Barbara Damon-Day of Newcastle has granted the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association an easement on 15 acres with 1,000 feet of frontage on the west side of Deer Meadow Brook.

Damon-Day has lived on the property for over 30 years and raised her children there, enabling them to enjoy the pristine, unspoiled nature of the place. She said she has a Native American perspective on land ownership, with her role one of stewardship, doing what she can to preserve the land in its natural state and to consider the repercussions of her actions on not just one but on the next seven generations.

"Granting the easement was a way to ensure that my values concerning the land will be carried on in my behalf," she says. "If we eliminate the spots that nurture our spirits, what do we have left? We might have some extra money in the bank because we sold the logs or the gravel and then turned the site into a dump, but what do we have then? It's another way of becoming bankrupt."

Damon-Day's property is mostly wooded but also includes freshwater marshland. The property is located in the Deer Meadow Brook corridor, which is part of an 11,000-acre block of wildlife habitat broken by only one road that has been recognized as critical habitat by SVCA, the town of Newcastle and the state of Maine. The state's Beginning With Habitat program has been working with towns and land trusts to understand where these large blocks exist. The town of Newcastle has long been interested in protecting this undeveloped wildlife corridor and popular recreation area, as most recently reflected in its 2006 Comprehensive Plan, which calls for greater protection of the area from development. The terms of the easement on Damon-Day's property block any future real estate or commercial development, while permitting managed forestry activities. This is the second donated easement the SVCA has received in this area, the first, protecting another 1,000 feet of frontage was donated by Nancy Holmes in December of 2007.

The Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association is a member organization advocating shared stewardship of Maine's 58-mile Sheepscot River since 1969. Today, more than 2,400 acres and 13 miles of riverfront are protected. The SVCA's ongoing monitoring of water quality helps ensure the watershed's ecosystems stay healthy, including its Atlantic salmon habitat. SVCA's mapping services, technical support and educational programs encourage prudent land use so the resources people value today are conserved forever.

For more information, visit www. sheepscot.org or contact SVCA at their headquarters at 624 Sheepscot Road, Newcastle, ME 04553, phone 207-586-5616 and e-mail svca@ sheepscot.org .