By Christine Farrell

What an experience to grow up on the coast of Maine. What a charmed life for a child to spend summers on Harpswell Neck or on the Islands. Great, Bailey or Orr’s, that is. Anne Satterthwaite, a Philadelphia health care professional, had such a childhood. Spending summer weeks on Bailey Island, Anne enjoyed life in a cottage purchased by her grandparents, Helen and Walter B. Satterthwaite in 1953.

Anne remembers spending the entire day playing outside on the rocky cliffs with her Golden Retriever, Happy. Cedar Beach was another favorite spot to hang out with other island kids. Growing up, Anne and her brothers didn’t have to spend the day under parental supervision as they explored for life under granite and seaweed! Today, life for our children in Harpswell is still safe, free from traffic and as we know, so pretty!

Since Anne loved her childhood so much, Anne recently decided to honor her grandparents by naming HHLT in her will as a beneficiary. Anne knows how special these islands are, especially today when many coastline shores from North to South have been paved over for more roads, tall buildings and mega-mansions. And traffic.

But not here in Harpswell thanks in part to the ongoing work of the HHLT. Since1983, the Land Trust has been using the donations of local residents and visitors to preserve the unspoiled beauty of Harpswell and to keep parts of it as natural as when Helen and Walter Satterthwaite first arrived in the ‘50s.

Whether you came to Harpswell recently or have lived here forever, I hope you enjoy the trails preserved and maintained by HHLT. Ramble along the trails at Curtis Farm Preserve. Go for a trek at Long Reach Preserve. Enjoy the view at Johnson Field Preserve.

To Anne and our other donors, we thank you for helping us keep Harpswell the beautiful place we love.

Your legacy, too, could be one of clean air, clean water, an abundance of wildlife, thriving fisheries and beautiful natural spaces for future generations to enjoy.

We hope you consider a planned gift to HHLT. Naming HHLT as a beneficiary of your estate plan or a specific asset, such as an IRA or a life insurance policy, is a simple way to begin your legacy.

For more information, contact Amelia Graham at development@hhltmaine.org or 207-721-1121.