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AUBURN — The Androscoggin Land Trust and the Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission have announced the forever conservation of a 35.6-acre property in Auburn, with 0.2 miles of frontage on Lake Auburn. Known as the Pope Conservation Area, the property will help protect public drinking water quality for the Lewiston and Auburn area, and provide other natural services, including wildlife habitat and access to low-impact public recreation and education.
The conserved land was donated by Katherine S. Pope in memory of her grandparents, Harold S. and Marion W. White. It was part of Whiteholm Farm, a dairy farm that they owned and operated from 1915 to 1973.
“This property has been in our family for a very long time, and we hope that people who visit will appreciate its history and the importance of protecting the watershed.” Pope said. “My grandfather, Harold Sewall White, was a conservationist himself and would be pleased that this parcel is being preserved.”
The property is now owned by LAWPC, and ALT holds the conservation easement. LAWPC ensures clean drinking water for the Lewiston and Auburn area (the second-largest metropolitan area of Maine) by maintaining the quality of the Lake Auburn watershed through education, outreach, and watershed management efforts. Forests, fields, and other natural areas within a watershed play critical roles in keeping water clean by naturally absorbing water and trapping sediments.
“For drinking water sources, it is especially important to ensure that land near the source is not overdeveloped so that the land can still provide vital natural filtration services,” said Erica Kidd, matershed Manager at LAWPC. “ALT partners with LAWPC to monitor and steward their other conservation easements in the Lake Auburn watershed.”
Lake Auburn is the drinking water source for a large portion of the population that ALT serves, said Shelley Kruszewski, ALT executive director. “It drains to the Androscoggin River via Bobbin Brook, placing this property squarely within the mission of ALT.”
The property is off Summer Street, on the right shortly after passing Whiting Farm when headed west. There is a designated public access zone in the southwest area of the property that abuts Summer Street. LAWPC has plans to build a low-impact public recreation trail across the property. The easement allows walking, hiking, nature observation and study, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, picnicking within a designated picnic area and nature-based outdoor education. The section of the property closest to the shoreline, because of water quality and habitat protection, is restricted from public access.
