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Maine Farm Preservation Receives National Award

(from left) Maine NRCS State Conservationist Joyce Swartzendruber, National Trust Advisor Jim Day, Friends of the Shakers Board Member Jim Gelbort, NRCS Conservation Improvement Programs Branch Chief Gus Jordan; Executive Director New England Forestry Foundation Lynn Lyford, Former Executive Director, Maine Preservation Roxanne Eflin, Maine Preservation Board Trustee Arron Sturgis, National Trust Advisor Ed Hobler, and The Trust for Public Land Regional Director of Marketing and Communications Brian Madson (NRCS photo -- click to enlarge)

(from left) Maine NRCS State Conservationist Joyce Swartzendruber, National Trust Advisor Jim Day, Friends of the Shakers Board Member Jim Gelbort, NRCS Conservation Improvement Programs Branch Chief Gus Jordan, Executive Director New England Forestry Foundation Lynn Lyford, Former Executive Director, Maine Preservation Roxanne Eflin, Maine Preservation Board Trustee Arron Sturgis, National Trust Advisor Ed Hobler, and The Trust for Public Land Regional Director of Marketing and Communications Brian Madson (NRCS photo -- click to enlarge)

The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Forest, and Farm in New Gloucester, Maine, recently received a prestigious National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  The project is one of 21 national award winners the National Trust for Historic Preservation honored during its week-long 2007 National Preservation Conference in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Home to the world’s only active Shaker community, the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village’s 1,700-acre property is one of Maine’s most important and intact cultural landscapes.  Thousands of visitors from around the globe come to the village every year to witness the historic architecture, working landscape, and scenic vistas.  But with only four Shakers still living in the community, the village has been working to ensure that their legacy will continue and their land will not be lost to new development.

After an intensive five-year collaborative effort by the Shaker community and local, State, and federal partners, this National Historic Landmark’s future is now secure.  The coalition successfully obtained preservation and conservation easements that protect the village’s landscape and 17 historic structures, neutralizing the threat of inappropriate development and keeping the farmland in use. More than $3 million was raised, which included over $1 million for the establishment of three endowments for restoration and ongoing maintenance of the site.  More than $500,000 was obtained through the NRCS Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program.

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“The preservation of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village ensures that the great legacy of this community will endure for generations to come,” said National Trust for Historic Preservation President Richard Moe.  “It offers a much-needed model for future collaborations between local, State, and federal agencies seeking creative solutions for the safety of both the built and natural environment.”
Your contact is Elaine Tremble, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 207-990-9569.