How Falmouth Land Trust has expanded its reach, 3 ways
FALMOUTH — The Falmouth Land Trust has completed an unprecedented streak of land acquisitions, bringing three new parcels under protection over the span of just three months this year.
The acquisitions began in May with the purchase of 42 acres known as Babbidge Woods, a wooded wetland near Highland Lake. The land trust paid the full appraised value of $384,000 for the property, which sits near the Windham border. In December, the Falmouth Town Council authorized the municipality to cover half the cost of the purchase—the first time the town has contributed to a land trust acquisition in more than a decade. The remaining funding came from the Casco Bay Estuary Program, the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, and a combination of foundations and individual donors.
June saw the trust acquire 40 acres in the northern part of town adjacent to Hadlock Community Forest. Unlike the Babbidge Woods purchase, this transaction was structured as a bargain sale, with the landowner selling the property at roughly 10 percent of its appraised value. The seller, who requested anonymity, received a tax deduction for the difference—a charitable donation to the organization.
July brought a third property under the trust's umbrella through yet another method. Twenty acres along the Presumpscot River were permanently protected via a conservation easement held by the land trust. The property remains in private hands, owned by Nancy and John Lightbody, but the legal agreement prevents future development. The Lightbodys have lived beside the land for more than five decades and consider it a place of "serenity and refuge." They've spotted foxes, a moose, and bald eagles in its fields and woods.
"It's totally natural and unspoiled now, and we wanted to do our best to keep it that way," Nancy Lightbody said.
Executive Director Mila Plavsic said the three-property streak marks a new pace for the organization. It typically acquires one or two parcels annually.
For landowners considering how their property might be preserved, Plavsic said the options vary widely. A straightforward purchase at fair market value requires significant lead time—ideally one to two years—to raise funds. A bargain sale can make transactions easier by reducing the price while giving sellers a tax benefit. A conservation easement, meanwhile, keeps land in private ownership while permanently restricting development.
"It generally means that a piece of forest will remain a piece of forest. It won't become a shopping mall," Plavsic said.
She encouraged families to have early conversations about estate planning and land preservation.
"It's really important that everyone's on the same page," she said.
Plavsic noted that some conserved properties in town now bear the names of deceased landowners whose families donated the land, creating what she called a lasting legacy.
"It really is a legacy," she said.
