While Mount Jesse is the focus in 2025, more awaits: two landowners with more than 500 acres of land are in active conversations with SELT regarding the conservation of their lands.

The opportunity to conserve these lands further highlights the need for a Strategic Conservation Fund. And both parcels lie within priority areas identified by the community as very important or important to conserve.

“The arc of conservation can be long, and initial discussions currently underway could blossom into new opportunities in 2026, 2027, or later,” says Duane Hyde, SELT’s Land Conservation Director.

And SELT – with the community’s support – wants to be ready. Recognizing the need and the community support, SELT seeks to establish the Strategic Conservation Fund for Merrymeeting, with a minimum goal of $2 million to conserve another 500-750 acres by 2030.

The Strategic Conservation Fund will enable SELT to be ready, willing, and able to move quickly when landowners are ready, reducing time from agreement to closing by as much as one year or longer.

Given the recent changes in federal funding priorities, SELT expects federal grant programs that have supported past conservation efforts to not be available -  further increasing the need for a privately established Strategic Conservation Fund for Merrymeeting.