July 2017
Cape Lands E-News

      Wet Paint Auction  Was a Delightful Success!
 
Sunday, July 9 th was a stunning summer evening and an ideal night for our 10th Annual Paint for
Photo by Dave Dostie/Maine Home & Design
Preservation Auction. Four hundred CELT friends, including 70 volunteers and 30 award-winning artists, gathered on Breakwater Farm Road to raise over $75,000 toward
conserving and caring for the lands that help define Cape Elizabeth.

Photo by Bob Harrison
Kaja Veilleux of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries led an enthusiastic crowd in lively bidding, Brett Cary's Chimney Rock Food Co. served delicious, locally-sourced food, and Cul de Sax treated us to terrific music. The setting sun illuminated Richmond Island as the auction drew to a close. 

Matthew Russ won the People's Choice Award (for the second year in a row) for his painting of Richmond Island. Russ was raised in Cape Elizabeth and now lives in Waterville, where he works for the Colby
Photo by Bob Harrison
College Museum of Art. He paints en plien air in all seasons and in all weather, all over the state.

In addition to the 30 paintings auctioned off, many guests were able to purchase smaller, sight-unseen paintings in our Mystery Boxes. 

CELT greatly appreciates the many amazing volunteers and generous support from businesses. Sponsors included: Maine Home + Design, Ethos,
Auction founders Claudia Dricot
and Mary Anne Cary.
Photo by Bob Harrison
Key Bank, R.M. Davis, Inn By the Sea, Nappi Distributors, 
Br owne Trading 
Co., Wri ght-Ryan Construction, Casco Bay Frames & Gallery, Eyecare Medical Group, Huffard House Interior Design, Maine 
Limousine Service, Ram Island Home and Grounds, Town and Shore Associates, Veterinary & Rehabilitation Center of Cape Elizabeth, Private Chef  Brett Cary, and Thomaston Place Auction Galleries. Bath Savings Bank and Ocean House Gallery & Frames sponsored the People's Choice Award.  

How Many People Visit Robinson Woods?

Volunteers Needed for User Count

When we recently prepared a grant proposal for interpretive signage in Robinson Woods, we were asked for estimates of the number of visitors who use the preserve. We couldn't answer that question, so we'd like your help in finding out for future funding efforts. 

During the week of Sunday, August 13 through Saturday, August 19, we'll set up a table outside the Shore Road entrance to count the number of people who enter and find out where they're from. We're seeking volunteers for two-hour shifts throughout the day and into the evening. We'll have a survey form and methodology, basic training, and provide water and snacks. Email our Membership and Development Manager Patty Renaud if you can help.

J oin Us for Our Annual  Harvest Party

Bring your family and friends to CELT's Harvest Party, Sunday, September 17th, from 4 to 7 p.m.,
at the pavilion at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth.

Open to any and all with free admission, this family-friendly gathering will feature live music by the Earth Tone String Band, local foods, a pie  contest, and engaging activities for kids and adults alike. 

Special recognition will be made to the many volunteers who make this organization so successful on a daily basis. 

Did You See the Goats in Robinson Woods?

If you visited Robinson Woods during the week of July 10th, you may have seen a herd of goats eating poison ivy along the dirt road. Molly, Farsie, Pete, Carlito, Quincy, and two kids came from 
Scapegoats  in West K ennebunk, which rents goats to help eliminate invasive and poisonous plants. The goats lived safely inside an electric fence, and with a small shelter and fresh water provided by Stewardship Intern Aidan Black every day, were happy to chew away.

Goats provide an eco-friendly way to eliminate invasive plants. They're able to clear brushy and hard-to-reach areas and they'll eat vegetation that other animals won't, including multiflora rose, bittersweet, poison ivy, sumac, kudzu and Japanese knotweed.

Goats' narrow, triangular mouths allow them to crush what they eat, so seeds that might otherwise get passed through to fertilization are reduced. After the goats leave, the low ground cover they fertilized and left behind (grass, ferns, mosses) will take over and help keep out new growth of invasives.

Your IRA Can Benefit CELT

Are you at least 70½ years old and looking to reduce your tax liability? You may now transfer funds from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) accounts directly to charity without first having to recognize the distribution as income.

Prior to 2006, taxpayers wishing to donate IRA assets to charity first had to recognize the amount as income, make a transfer, and then claim a charitable deduction for the amount gifted. This often resulted in a tax liability, even though the donor ultimately gifted the entire IRA distribution. With this now-permanent change, the IRA charitable rollover has proven to be very popular with taxpayers and beneficial to charities.

The provision is limited to taxpayers age 70½ or older, the amount of gifts is capped at $100,000, and donors are not permitted to make charitable rollovers to donor-advised funds, supporting organizations, or private foundations. (Source: Council on Foundations.)

CELT would appreciate being considered for your gifts. Please contact your financial advisor and Patty Renaud, Membership and Development Manager, at (207) 767-6054, for more information.

It's Your Maine; Start Exploring!

Since 1987, the Land for Maine's Future (LMF) program has helped to protect more than 600,000 acres in Maine, including our Robinson Woods. These special places offer access to trails, hiking, fishing, swimming, and boating. Best of all, LMF's work has been continually funded by the people of Maine
for the past 30 years, which means LMF properties belong to all of us, forever.  You can celebrate LMF's 30 th anniversary by visiting more than 150 conserved lands, and you can be rewarded for your explorations, too, through the L MF Passport.

The passport program provides recommendations for destinations, and as a bonus, passport holders who visit at least three LMF destinations (before October 1st) and upload a photo of their completed passport will be awarded a handy "LMF Works for ME" flashlight carabiner.  Click here for more information and to request a passport.

Or you can contribute your photos to the LMF Works for ME photo gallery, which gives you a place to share your experiences on LMF lands and see how others are enjoying those sites. Instagram users can post to the gallery using #LMFWorksforME. Maine residents who upload a photo directly onto the gallery will be entered into a drawing for camping gear donated by L.L. Bean, an overnight stay at a sporting camp donated by the Appalachian Mountain Club and other prizes. Click here for guidelines, prizes and more information.

Mark Your Calendar for Our Annual Meeting, November 5th

The Annual Meeting is a gathering of CELT members, supporters and potential members  to socialize, elect board members, and learn from a guest speaker addressing a timely topic in land conservation. This year  we'll be joined by Tim Glidden, president of Maine Coast Heritage Trust, who will speak to new ways to engage more of our community in conservation efforts.  

Attendance at the meeting is open to the public; Sunday afternoon, November 5th from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m., at the Purpoodock Golf Club on Spurwink Ave. More details to come.

From Our Executive Director...

Look Toward the Future When Assessing Paper Streets

One of the tenets of land conservation is that we take the long view. When the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust conserves land it is in perpetuity, for the "...enjoyment of this and future generations."  Often, land trusts acquire properties and wait many years before they provide access. This allows time to understand the narratives and specific needs related to a particular property. 

Working in conservation we also know that situations change over time. For example, I've seen landowners  who had no interest in conservation for many years, come around to thinking that they'd like to preserve their family heritage, and then to even suggest a name for the property if it were to be conserved. 

The 9+ acre parcel of land at 212 Two Lights Rd. ("East Light"), owned by the U.S. Coast Guard Station, currently has no public access, but it does provide an open vista along our beautiful coastline. Taking a long view, this property may one day allow public use and would need access points. One of the paper streets discussed at a recent Town Council meeting leads to this property. 

The issue of keeping paper streets has been very contentious on this property and on nearby Surfside. I don't suggest solutions just now, but instead ask everyone to consider all options and keep the long range view in mind before giving up publicly owned land. Once access is relinquished, it may be gone forever.
                                                                                                                                                                                  Cindy Krum                                                                                                                                              Executive Director                                                                                                                                
Cape Elizabeth Land Trust 


Cape Elizabeth Land Trust | 330 Ocean House Road | Cape Elizabeth | ME | 04107