HARPSWELL

The Harpswell Heritage Land Trust will be asking voters to appropriate $75,000 toward preserving two properties that fall within the Otter Brook Corridor Focus Area at a town meeting next weekend.

As outlined in the town’s Open Space Plan, the 68-acre parcel is located in one of Harpswell’s 12 focus areas for conservation. The plan was adopted by residents back in 2009.

At a public meeting on Tuesday night, HHLT’s executive director Reed Coles explained the importance of preserving the properties, as it affects the water that drains into areas like Ewing Narrows and Harpswell Cove, as well as marine resources.

“We believe the town needs to be at a position … to do whatever it takes to acquire this land now because the opportunity may not exist again,” Coles said.

Public trails are also expected to be built at the preserve, providing residents and visitors with additional recreational activities among the others offered in town. The area would also allow hunting and cross-country skiing.

Darcie Couture, the town’s marine resource coordinator, expressed her support for the project and shared her vision of its value in the community from a marine perspective.

“I find it really easy to tie in the impacts on the marine environment with what they’re trying to do here,” she said on Tuesday. “Harpswell is a really unique area. It’s got this very convoluted shoreline, a lot of different types of ecosystems there, but one thing that is consistent that I’ve watched over the years is it’s extremely sensitive to what’s coming off of the land.”

She said that the location of Otter Brook could potentially impact a large amount of the harvest area in Harpswell, especially on shellfish.

“When opportunities come up to protect certain areas from being further impacted by adding more hardened surfaces, adding development, it’s absolutely critical that we grab them,” she said.

HHLT trustee Ed Robinson also shared how its preservation would affect the wildlife and habitat in the area, including wetlands and marine species.

“I think Otter Brook is just a fantastic property for us,” he said. “The only other two that are on a scale and have the diversity to compare with this would be Curtis Farm and Long Reach, and both of them are just jewels in the crown of the Harpswell community.”

With regard to the project budget, Coles said HHLT will be raising a total of $495,000 for the property, which includes costs for acquisition, transactions and stewardship costs.

He added that $15,000 of the $22,000 needed for stewardship costs will be for building a parking area and constructing the trails at the preserve, while the rest will help fund the management of the property.

In addition to contributions from small grants and foundations, the organization is also hoping to rely on support from private individuals.

Coles also hoped that residents would consider supporting the project at town meeting.

“It’s also important for some of these grant applications to show there’s a local commitment involved,” he added.

Overall, the organization will be asking the town for $100,000 in appropriation over the course of two years — $75,000 for this year and $25,000 the next if needed.

The organization has requested town funding only one other time, which was in 2002 when the trust successfully ran its first capital campaign for the acquisition of the Skolfield Shores Preserve and the Johnson Field Preserve at Mackerel Cove.

dkim@timesrecord.com

The last time

• THE HARPSWELL HERITAGE Land Trust has requested town funding only one other time, which was in 2002 when the trust successfully ran its first capital campaign for the acquisition of the Skolfield Shores Preserve and the Johnson Field Preserve at Mackerel Cove.