WINTHROP – The Kennebec Land Trust will have many accomplishments to celebrate at its annual meeting Sunday, Aug. 24.

This year has seen extraordinary growth for the 15-year-old organization, which hired its first education and stewardship coordinator, opened its first office and increased its holdings significantly over the past 12 months, to just under 2,000 acres. Thanking dedicated volunteers and generous donors for their efforts will top the agenda.

The day’s focus on Mount Pisgah begins with walking tours of the improved trails up the mountain and around Nancy’s Bog and Dexter Pond on trust property. That evening, a reception and silent auction at the Augusta Country Club will feature photographs of some of KLT’s properties by Jym St. Pierre, founding president of the organization, and watercolors on a Mount Pisgah theme by member Norm Guyaz.

President Andy Fisk will review highlights of a year that began with hiring Theresa Kerchner to coordinate education and stewardship activities.

Along with education, the trust has accomplished a landmark amount of land preservation. From the top of Mount Pisgah to the tip of Horseshoe Island in Lake Cobbossee, unspoiled properties have been protected for the enjoyment of future generations. In some cases, the land was donated to the trust; in others an easement that protects the land from development was put in place; in still other cases, the trust purchased properties for the specific purpose of preserving a valuable resource.

This year significant new projects include: Sturtevant Farm Conservation Area, Fayette; Gott Pasture, Wayne; Flying Pond Farm, Vienna; McGurdy Stream Bog, Vienna; Tyler Woods, Readfield; Torsey Pond Nature Preserve, Readfield; Horseshoe Island, Lake Cobbossee and enlarged protection on Mount Pisgah, Winthrop

The Kennebec Land Trust, founded in 1988, is a 400-member organization that protects over 1,800 acres in western Kennebec County. For more information, contact the trust’s office in Winthrop at [email protected], call 207- 377-2848, or access its Web site, www.tklt.org. For more information about the annual meeting, contact Andrew Fisk, Kennebec Land Trust President, 588-0074 or [email protected].