WELCOME TO THE RIVERBROOK PRESERVE

Medomak Valley Land Trust
Your river • Your land • Your future
CONSERVATION
UPDATE -JUNE 2015
WELCOME TO THE RIVERBROOK PRESERVE
Medomak Valley Land Trust is
delighted to announce the recent
acquisition of the Riverbrook
Preserve. Located in North
Waldoboro along the shore of the
Medomak River, the Riverbrook
property comprises close to
400 acres of fields, forest and
extensive river access. A lot
of work went into making this
project happen and we’re excited
to finally have the chance to
share the details of how things
transpired and to welcome you to
the property in July.
A Generous Gift
Last year an anonymous donation
was made to MVLT to purchase
this exceptional property, which
was formerly owned by Sam
and Bobbie Cohen. The gift
was made through Maine Coast
Heritage Trust and the 12 Rivers
Conservation Initiative, a regional
landscape conservation effort of
10 land trusts in midcoast Maine,
and allowed us to purchase the
property at fair market value.
Using a new conservation tool
The purchase included an 1850s
farmstead complete with
farmhouse, stables, and several
barns. These, along with 11
acres, will be protected with a
conservation easement, and resold
separately from the rest of the
property. Using the buy-restrictresell approach allows the MVLT
to retain 380 acres of preserve
land and to use the proceeds from
the sale of the farmstead area for
other conservation work. With the
help of our friends at Newcastle
Square Realty, we’re in the
process of soliciting offers for the
farmstead parcel. We hope you’ll
spread the word.
The new preserve has over 1.5 miles of frontage on the Medomak River.
The Riverbrook property contains 380 acres of field, forest and significant wildlife habitat including a deer
wintering area and wetlands for wading birds and waterfowl
Significant Features
With more than 1.5 miles of
frontage on the Medomak River
and over 2 miles on nearby
Meadow Brook, the Riverbrook
property provides significant
habitat for wading birds,
waterfowl and abundant other
wildlife. It is a key piece of the
habitat corridor between the coast
and interior uplands. The property
has a rich history of use by
farmers, foresters, sportsmen and
nature lovers and will continue to
be available for these uses under
MVLT’s stewardship.
Although the deal was done in
December, the closing was really
just the beginning of our work as
the new owners. We’ve worked
with local contractors and realtors
to ready the farmstead parcel
for sale. The field crew has had
several visits to the preserve,
learning the lay of the land in
preparation for trail building. We
negotiated a one-year lease with
Spear Farm who has cultivated the
fields on the property for many
years.
We are grateful for the generosity
of the donor who made this
project possible, as well as the
support from our friends at Maine
Coast Heritage Trust and the 12
Rivers Conservation Initiative.
We look forward to welcoming
you to the Riverbrook Preserve
on July 5th for our annual land
trust picnic and summer kick-off
event. There you’ll have a chance
to explore the property, paddle
the river – or even swim if you’re
bold, and tour the farmstead and
home that is for sale. We hope to
see you there.
annual
july 5th
picnic
12 NOON
3580 Washington Rd
(Route 220)
North Waldoboro