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KELT Receives Easement on Hamilton Sanctuary

Permanant protection for the Maine Audubon preserve in West Bath

The Hamilton Preserve in West Bath, click for directions

WEST BATH, November 12, 2009— Maine Audubon has expanded its Hamilton Audubon Sanctuary in West Bath and partnered with the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) to permanently conserve nearly all of the sanctuary’s 93 acres of marshlands, forests, and meadows on the New Meadows River.

A combination of public grants and private donations has enabled Maine Audubon to purchase a 19-acre parcel, previously owned by Mr. and Mrs. Howard Kiss, in order to unite two previously-disconnected portions of the sanctuary.  

Maine Audubon donated a conservation easement to the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, which will provide permanent legal protection of the expanded sanctuary, and eliminate the chance that the property will be divided or developed.

“We’re very pleased to protect this special place on Maine’s coast,” said Ted Koffman, executive director of Maine Audubon. “Places like the Hamilton Sanctuary in West Bath don’t only protect wildlife; they also inspire people to explore Maine’s outdoors and become better stewards of Maine’s natural environment.”

The Foster Point property offers public access to 1.5 miles of gentle trails with sitting benches and wildlife-viewing areas, as well as naturalist-led programs for school children. With its coastal and freshwater wetlands, the sanctuary also provides habitat for great blue herons, osprey, eagles, and a wide variety of migrating shorebirds and waterfowl.

KELT will hold the new conservation easement on the property. An easement is a legally recorded agreement in which the landowner voluntarily restricts how a property may be used or changed. 

Jack Witham, president of the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, said, “We are happy to work with Maine Audubon to help meet the organization’s conservation goals for this wildlife sanctuary. This easement increases the conservation value of the area, and expands upon the work that KELT has accomplished with two other easements in West Bath totaling almost 200 acres.” 

Maine Audubon received public grants through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership Habitat Protection Fund in order to purchase the Kiss property. Fundraising also included private donations from local residents, businesses and foundations. 

Maine Audubon acquired the sanctuary in 1986 at the bequest of Millicent Hamilton, an avid birder and naturalist who lived for 40 years on the property that now bears her name. After a period of community-based planning, the property opened to the public in 1998 with construction of a small parking area and significant trail improvements.