Left to right: Harold Porter, Steve Mallon, John Greenlee, and Al Pollard
Photo: Don Jamison
By Dr. Al Pollard, president, Mousam Way Land Trust
Arlene and John Greenlee recently gifted the Sanford-Springvale Mousam Way Land Trust (MWLT) with a 37-acre parcel at the corner of Grammar Road and Route 4 and extending to Hay Brook. This mostly forested land features a man-made fishing pond on Grammar Road. The northern boundary was once owned by the Sanford Mills, which used the underlying clay to make bricks. The wooded land slopes downhill and extends into a marshy area along Hay Brook.
This area has been of special interest to the state because it is the headwaters of Hay Brook, a tributary of the Mousam River. Many are trying to protect these areas to preserve our rivers. Although state shoreland zoning helps by prohibiting logging and development close to rivers and lakes, land development often encroaches onto areas adjacent to the water. The Greenlee property adjoins another 200 acres of MWLT property on the other side of Route 4, the Libby Cedar and Haybrook preserves.
The MWLT was created in 1999 to preserve land with ecological, recreational, farming, and historical significance as well as beauty for public use today and for future generations. Much undeveloped land in the area is lost each year to development. The Greenlees have joined other preservation-minded families who have donated land to the MWLT to oversee. The land trust now owns 25 parcels and manages another four with easements, for about 1,050 acres. Many trails are maintained by volunteers. The Greenlee Reserve will be an environmental preserve where plants, animals, land and water will be left undisturbed.
To see all the Mousam Way Land Trust’s properties or to volunteer or consider donating land, visit the trust website, mousamwaylandtrust.org.
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