In 2015 Mount Agamenticus to the Sea (MtA2C) began an ambitious initiative to preserve 5,500 acres of land throughout York County. Working with ten local, state and federal conservation groups their vision is to conserve a total of 19,000 acres that stretches from the Tatnic Hills of Wells to the coast of Kittery.
Kennebunk Savings recently contributed $50,000 to the project through its Community Promise program. According to Bradford C. Paige, President and CEO, “Preserving York County’s land has been a long-time focus of Kennebunk Savings; we want the essence of York County to be preserved for future generations. The Mount A to the Sea initiative has provided important leadership on this conservation project and has been especially proactive about encouraging more people to experience and access York County outdoors.”
Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea coordinator, Karen Young, commented, “Our goal is to preserve a total of 19,000 acres by 2032. We’re excited by the progress we’ve made and the number of people who have been able to get out to explore the outdoor trails and experience the natural world in our conserved land.”
In the last three decades, MtA2C partners led by The Nature Conservancy and three local land trusts – Kittery, York and Great Works – have completed more than 70 conservation projects with landowners who wanted to conserve their land forever. The region now has more than 14,200 acres of watershed and conservation land, a legacy that goes back over a century when the Kittery and York Water Districts set aside land to protect drinking water supplies for their communities. In the 1960s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service created the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Kittery. In the 1970s, a grassroots coalition led by the town of York bought the summit of Mt. Agamenticus following a proposal to build 3,000 housing units there.
Kennebunk Savings contributes 10% of its earnings back to the nonprofit community each year through its Community Promise program. The total commitment of that program has meant over $11 million for nonprofits in the community since 1994.
