NORWAY — The Western Foothills Land Trust announces its first conservation easement on Thompson Lake.

A total of 56 acres and 1,900 feet of shoreline at Long Point on the west shore in Otisfield were donated Dec. 20 by Ethel Bean Turner of Otisfield. The protected property includes Sand Island off Otisfield Cove and part of a peninsula known as The Cape.

The Land Trust has also closed on two other easements: 49.6 acres of working field and forest easement by donors Elizabeth and David Watson, whose forest land is off the Bean Road in Otisfield, and Callie and Joe Zilinsky, whose farm is adjacent to the Watson property off Route 121.

“The three easements, which will together protect approximately 150 acres in the historic Pugleyville neighborhood (also known as East Otisfield) will form the core of what promises to be a significant Pugleyville conservation corridor,” Dassler said.

Dassler said Mickey Noble, a former Maine Guide who lives in the neighborhood, has documented significant wildlife passage from Canada Hill to Knights Brook and up to the height of land at the Pinnacle, which is between the Bean Road and Rayville Road.

“The goal of the Pugleyville conservation corridor is to protect the habitat and natural resources in that corridor for the fish and wildlife, as well as for those who enjoy wildlife observation,” she said.

The 4,426-acre Thompson Lake “supports considerable and varied species of fish, including lake trout and landlocked salmon,” Dassler said. “The protected property is prominently visible from, and provides scenic enjoyment to the general public when viewed from Thompson Lake. Sand Island also provides scenic benefits and has been a common loon nesting site for four decades.”

According to Dassler, an analysis by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Gulf of Maine program found the Long Point property provides habitat for 22 of 91 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service priority trust species. Nine of those 22 species include the northern goshawk, solitary sandpiper, black-throated blue warbler, Canada warbler, veery, wood thrush, osprey, wood duck, and bald eagle.

The protected property also includes approximately 1,084 feet of scenic undeveloped forested frontage on Route 121, a major thoroughfare through the town of Otisfield and beyond.

Long Point has been a popular stopping place for centuries for the site’s expansive southern view down the length of Thompson Lake, Dassler said. The land is also on the site of a state-registered archaeological dig.

According to information from Dassler, the land was the private estate of Dr. George Elliot, who built an impressive home there in 1905, which remains as the main house. Under the subsequent ownership of the Bean family, a summer compound of rental cottages and auxiliary buildings was established. Many of the cottages remain, some as rentals, others privately owned.

“After relinquishing many of her duties relating to the managing of the summer cottages at The Cape, and as an active member of Thompson Lake Environmental Association, Ethel Bean Turner chose to protect the eastern nondeveloped portion of her land this year,” Dassler said in a statement. “As far as the land trust can determine, this is the first conservation easement on Thompson Lake; the towns of Poland, Otisfield and Oxford, which mention the importance of the lake in their comprehensive plans, the members of TLEA, and all the sports fishermen on the lake should be very thankful that this land will be protected from development and subdivision in perpetuity.”

Dassler said that lands protected by conservation easements are still owned by the easement donor, who have generally donated their rights for future subdivision and development of their lands so the land remains in its current use as agricultural land or as working forest land.

“Easements are very specific documents, created by the landowners and the Trust working together to accommodate the foreseeable needs of the landowner,” Dassler said. Unlike some land trusts, the Western Foothills Land Trust does not require public access as a mandatory part of conservation easements, she said.

Fee-owned lands are lands which the Trust owns outright and the Land Trust is working steadily to provide public trails on the fee-owned lands, Dassler added.

“There are many public benefits to protected lands beyond trails and access,” said Dassler. “When your readers think about 1,500 additional acres of lands protected by easements in our region, they should think about preserved views, protected historic landscapes, conserved working forest and farmlands, wildlife corridors, and water quality protection for area streams, rivers and lakes. And in light of climate change, all of those benefits are magnified.”

The William Wharton Trust supported the conservation corridor in Otisfield in addition to the Land Trust itself, which contributed $6,000 toward transaction costs, such as surveys and legal fees, Dassler said.

The Western Foothills Land Trust has a total of 1,440 acres protected by easement, and owns another 1,650 acres.

“So heading into our 25th year, we now protect 5,100 acres in our service area,” Dassler said.

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