A Kennebunk couple who donated 13 acres along the Salmon Falls River last year have made a cash donation closing out the Great Works Regional Land Trust’s campaign to preserve 79 pristine acres near Vaughan Woods and a mountain trail in North Berwick.
Chris Magnuson surprised a land trust fundraising gathering Saturday by saying he and his wife Rosalind will donate the remaining $48,500 needed to meet the $3 million goal for the trust’s yearslong Woods to Water campaign.
The land trust’s largest combined campaign, Woods to Water has financed the Salmon Falls Tidal Waters project off Old Fields Road as well as conservation of 81 acres surrounding the South Peak of Bauneg Beg Mountain in North Berwick.
After land trust Director Jordan Kelley urged 60 attendees at Beach Plum Farm to close the final funding gap, he quickly took back the microphone to say, “Chris Magnuson just told us he would donate the remaining $48,500.”
Magnuson said the “wonder and awe” of the natural world are what inspired the couple’s enthusiasm for supporting conservation projects. Last year they donated a parcel valued at $440,000 to the Salmon Falls Tidal Waters Project.
“From a young age my wife Roz and I came to appreciate the wonder and awe that nature holds for each of us,” Magnuson told the Reporter. “We believe the natural world around us is a gift that should keep on giving, and consider it a privilege to be able to do our part.
“As we saw the momentum grow for funding the (land trust’s) Tidal Waters preserve, it occurred to us that gifting, rather than selling, our 12.69 acres to the effort would be the right thing to do. We are delighted to be able to gift such a beautiful spot that will always be preserved for the enjoyment of everyone.
“More recently,” said Magnuson, “realizing funding was still needed to close out the acquisition, we are again privileged to lend additional help to achieving the project’s long intended goal.”
While some Great Works properties offer primarily recreational opportunities, Kelley said, the Salmon Falls Tidal Waters project includes uplands, salt marsh and a quarter mile of river frontage that make it ideal for educational programs, with six schools within a four-mile radius of the site.
Kelley also cited the land trust’s appreciation for overwhelming support from South Berwick voters for a $200,000 contribution this year for public access and stewardship of the Tidal Waters preserve.
It will be “a lasting asset for the town of South Berwick and residents of the area,” he said.
