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WFLT 2017 TAXATION REPORT

Western Foothills Land Trust is dedicated to the conservation and protection of native ecosystems, farm and forestlands, watersheds, and scenic landscapes for the benefit of wild and human communities in western Maine.

 

WFLT’s service area includes: 

Buckfield, Harrison, Hebron, Otisfield, Oxford, Norway, Paris, Sumner, Waterford, West Paris

 

  • WFLT holds 31 conservation easements protecting 4,190 acres
     

  • WFLT owns 19 parcels protecting 3,099 acres

    • 86 acres in Open Space

    • 1014 acres Tree Growth

    • 1793 acres Tax Exempt

    • 226 acres Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes
       

  • 2017 total property taxes paid: $3971

    • $446 to State of Maine Forestry Tax
       

  • Including 6 Preserves featuring 25 miles of trails and recreational or cultural assets 
     

    • WFLT investments in public assets at those Preserves to date

 

  • Roberts Farm Preserve

    • Trail design, development, management $220,000​

    • Warming hut and accessible deck $57,000

    • Grooming equipment $4,000

    • Bernard Langlais sculpture bases $3,000

      • Total  $319,000​

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  • Shepard Farm Preserve-Witt Swamp Preserve

    • 4 miles of mtn bike/ hiking trail development $43,000

    • Bernard Langlais sculpture bases $1,500

      • Total $44,500
         

  • Virgil Parris Forest

    • Trail development

      • Total $35,000

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10 Fee-owned lands taxed at Tree Growth (7 woodlots- 1014 acres) or Open Space (3 parcels-86 acres)

1. Fogg Parcel, Otisfield. 68-acre woodlot with frontage on the Crooked River. TG

2. Hatch Preserve at Hawk Mtn, Waterford. 147-acres with 1 mile trail, view. TG

3. Maple Ridge, Harrison. 37-acre working forest. TG

4. Moon Valley, Harrison. 14-acre enhanced wetlands protecting Crooked River. OS

5. Noyes Mountain Preserve, Greenwood. 295-acres, elev 1,503’, 3 miles of trails. TG

6. Oak Hill, Otisfield. 141- acre working forest in Crooked River Watershed. TG

7. Robie Meadow, Harrison. 51-acre predominantly wetland parcel protecting Russel Brook and Crooked River. OS

8. Stanley Wetlands, Waterford. 21-acre wetlands on Crooked River. OS

9. Twin Bridges Preserve, Otisfield. 252-acre working forest with trails. TG

10. Watkins South, Otisfield. 56-acre working forest on the Crooked River. TG

 

7 Tax-Exempt Fee-owned lands (7 preserves- 1793 acres)

 

1.     Gellatly Preserve, West Paris 

12-acre wetlands along the Little Androscoggin River.

 

2.     McKeen Wildlife Refuge, Oxford

78-acre forever wild preserve with stream, wetland, and forested habitats.

 

3.    Roberts Farm Preserve, Norway (LMF 2008) 

165- acre Preserve with 13k of grassed/groomed/tracked Nordic ski trails and 3.5k of single track mtn. bike and hiking         trails. Preserve features a warming hut with free loan ski and snowshoe equipment for families. Trails used for practice and competition by Viking’s x-c and Nordic teams, and by our local home-school community. We offer afterschool ski           programs, weekend events and programs. In collaboration with the Trust, SAD17 has created a year- round experiential         learning program on site at no cost.
 

4.     Shepards Farm Preserve, Norway, 20 acres

Ten acres of woodlands bordering open former dairy pasture. Six Bernard Langlais sculptures permanently installed. 2-miles of mountain bike and hiking trails.
 

5.     Twelve-Mile River Preserve, Buckfield

 16 acres forever wild river habitat at the juncture of the east and west branches of the Nezinscot River.
 

6.     Virgil Parris Forest, Buckfield (LMF 2008)

1,250-acre preserve protecting South Pond. Site includes over 300 acres of wetlands, eskers, whalebacks, waterfalls, 2.5 miles of ATV/snowmobile trail (ITS89) and 4 miles of non-motorized hiking trails.
 

7.     Witt Swamp Preserve, Norway, 252 acres

Primarily White Cedar swamp, bog, and fen habitat bordered by mature upland forest. Three miles of non-               motorized trails and 2.5 miles of snowmobile trail.

 

 

2 Fee-owned lands where WFLT chooses to pay a PILOT (226 acres)

 

1. Ackley Forest, Buckfield. 198-acre working forestland donated to the Trust.

2. Keene Orchard, Buckfield. 28-acre working orchard donated to the Trust.

 

 

Lee Dassler, Executive Director, Western Foothills Land Trust, PO Box 107, Norway, Maine 04268

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