Who We Are
Stewards of the land & wildlife
Sebasticook Regional Land Trust (SRLT) is a membership-supported conservation organization that works to conserve and restore vital lands and waters in the Sebasticook River Watershed in Central Maine. Our commitment to responsibly steward the Earth for wildlife and people guides our work. SRLT conserves both wild and working lands in a service area that stretches from Wellington and Sangerville north of Interstate 95, south to China and Montville. Since its founding, SRLT has strategically conserved nearly 4,000 acres of land.
We are based in Unity, Maine and office hours are available by appointment. SRLT has a full-time executive director, a seasonal stewardship coordinator, a board of directors and many committed volunteers. We are a membership driven organization whose financial health and organizational capacity to do this important work depends directly on individual and business supporters and volunteers from the communities we serve. We host educational events throughout our extensive service area. Check our website or social media for programs.
This award-winning video produced by Unity College graduate Allison Perna wonderfully captures the spirit and feeling of the Sebasticook River Watershed.
What We Do
Our commitment is to ensure that our natural environment and communities remain vibrant and resilient in the face of a rapidly changing and uncertain world. Land conservation, habitat restoration, environmental education, community engagement and public access to conserved lands are the heart of our work.
As a land trust, we protect land in several ways. We acquire some properties outright and also work with landowners to conserve their land through conservation easements. Easements are legal documents that stay with a property deed and protect the land in perpetuity. Each easement is unique, crafted to reflect the landowner’s interests for their property.
The lands that SRLT protects are managed for wildlife, forestry, agriculture and recreation. Approximately 1800 acres of these lands remain in private ownership, and are conserved through easements, with the remainder owned by SRLT.
In 2014, SRLT and its partners launched the Alewife Restoration Initiative (ARI), a collaborative effort to restore access to China Lake for alewife and other migratory fish. The project involved restoring passage at six barriers on Outlet Stream, either through dam removal or fish ladder construction. The ARI offers local and regional benefits to the ecosystem, water quality and economy. In 2025 it’s likely that more than one million alewives returned to China Lake to spawn.
This award-winning video produced by Unity College graduate Allison Perna wonderfully captures the spirit and feeling of the Sebasticook River Watershed