The Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association (SVCA) has completed the protection and resale of the Walker Farm property in Alna, protecting 85 acres of land and 1,000 feet of Sheepscot River frontage.

The new owners are Christine Anderson and Albert Monaco, a local couple who are the owners of Oyster Creek Electric and Solar Options, Inc.

SVCA purchased the property in 2005 through contributions and loans from private individuals and federal and private foundations. Since then, the property has been placed under a strict conservation easement to protect the property's wildlife habitat and shore frontage.

Honor Fox Sage, president of the SVCA, a grassroots land trust and advocacy organization, said, "We are happy to welcome Chris and Al to our efforts to protect the Sheepscot River. During this transaction it became apparent that they have the same concern for the environment and the river as we do and will make excellent stewards of the land."

The Walker Farm property is an important segment in the Head Tide-to-Sheepscot Village stretch of the river that has been a focus of SVCA protection efforts. To date, eight properties along this stretch have been protected through purchase or conservation easements, and several more projects are in the works.

The Walker project had its share of ups and downs, or as Executive Director Maureen Hoffman calls them, "learning experiences." The Association was able to raise more funds than it had ever done before through the generosity of a $100,000 challenge grant and matching donations from SVCA members as well as a $100,000 grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. The rest of the original purchase amount was raised through private loans and SVCA's first mortgage.

Buying at the top of the hot real estate market had the SVCA hoping for a rapid resale, which did not happen before the market cooled off. As

time went by, the SVCA decided to split the property and sell the roadside land and historic house to buyers who planned to restore the home. The property was under contract for sale when, three days before the scheduled closing, the house burned to the ground under suspicious circumstances at the height of the Patriot's Day storm of April 2007.

Hoffman said, "The Fire Marshall and insurance adjusters were all very

helpful but that was a learning experience I don't need to repeat. The loss of the historic 200-year-old Walker house was a major blow to the community and the Association."

The first prospective buyers decided, after the fire, not to proceed with the purchase, but Al and Christine then stepped forward, as the property now fit with their plans to build an off-the-grid house. The easement in place on the property will allow the fields to continue as agricultural land and the woodland to be used for forestry. The riverfront and its long frontage are also protected from development.

Land and easement donations to the SVCA enable residents to forever

protect the land they love. In return for protecting their land, owners can receive either a charitable tax deduction equal to the value of the easement or land given or, in some cases, they can be paid directly for the development rights. "We recognize that no two landowners have the same goals and resources," said Hoffman. "The SVCA is very interested in helping a landowner to think creatively about ways in which they can meet their individual goals and protect their properties for generations to come."

For more information contact SVCA at their office at 624 Sheepscot Road, Newcastle, Maine 04553, (207) 586-5616 or by e-mail at sv ca @sheepscot.org .