SANFORD — When Ray and Rose Fawcett bought an 18-acre lot off High Street some years ago, it was a spot where he could cut wood to heat the family home and an investment, his daughter Carol Goodwin said Wednesday.

Her father spent many hours on the property, cutting wood, hunting and being in nature.

“It gave him a sense of peace,” she said.

Goodwin said her father cut many cords of wood on the property.

“He made it seem like it wasn’t a chore,” she said.

Ray Fawcett died in 2010. Now his widow, Rose Fawcett, and Carol and Gary Goodwin, their daughter and son-in-law, have made sure the land will remain forever wild.

The Fawcett-Goodwin Reserve land has been gifted to the Sanford Springvale Mousam Way Land Trust. It is the 11th reserve owned by the trust, said its president, Gordon “Bud” Johnston. The Fawcett-Goodwin reserve runs 1,100 feet along High Street, back 700 feet, has a jog or two in it, and comprises slightly more than 18 acres.

Johnston said the parcel may be home to the New England cottontail rabbit, songbirds, and other small species, particularly the area near the Central Maine Power lines. Johnston said power line land is valuable habitat for small animals, because the vegetation is kept shrub-height, and berries like bittersweet are attractive to birds.

As well, there’s a hardwood forest, and a hemlock forest near a stream, he said.

“This is going to be one of many living museums” in the land trust’s repertoire, he said, noting the 10 other reserves.

The purpose, of course, is to preserve land for future generations. Johnston said there will be a trail through the property, so wildlife can be monitored, and schools will be encouraged to bring their pupils for trips to observe plant and wildlife.

Johnston said forester Peter Klachany will develop a management plan under the state’s WoodsWise program to improve wildlife habitat.

For Carol Goodwin, the parcel brings back childhood memories.

“We searched out mayflowers and lady’s slippers, and Dad would identify them,” she said.

She and her husband Gary and mother Rose spoke about the future of the property and made their decision, thinking about Ray Fawcett and what he may have done.

“We decided he’d leave it in its natural state,” she said as her husband unveiled the reserve sign. “So Dad, this is for you.”

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.