Mission
The Presumpscot Regional Land Trust (PRLT) is a 23 year-old land trust, formerly Gorham-Sebago Lake Regional Land Trust, whose mission is to conserve and protect natural lands and historic landscapes for posterity in the Presumpscot River watershed and western shore area of Sebago Lake. Using easements or ownership the PRLT preserves wildlife habitat, agricultural lands, and public access for outdoor recreational opportunities along the Presumpscot River and its associated watershed. At the forefront of land protection efforts along much of the northern portions of the Presumpscot River, the PRLT is the only land trust in Maine whose land protection efforts focus on the Presumpscot River watershed and western shore area of Sebago Lake.

History
Few more enduring legacies can be imagined than the permanent protection of natural resources. In 1986, as open land became scarcer with new development, concerned citizens formed the Gorham Land Trust. The aim of the community- based nonprofit group was to conserve and preserve the natural characteristics and scenic beauty of our land and water resources for the benefit of all townspeople.

Today, the growing legacy includes more than 530 acres forever protected on as valuable open space and wildlife habitats in the towns of Gorham, Standish, Gray, Sebago and Windham on 16 properties. Additional properties in Westbrook are under consideration. It was renamed the Gorham-Sebago Lake Regional Land Trust in early 1997 to reflect the Trust's expanding coverage, and then renamed again the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust in June 2007 in order to better reflect an even greater coverage area.

Board and Staff

Senator Phil Bartlett, Esq.
Gorham
Maine State Senator, District 6
Senate Majority Leader

Forrest Bell
Vice President and Secretary
Chair- Lands Committee
Gorham
Owner, FB Environmental
Executive Director, Presumpscot River Watch

Joanne Chessey
Treasurer
Sebago
Consulting Group Analyst, Smith Barney

Matthew Craig
Co-Chair - Stewardship Committee
Portland
Technical Program Coordinator, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership

Richard Curtis
President
Gorham
Principal, Artel Inc.

Marylee Dodge
Chair - Membership and Development Committee
Gorham
Board Member, Coastal Mountains Land Trust

Dennis Irish
Gorham
Owner, Iryshe Enterprises, Handyman

Diane Kenty
Westbrook
Director, Office of Court ADR
Maine Administration Office of the Courts

Harold Parks
Gorham
Retired, Former City Manager, Brewer

Will Plumley
Chair - Marketing Committee
Windham
Marketing Strategist, Ethos Marketing & Design
Chair, Presumpscot River Watershed Coalition

Robert Alan Wake
Windham
Attorney, General Counsel, Maine Bureau of Insurance

Staff:
Tania Neuschafer
Manager
Co-Chair - Stewardship Committee
Portland

Consider a Conservation Easement with the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement made between a property owner and a land trust. A conservation easement provides a practical way to hold your land in safekeeping for the benefit of future generations and preserves important qualities of your land that can provide public benefit such as scenic vistas, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. With a conservation easement you permanently protect your land without giving up ownership. You can continue to live on it and use it, and can sell it or pass it on to heirs. What’s more, you can reduce future estate taxes and the donated easement can qualify as a tax deduction. This is a gift that keeps on giving. Interested in learning how to protect your property through a conservation easement? Consider a conservation easement on your property today. Contact Richard Curtis at prlandtrust@yahoo.com or (207) 892-8605 to learn more. Excerpted from materials developed by the Land Trust Alliance- www.landtrustalliance.org