FARMINGTON – Just three years after he died at the age of 76, Gordon Clifford’s lifelong vision of leaving a legacy to the Farmington community will be fulfilled.

On Wednesday night, the 55-acre parcel of lush timber land he bequeathed to his wife, Elinor, who then turned it over to the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine, will be dedicated.

For more than 20 years, parcel by parcel, Clifford bought up the land, all so he could give it away. As he wished, the working forest that is hugged by Titcomb Hill Road and Perham Street, is left to the people of Farmington, the citizens of Franklin County, the students, staff and faculty of SAD 9 and the University of Maine at Farmington and SWOAM.

In addition to the timber that will be harvested from the land, consulting forester Pete Tracy of Farmington, who has been managing the land since 1996, said it is used for recreational purposes, like cross-county skiing, running, hiking, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and even hunting.

Despite being just a stone’s throw from residential neighborhoods and downtown Farmington, the mixed-terrain parcel is heavily stocked with turkeys and white tailed deer, which sip water from what Tracy named Hardy Brook. Even the occasional coyote wanders through, he said.

“You could sit in the middle of the parcel and have some nice solitude,” said Tracy. “It’s quite a valuable piece of land. It has good strong timber, road frontage and it’s close to town. 30 years from now, this and the other woods (Flint and Bonney) may be the only land in town left undeveloped.”

SWOAM, which operates the land through a trust, hopes to improve the trails, add bridges and possibly put in some picnic sites.

And like Clifford, Tracy too has a vision. Because the forest is located so close to Bonney and Flint Woods, Tracy hopes one day there can be walking and bike paths linking all the in-trust woods together.

At Wednesday night’s ceremony, which will be attended by town officials and Clifford’s family, Tracy will speak, there will be a moment of silence, and there will be a guided tour of the trails.

Education is also an important part of the legacy as the parcel is located within walking distance from UMF, and three SAD 9 schools and will be used by students as an outdoor forest ecosystem laboratory.

For more information, contact Tracy at 778-6369. All are invited.

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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