BRYANT POND — Five freshmen planned, prepared, and served a delicious barbecue for the public to help the Woodstock Conservation Commission raise money to buy Buck’s Ledge. They planned the entire event as part of their Pay It Forward program at Telstar Freshmen Academy at UMaine 4-H Camp and Learning Center.

The team included Tommy Skinner, Alice Ford, Jordan Robshaw, Elliot Norton, and Noah Cunnington. These five freshmen contacted local businesses for donations, publicized the event, planned activities for all ages, and served the meal Monday at the UMaine 4-H Camp and Learning Center in Bryant Pond. They solicited donations from The Good Food Store, The Bethel Foodliner, and Mallard Mart, all in Bethel.

As Tommy said, “There are many habitats there for wildlife. Animals live and migrate there during the year, remove that and they lose their habitats and food sources. I personally have hiked to the top several times with my Dad before taking on this project. It’s been one of my favorite places ever since my Dad and I went there for the first time.

“The development of this property would destroy that. A once beautiful forest would be chopped down for timber, and houses would be built at all the beautiful locations, taking this gem away from the greater Bethel and Western Maine community, hurting tourism, the economy, and the environment, all for the profit of a few.”

The entire Buck’s Ledge Community Forest fundraising team thanks them. They raised over $1,000 toward the purchase of Buck’s Ledge.

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