Scott Dickerson recognized with Espy Land Heritage Award

Scott Dickerson was awarded the annual Espy Land Heritage Award
at the Maine Land Conservation Conference. 

Topsham, Maine - Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), a statewide land conservation organization, has honored Scott Dickerson as the recipient of the 2014 Espy Land Heritage Award.  Each year MCHT presents the award to an individual, organization, or coalition for exemplary conservation efforts in Maine.

Scott has worked long and hard to ensure that his land trust not only accomplished a number of impressive conservation projects, but also has much of the knowledge, capabilities, and resources to carry the trust's work forward over the long haul, said Tim Glidden, President of MCHT, when presenting the award at the Maine Land Conservation Conference this past weekend in Topsham.  His hard work, intelligence, and maybe just the right amount of stubbornness has resulted in a conservation legacy that has made an enormous difference in Maine.

Dickerson served for 16 years as Land Trust director before retiring from that position in February. Over the course of his career, he increased the amount of conserved land from 2,000 to almost 10,000 acres throughout western Penobscot Bay. He formed a 20-member coalition to protect the Ducktrap River, launched a campaign to protect Bald and Ragged Mountains, oversaw the rehabilitation of the 100-year-old stone hut on Beech Hill, and began a partnership with the City of Belfast that will yield a rails to trails greenway project.

"Thank you to everyone at Maine Coast Heritage Trust for this honor, which is actually a collective award earned by all who work together to accomplish land conservation," said Dickerson upon receiving this award.  "Ambitious supporters, volunteers, board members, and staff are the key ingredients of this award."

In honoring past President Jay Espy, the Board of Directors at MCHT created a fund that awards $5,000 per year with the winner able to direct the funds to the conservation charity of their choice. Dickerson has chosen to divide the cash award to benefit three recipients:  the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition, to honor Cloe Chunn; the Friends of Sears Island, to honor Marietta Ramsdell--both Chunn and Ramsdell were key founders of their respective organizations--and Coastal Mountains Land Trust to support its permanent land conservation achievements.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust is a statewide land conservation organization dedicated to protecting land that is essential to the character of Maine, its coastline and islands in particular.  Since 1970, more than 142,000 acres and 300 entire coastal islands have been permanently protected.  For more information, contact Rich Knox, Director of Communications and Public Policy at 207-729-7366, or visit www.mcht.org.

Coastal Mountains Land Trust has worked since 1986 to permanently conserve land to benefit the natural and human communities of western Penobscot Bay. The Land Trust has protected over 9,500 acres to date. For more information about the Land Trust, its land conservation program, or extensive outings calendar please call (207) 236-7091 or visit www.coastalmountains.org.