BREMEN, Maine, February 28, 2006 — Bremen residents Daniel and Suzanne Goldenson have donated to Maine Audubon 50 acres of forest off Keene Neck Road in Bremen.
The land, located near the main entrance of Maine Audubon’s Todd Audubon Sanctuary, will be preserved in perpetuity and serve as a wildlife sanctuary as well as an educational site open to the public for habitat and ecology study.
“This land significantly increases our property and opportunities for connecting people with nature,” said Kevin Carley, executive director of Maine Audubon. “Maine Audubon thanks the Goldensons for their generosity and for their vision in recognizing the importance of land conservation.”
“We value being a neighbor of Todd Audubon Sanctuary and are pleased to enhance this important environmental resource in our own back yard,” said Dan Goldenson.
The 50 acres more than doubles the mainland holdings of the sanctuary, which includes 330-acre Hog Island, home to the oldest continuously operating adult environmental education camp in the U.S. Since 1936, Hog Island Audubon Camp has offered summer sessions for adults, educators, young people and families led by some of the most respected naturalists and environmental educators in the nation.
The sanctuary is also home to island and mainland walking trails as well as a seasonal visitors’ center on the mainland featuring interpretive displays and a nature store.
Founded in 1936 by National Audubon Society, the sanctuary is named after Mabel Loomis Todd who purchased Hog Island in 1908 to protect it from development. In 2000 the sanctuary was transferred to Maine Audubon as part of its affiliation with national Audubon.
Maine Audubon has continued to run and expand programming at Hog Island Audubon Camp; however, the need for capital improvements and expansion has grown. Plans for a Hog Island capital campaign are underway.
The Goldensons’ gift is the first local effort in support of this campaign. Funds raised will allow Maine Audubon to upgrade and refurbish old structures and residential facilities; provide new equipment and teaching materials; create an endowment fund to off-set rising operating costs; and ensure the legacy of the historic camp.
The Goldensons, who own nearby Twin Maples Farm, are not new to land preservation. As residents of Princeton, New Jersey for more than 40 years, they organized Friends of Coventry Farm, a local volunteer organization that launched a combined state, county and local campaign to save Princeton’s largest historic farm of 160 acres.
For more information on the Hog Island campaign or the camp’s summer 2006 sessions, visit www.maineaudubon.org or call (207) 781-2330.
