Western Foothills Land Trust was founded in 1987 by a group of local residents who recognized the need to protect the forests, farms, waters, and landscapes that are vital to the lives and livelihoods of the rural communities of the Oxford Hills region of western Maine.

 

What began as a volunteer-led effort to help landowners conserve working lands and natural areas has grown into a professional nonprofit conservation organization serving eleven towns. Over nearly four decades, WFLT has partnered with landowners, communities, and regional organizations to conserve forests, wetlands, farmland, and wildlife habitat.

 

In addition to permanent land conservation through conservation easements and land acquisitions, the organization now stewards public preserves with extensive trail systems, outdoor recreation opportunities, and environmental education programs that connect tens of thousands of residents and visitors each year to the natural world and make the rural communities of western Maine healthier and more vibrant.

 

Today, WFLT stewards more than 10,000 acres of conserved lands and provides public access to 40 miles of trails. Our Preserves receive more than 100,000 visits annually, demonstrating the growing importance of our conserved lands as community resources that support wellness and quality of life, as well as an engine for the local recreation economy.

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Western Foothills Land Trust is a member of the Maine Land Trust Network and the national Land Trust Alliance. As a member of the extensive network of land trusts in Maine, Western Foothills Land Trust protects land by advocating locally for open space and resource protection, stewarding lands held in fee-ownership, and assisting landowners as legal holders of donated or purchased conservation easements.