Georges River Land Trust is proud to be working closely with five of our neighboring land trusts in midcoast Maine to implement the 12 Rivers Conservation Initiative. Collectively, we hope to conserve special landscapes at a scale greater than the sum of our individual efforts.
In 2016, we began to reexamine our long-term conservation planning through the lens of regional climate data. This 2017 article describes mapping and communication strategies. In 2020, the Land Trust Alliance featured our efforts to incorporate coastal resiliency to address our changing climate.
Our Vision
Our vision is a network of conserved lands that protects midcoast Maine’s ecosystems and ensures multiple human benefits for generations to come.
Our Mission
The mission of the 12 Rivers Conservation Initiative is to accelerate conservation of the forested landscape from the Kennebec River to the Georges River with the goal of doubling the amount of protected lands. Currently, of the 825,000 acres in the 12 Rivers Initiative area, approximately 45,000 acres are conserved.
Who We Are
- Boothbay Region Land Trust
- Coastal Mountains Land Trust
- Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
- Georges River Land Trust
- Kennebec Estuary Land Trust
- Maine Coast Heritage Trust
- Midcoast Conservancy
Our Conservation Goals
- Maintain and promote biodiversity, meaning the diversity of genes, species and ecosystems, as well as the evolutionary and functional processes that link them.
- Promote connectivity of large habitat blocks.
- Support wild land habitat protection and working lands conservation across the landscape, for example managed woodlands and community forests, since forests are key to clean air and water quality, local resource-based economy, traditional recreational uses such as hiking, fishing, hunting and snowmobiling, as well as regional biodiversity.
- Integrate regional outdoor trails and other recreational opportunities.