-free lawn and garden care, the release states. The raised flower beds full of coneflowers, joe-pye weed and black-eyed susans, sprinkled with colorful birdhouses, bring a myriad of birds, bees and butterflies — and a flood of visitors every summer to his annual, free public Garden Tour. For the past 10 years, hundreds of people have experienced these delightful gardens and learned more about the beauty and benefits of pesticides-free lawns and gardens.
It was in his own gardens that he began to notice an alarming decrease in the number of bugs and bats, according to the release. Suspecting the increased use of pesticides was likely to blame, he teamed up in 2009 with other concerned individuals, several of whom he met through Scarborough Land Trust, and formed the group Citizens for a Green Scarborough. Over the next two years, they collected hundreds of pages of information documenting the negative impacts of chemical pesticides on the environment and human health. By 2011, the group convinced the Town of Scarborough to enact a progressive pest management policy which restricts the use of pesticides and other chemicals on municipal properties. With the Town as their example, he and Citizens for a Green Scarborough continued to spread their message, convincing hundreds of Scarborough citizens to transition to organic lawn care, and also providing the impetus for the passage of strong town-wide ordinances to control pesticide use in Portland and South Portland.
With his bright smile, big heart and winning attitude, he continues to inspire his neighbors and associates to share their time, talents and treasures to tackle real community and environmental challenges, the release states..
Founded in 1977, the Scarborough Land Trust is a community based, nonprofit organization focused on conserving natural and agricultural land. Scarborough Land Trust oversees protection and stewardship of 27 properties, totaling more than 1,500 acres. Scarborough Land Trust manages eight properties that are open to the public and have trail systems. Additional properties are maintained for wildlife habitat and watershed protection. Scarborough Land Trust also conducts a variety of public programing for all ages. Funding for Scarborough Land Trust comes mostly from individual donors and corporate sponsors. In addition, local, state, and federal grants are sought for specific projects. To learn more, or to donate, please visit https://scarboroughlandtrust.org/ or call (207) 289-1199.
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