Conserving nearly one-third of an entire town’s land sounds like a lofty goal – and doing so in the next seven years makes it seem even more difficult.

But that is precisely what Scarborough has set out to do: conserve at least 30% of the 31,404 acres within its borders, or 9,421 acres, by 2030. Now, roughly 17%, or 5,391 acres are under conservation.

Being more than halfway to the new goal is thanks to the community’s past commitments to preserving Scarborough’s natural resources, but meeting the target will require hard work, said Town Councilor Karin Shupe.

“It’s really ambitious, but we have the state’s largest saltwater marsh. We have all of these resources feeding it,” Shupe told The Forecaster. “I think we have a lot of residents who are really interested in protecting that, so this is us stepping up as a town and saying, ‘We recognize the changes that are happening in our world.'”

Shupe is the council’s liaison to the town’s Conservation Commission, which works with town staff, committees and local organizations to protect the town’s natural resources.

The town’s 30×30 Conservation Goal is part of a nationwide initiative that ranges from local groups to the White House. In 2021, via executive order, President Biden made it a nationwide goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and oceans by 2030.

Many states, including Maine, have signed on to the initiative. As of last year, 22% of Maine land is protected from development, according to the state.

“We are committing to working hard to try to conserve as much land as we can by 2030, just like the state is, our country is,” Shupe said.

The next step is to form an ad hoc Open Space Committee to figure out the best ways to do that. One way is for the town to continue working closely with the Scarborough Land Trust, she said.

“We are excited to help the town meet its goal of 30×30,” the land trust’s conservation director, Scott Kunkler, said in an email to The Forecaster. “We understand that conserving land is critical not only for the health and sustainability of the natural environment but also the health and well-being of the residents of Scarborough.”

The land trust has 1,700 acres under conservation, roughly 42% of what is conserved townwide.

“The Scarborough Land Trust is the premier conservation organization in town and has been since the late 70s,” said Town Manager Tom Hall.

Hall said SLT has “been a terrific partner” over the years by identifying and acquiring parcels for conservation, providing public access to them, and maintaining the sites.

The 434-acre Broadturn Farm and Preserve, 291-acre Warren Woods Preserve and 226-acre Fuller Farm Preserve are just a few of the trust’s properties that provide trails for public use.

Traditionally, SLT has conserved parcels of land one at a time or in small groupings, Shupe said, but it has sped up its efforts. Kunkler said the trust is currently working on 12 conservation projects across town.

“The land trust is well-positioned to increase the amount of conserved land in the town,” he said.

One of the projects in progress is the acquisition of about 30 acres at 80 West Beech Ridge Road. The Town Council voted unanimously this month to allocate a maximum of $260,000 toward the purchase. The funding will come from the town’s $2.5 million Land Acquisition Reserve Fund, a fund approved by voters in November 2019. SLT is raising funds for its portion of the purchase, estimated at $133,000, Kunkler said.

It is ideal to have large swaths of connected land under conservation, Shupe said, so it can be easily accessed by the public via trail networks and other means. However, every acre counts.

“It’s not just about conserving large (parcels),” Shupe said. “We can do it in little pieces here and there and try to protect as much as we can.”

Some areas of town are undeveloped but are not protected, and “tightening” conservation for that type of land is also part of the 30×30 effort, she said.

As the town undergoes a big growth spurt conserving land is of the utmost importance, said Shupe, a former member of the town planning board, adding that conservation was the primary reason she sought a seat on the Town Council.

“I mean, just look where we are: We’re on the ocean, we have the marsh, and we have so many sources feeding that marsh right now,” Shupe said. “In Scarborough, this is a priority to us … we care about our natural resources.”

To learn more about the Conservation Commission and the 30×30 Conservation Goal, go to scarboroughmaine.org. For more info on the Scarborough Land Trust, including how to support and donate toward their conservation efforts, go to scarboroughlandtrust.org.

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