WINTHROP — A real estate closing was held at the offices of Lake and Denison, with title to the 120-acre Jean E. (Wheeler) Hewett property on Norton Road in Fayette passed to Kennebec Land Trust. An Aug. 18 property dedication is planned.
KLT President Janet Sawyer expressed her gratitude to the Hewett Family and recognized their legacy. “Conserving this land will forever protect wildlife habitat and water quality in the 30 Mile River Watershed, including the waters of Echo Lake, Lovejoy Pond, Hales Brook, Hales Pond, Pocasset Lake, and Androscoggin Lake,” she said.
KLT’s Oak Hill Conservation Area includes a ridgeline above Echo Lake and mature hardwood-conifer woodland adjacent to Hales Brook. The property is near the trust’s Surry Hill, Baldwin Hill and Echo Lake properties, and features forest, fields, valuable wetlands and scenic views. The property will provide new low-impact recreational opportunities, including hiking, hunting, skiing and nature observation.
The Hewett family will continue to operate a sugarbush on the property and KLT will manage the timber on long rotations for high-value sawlogs. KLT interns, volunteers, and staff will construct new trails on the property next summer.
The Hewett family, long-time Fayette residents, have owned and taken care of the property since 1965. Ron Hewett, Jean Hewett’s son, said, “We had to sell the land for financial reasons and we didn’t want to just sell it to a developer. Working with KLT was the best way to keep the land the way it is. My dad wanted us to keep working the land, but to do it the right way.”
In addition to a large anonymous donation, KLT received financial support from many members, summer camps, members of the Echo, Lovejoy and Pocasset lake associations, and grants from the Maine Community Foundation and the Davis Conservation Fund.
Read the full article at https://www.turnerpublishing.net/news/2022/01/05/kennebec-land-trust-conserves-fayette-oak-hill-property/