and

At this wonderful time of giving and thanks, we want to express our deep gratitude to the many hundreds of loyal supporters who made the work of the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust (BTLT) possible this year.

From completing a spectacular coastal project to planning a community garden at Crystal Spring Farm, nothing we accomplished in the past 12 months was possible without broad public support and the help of countless dedicated volunteers.

Highlights for the BTLT in 2011 included:

— Conserving the 194-acre Chase Reserve on Maquoit Bay, which was made possible by grants from the National Coastal Wetlands Grant Program, Open Space Institute, Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the generosity of the landowner, Jack Henshaw.

The property has statewide ecological significance as wildlife habitat on Casco Bay. It is the BTLT’s 30th project and brings the acreage of natural areas preserved by the trust to 1,765.

— Submitting of our application for land trust accreditation after a thorough twoyear review and planning process.

Accreditation will prove that the BTLT conducts its business in accordance with national standards and that its conservation work is lasting.

The final application, which consisted of some 4,000 pages and three USB memory drives, was sent to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission in November.

— Announcing plans to open a community garden at Crystal Spring Farm in 2012. The Tom Settlemire Community Garden will feature individual plots, a Common Good bed to supply produce to the Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, demonstration beds and senior/eldercare plots.

— Appointing a part-time associate director to help with our increasingly demanding agenda.

Funded by generous capacity building grants from the Quimby, Oak and Maine Community Foundations, Caroline Eliot began work in July. She is focusing on operations and stewardship of BTLT’s fee and easement properties.

— Entering a unique collaboration with the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust to enhance regional farmland protection and raise awareness of local food production.

A grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation enabled the two land trusts to hire and share a farmland project manager who will focus his efforts on conserving and stewarding farmland and promoting local agriculture in the southern Mid-coast region.

— Improving trails at Crystal Spring Farm, Skolfield Preserve and Bradley Pond Farm.

Our talented volunteer trail crew has put in hundreds of hours this year, including a much-needed reorganization of the trails at Crystal Spring Farm North.

— Engaging an independent consultant to assess the viability of a comprehensive campaign to fund ongoing land protection, stewardship and operations.

Results showed that BTLT should seek to increase its membership by 50 percent to 1,500 members in the next two years to meet the goals in the trust’s strategic plan.

— Supporting local agriculture by operating the flourishing Saturday Farmers’ Market at Crystal Spring Farm for the 12th season. The market — one of Maine’s largest — featured some 40 vendors and drew an average of 2,500 people a week.

We have accomplished a great deal in the past year. Our mission is “to preserve, protect and steward the cherished landscapes and rich natural resources of our communities, to provide access for recreation, and to support local agriculture and other traditional land uses, now and for generations to come.”

Our work in pursuit of this mission is made possible by the support of our community. We wish to express our profound appreciation for the time, money and materials contributed by our supporters this past year. Generous individuals (of all ages) and businesses have helped to make this a tremendously productive year.

We see huge potential to protect proactively key natural resources and landscapes in our communities. We see potential to ensure the continuation of natural resourcebased uses such as agriculture, sustainable forestry and recreation that are an important part of who we are.

We see potential to engage people of all ages with the land and natural resources of our communities — as trail users, trail workers, shoppers at the farmers market, community gardeners, and more.

Together, we have protected some wonderful special places in our communities — from Crystal Spring Farm in Brunswick to the Cathance River corridor in Topsham. We want to continue this work, including creating connections between significant natural areas. We are excited about the new year and the promise it brings.

We are also realistic and recognize the very real need for more resources to maintain our programs, continue the collaborations that have enabled us to do a lot with a little, and manage our growing portfolio of properties.

In the coming year, we hope for your continued and strong support in this work to maintain the special qualities of our communities.

ANGELA TWITCHELL is executive director of Brunswick- Topsham Land Trust, and BRAD BABSON is president of the land trust’s board of directors.