OUR MISSION
The Royal River Conservation Trust works to conserve the natural, historic, agricultural, scenic, and recreational values of the Royal River region for all residents and visitors.
OUR VISION
We envision the Royal River’s twelve towns woven together with corridors
of conservation land - land that is vital to the well-being and development of this
region of Maine and our communities. Waterfront,
preserves, forests, and parks that are accessible and connected give a growing
population places to explore, learn, and nourish the soul. Protected river
and stream corridors and a healthy Casco Bay support fisheries and provide
economic and recreational benefits to our communities. Working farmlands support
local food economies and maintain Maine's
rich heritage. Resilient landscapes and rivers support dynamic ecology
and wildlife.
We are a regional non-profit land trust governed by a growing membership
of all ages and traditions. We conserve land and provide leadership in the twelve Maine
communities that form the Royal River watershed and its confluence with Casco
Bay, with a strategic focus on land within or connected to the Royal and
Cousins river watersheds. Our
members and neighbors are invested in land conservation momentum for future
generations because they participate in restoration, stewardship, planning, and
environmental education.
We work closely with private landowners, municipalities, and
other organizations to implement shared goals.
We are strategically and operationally aligned with all other land trusts
that also work in our twelve communities. We are an organization of professional staff
and volunteers, guided by the national land trust community's highest standards
and best practices.
OUR HISTORY
Formed in 2002, the Royal River Conservation Trust grew out of the Friends of the Royal River, a nonprofit organization formed in 1992. The Friends of the Royal River followed decades of earlier advocacy and scientific work of watershed organizations focused on the river.
In 2006 and 2009, the boards of five land trusts (Yarmouth Land Trust, North Yarmouth Land Trust, New Gloucester Preservation Trust, Pownal Land Trust, and the Friends of the Royal River) formally merged into the Royal River Conservation Trust.
In our first ten years, we conserved more than 3300 acres of land in eight communities, and built momentum and strategic plans for more successes.
In 2012, the Royal River Conservation Trust joined the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative as a governing member, streamlining the overhead of southern Maine land trusts while retaining strong local leadership and local voices. Our land conservation successes are also made possible by teamwork with state-wide and national land trusts, especially the Trust for Public Land, the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, the New England Forestry Foundation, and the Maine Farmland Trust.
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