Completion Report - SL/SCR Project
SKIP to the March 13, 2002 UPDATE
January 2, 2002
Dear Friends,
I want to update you on our exciting and ambitious project, the acquisition of over 51 miles of shoreline on Spednic Lake and the upper St. Croix River!
The Spednic/St. Croix Project involves the purchase in fee of a 500-foot corridor along 16-plus miles of Spednic shoreline and 35 miles down the St. Croix River from Vanceboro to Grand Falls Flowage, with interests conveyed to the State of Maine via funding by the Land for Maine's Future Board (LMFB) and others. The purchase will preserve the natural undeveloped character of these stretches in perpetuity for present and future generations of the public to enjoy.
This is the fourth major conservation project on the Maine side of Spednic Lake, and the sixth downstream of Forest City. It will secure the last significant tract of corporate ownership on the lake that is not protected already, completing a decade of rigorous and committed conservation effort. Recently, the Province of New Brunswick created a "Protected Area" on the Canadian side of Spednic. This biodiversity zone stretches nearly the entire length of the lake, includes thousands of acres and a number of smaller lakes, and places maximum restraint on human activities in deference to the needs of wildlife and flora (map enclosed).
From the beginning, your Board of Directors knew this project would be a major challenge for a group as small as we are. Yet, we were committed to the precious values involved and systematically recruited private and public support. Many of you wrote letters a year ago, and these did help to push this project forward. Thanks.
In early October, Woodie Wheaton Land Trust forged a partnership with the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) to lead the effort to secure matching funds from families and foundations. NEFF led the $28 million capital campaign to preserve 754,673 acres of Pingree lands in northern Maine - the largest conservation easement in New England. These people have trust and credibility among the timber companies and land trusts alike, and we are pleased to have them on board.
The total project cost is $3.3 million, of which $2.8 million is the purchase price. Other major costs involve the surveys, appraisal, legal fees, documentation, fundraising expenses, and the creation of a special stewardship fund. LMFB has committed $1.1 million to the project, and is being asked to increase the State's commitment now that we have a firmer grip on the numbers. A decision is expected in late January.
Your Board has been deeply involved in various phases of this project throughout 2001, to ensure that it is right in concept, scope, and future management. We carefully reviewed the surveys, recommended line changes and the inclusion of additional property, and got the revisions. We have met with Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Department of Conservation regarding management scenarios for the lake and river segments respectively. We have worked with the St. Croix International Waterway Commission on access issues, set-backs, and the mechanics of the deal. We have had good communication with the seller, Wagner Timber Partners, LLC. We have steadfastly pursued title arrangements that will ensure permanency to this conservation land far and above public ownership alone. We have not resolved every issue, but there is progress. The public deserves a project that is well thought out and sustainable.
A stewardship fund will be established to help finance the oversight and management of lands after the deal is complete. Earnings from the endowment would help defray the costs of monitoring a conservation easement, campsite maintenance on the river, or similar work. The fund will be administered by the Maine Community Foundation and dispersed to a working group with caretaking responsibilities.
NEFF will approach many foundations and major sources of support. WWLT has agreed to pursue $100,000 for the project, to be raised from the membership, cottage owners and individuals, local organizations, companies, clubs, sportsmen, and smaller foundations. A special team is now developing brochures, maps, and other materials to describe and promote the project. Various individuals from NEFF and its supporting cast have been given specific donor assignments. WWLT will begin solicitations in March, at which time we will ask you for help.
Protecting these lands and waters in all their natural beauty has been a noble cause, and I am sometimes astonished at how much we have achieved in such a short while. Spednic Lake, Palfrey Lake, Mud Lake, the St. Croix River, and the outlet stream from East Grand Lake have all received major protection. While several exhausting projects for East Grand Lake have not materialized, WWLT has discussed possibilities with Wagner and CLIC, and I am confident the years ahead will see substantial conservation activity on the lake. There is just so much that can be taken on at a time.
Several other notes:
The Annual Meeting in August was very informative. Guest Speaker Roger Milliken described the nuances of LMFB's land conservation efforts in the millieu of bottom-line oriented timber interests.
Sarina Gwirtzman was elected to the Board of Directors. Her husband, Burt, served on the Board since its infancy.
Bill Walton has agreed to serve as Membership Chair, and is already digging into the post. Many thanks to Barbara Pipines for all her hard work over the years.
WWLT will be a continuing member of the Maine Land Trust Network.
Pete Pipines will serve as liasson for New Brunswick agencies and organizations.
In late December, the Board reinstated all officer positions: Pam Taylor as Vice President, Mark Danforth as Secretary, and Bob Kay as Treasurer.
WWLT is exploring staffing possibilities for 2002.
I'd like to wish you greetings for the New Year, and hopefully one that is not as eventful as the last. We'd like to hear from you.
Yours truly,
Dale Wheaton
PresidentWheatons1@hotmail.com
Summer
Wheaton's Lodge, Forest City, ME 04413 • 207-448-7723
Winter
P. O. Box 261, Holden, ME 04429 • 207-843-5732
UPDATE: Spednic Lake/St. Croix River Project
March 13, 2002
On Wednesday, March 6, the Land for Maine's Future Board met in Augusta and considered a request from our group to provide supplementary financial commitment to the project. The decision had been tabled at the January meeting.Two important actions were taken.
LMFB challenged the Sewall Company appraisal on the parcel, concerned that conservation purchases (as opposed to development purchases) were used to obtain the $2.9 million land value. LMFB felt the value could be lower, feared the precedent of using conservation comparables to establish value, and decided to hire its own appraisal.
The impact of this decision will be to delay the timeline for the project, and possibly threaten the expiration date for the purchase option.
However, WWLT and NEFF remain committed to the project, and the seller, although disappointed, seems to have accepted it.
The delay, essentially caused by bureaucratic delays in getting the info to LMFB, may also create some opportunities, particularly in
the time available for fundraising, and
possibly a lower price.
The option expires in September, but may be
extended.An additional $335,000 was allocated to the project, bringing the total State pledge up to $1,435,000, or approximately half of the current appraised acquisition cost. The total project cost continues to be $3.3-$3.5 million, which includes the acquisition fee, appraisal, survey, and fundraising costs plus a $250,000 stewrdship fund to endow annual management and monitoring expenses.
NEFF and WWLT have determined to proceed with fundraising in anticipation of resolved numbers later this summer.
D. Wheaton
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