TOPSHAM, Maine (AP) – A Maine philanthropist who quietly helped preserve thousands of acres of land and gave away millions of dollars has died.

Ninety-one-year-old Richard L. Hatch died Wednesday in the Topsham home where he had been living for the last five years. No cause of death was released.

The Portland Press Herald says Hatch’s name didn’t begin to emerge publicly until he donated 1,910 acres of Maine coast land in Phippsburg to the Nature Conservancy.

Friend Merton Henry of Scarborough says Hatch inherited much of his wealth, but also made money selling homes in Cundy’s Harbor.

In 2007, the Northern New England Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals named Hatch Maine Philanthropist of the Year.

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Information from: Portland Press Herald