ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
The Royal River Conservation Trust works to conserve the natural, historic, scenic and recreational values of the Royal River region for all residents and their visitors.
OUR VISION
Vital, Accessible, Regional
Royal River Conservation Trust is committed to being a positive force in our region’s development. We work closely with private landowners and municipalities to establish permanent and connected greenways and preserves – places that nourish the soul and shelter a broad diversity of wildlife — right here where we live.
We envision the Royal River’s twelve towns woven together with an infrastructure of conservation land – land that is vital to the well being of this region and our communities. Our shared investment in connected, open land for the area’s growing population, will ensure vibrant natural corridors for people of all ages to explore and enjoy. Places that promote healthy lifestyles and increase awareness of the landscapes that define our region.
OUR HISTORY
The Royal River Conservation Trust (RRCT, formerly Friends of the Royal River) is a nonprofit organization formed in Yarmouth, Maine in 1992 to monitor and protect the water quality and wildlife habitat of the Royal River watershed and to preserve its scenic, historical and ecological integrity. To achieve these goals the organization’s volunteers promoted public involvement in the conservation of the watershed through volunteer water quality monitoring, public river clean-ups, river trips and the publication of a newsletter. From 1993 through 1999, volunteers conducted a water-quality monitoring program in the watershed, publishing the results of their water quality monitoring program in 2001.
In 2002 Friends of the Royal River reconstituted itself as a
regional land trust in cooperation with the local land trusts
from Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Pownal, and New Gloucester. Staying
true to its roots, RRCT’s two core programs are land conservation
and water quality improvement. 
In the spring of 2006, the boards of four land trusts (Yarmouth Land Trust, North Yarmouth Land Trust, New Gloucester Preservation Trust and the Friends of the Royal River) formerly merged into a new organization, the Royal River Conservation Trust. We believe that a single organization, working at a regional level, will be greater (and more sustainable) than the sum of several parts. As the consolidating entity, RRCT is leading efforts in the region to conserve important properties by collaborating with local, statewide, and national groups and working with landowners.