Meadow Mountain

Above: view to the Burnt Meadow Mountains from Mt. Mani. Left: a forest trail meanders through the King Hayes property. “Here are our thoughts regarding our decision to put land into a Conservation Easement. First, we must say that we love this place. Despite past major disturbances to the Forest Communities, i.e. deforestation thru logging and forest fi res, the ‘ecological value’ of this land, as far as we are concerned, is priceless. —Ken and Olga

Why, sir, they have as good a right to live as we; they are our fellow worms. —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Landlady

Thoughts from the Landowner— The King Hayes Conservation Easement  “Our land is a part of the chain of peaks and valleys that make up the Burnt Meadow Mountains, which in turn are a part of the highlands of Southwestern, Maine. This unique landscape looms over the Saco River Basin with its tributaries and bogland. “Much of this mostly forested upland has very rugged, steep terrain along with some tableland & highland bogs scattered here and there. These features which we recognize as ecologically valuable pro vide prime habitat for a wide variety of wild animal and plant species. “The roughly 80 acres that makes up our easement is a small holding within this landscape, and yet it contains many of these unique features. We can follow trails to various mountain tops, watch a sunset, and still be back in time for dinner at the end of the day. “And yet, we are lost to the sounds of civilization and immersed in the sounds of a living landscape. We take great pleasure in being here. We do not, nor do we want those that follow us, to alter this natu ral landscape for profi t. We want instead, to help it recover from its past disturbances and thereby con-tinue and enhance these habitats. “By putting our land into a Conservation Easement with the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust and se lectively implementing a land management plan, we hope to make our contribution to this environment now and into the future.”