Our local land and rural character are worth protecting for us and for future generations.
For more than 20 years, we’ve been collaborating with our community to take care of the land that takes care of us.
Our mission is to maintain Holden’s rural character by conserving agricultural and forested areas, wildlife habitats, and recreational trails for community benefit. We seek to collaborate with local organizations and landowners and provide opportunities for learning about and engaging with our natural environment.
In collaboration with local landowners, organizations, and community members, we’ve been able to conserve:
Hog Hill, a 22-acre open space, and one of the last undeveloped hilltops with a view of Holden
The Hart Farm, a 160-acre farm now in the capable hands of a young farming couple who have turned the land into a productive cornerstone of the community
A local trail system that connects to Fields Pond Audubon and abuts Curran Homestead, making 400+ acres of contiguous conserved land
How Holden Land Trust Came to Be
Holden is a very desirable bedroom community of Bangor. Many residents enjoy and value its scenic vistas, rolling hills, lakes, abundant wildlife, and convenient location between Bangor and the coast. Maintaining these characteristics while building the community has been a priority for many.
In the late 1990s, with the help of a planning consultant, the town’s Planning Board realized the importance of a balance of planned development and conservation of open space after experiencing intense pressure of development. The Town Council and Planning Board began meetings and discussions on updating Holden’s Comprehensive Plan in 2001, finalized in 2005, and recognized open space's importance in maintaining Holden’s rural character. This led to ordinance revisions and approval of a 2010 Open Space Plan and the 2011 Scenic Resources Study. This became the foundation for all development proposals.
Simultaneously, as these planning efforts were being crafted, residents noted our resources and “specialness”. Ellen Campbell, a founding member of HLT, personally recognized the need to protect critical wildlife habitat, working farms, and scenic views. Recently, Ellen recalled this time in Holden. During Winter 2003, a neighbor took her on a snowmobile ride to view a frozen beaver bog she had never seen. Always interested in birds, Ellen took note of ten massive, impressive stick nests in tall dead trees that rose through the ice and snow. She returned in the spring to verify that she had seen a heron rookery! Large majestic birds that were impressive residents of Holden! Ellen invited an Audubon naturalist, Judy Markowsky, to view the rookery. Markowsky asked if the town had a land trust, and Ellen said, “No.” That very day, Ellen began to plan and think about organizing and starting a local land trust.
Like the stick nests on a frozen beaver bog, the Holden Land Trust rose. Ellen recruited five other residents, and together they began to build a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization that was officially created in 2005. It took several years to write bylaws, learn what a land trust can do for the public, and start serving the area. The first project was to hold a conservation easement on a town-owned property identified in the Open Space Plan, Hog Hill. Then, in 2016, HLT was asked to consider ways to keep the 6 generation Hart Farm in agricultural use. After a big fundraising campaign and collaborating with Maine Farmland Trust, the HLT bought the 160-acre Hart Farm in 2017. The “Forever Farm” designation allowed the HLT to plan how to attract a farm family and plan for public use of the property by building a trail system and parking areas for access to local outdoor recreation. In 2018, their dreams came true, and the farm was sold to an ambitious, community-minded couple who had created a growing local agricultural business. Becky and Andrew Toothacker, with little Leota, are now first-generation farmers producing flowers, vegetables, pastured pork, and beef, with a thriving CSA.
The HLT Trails at Hart Farm have become a popular destination for many who want to get out in nature. The HLT holds a recreational/conservation easement on the 4 miles of trails maintained for public use on the Hart Farm. The trails now connect to Fields Pond Audubon trails and provide miles of good hiking. The HLT looks forward to continued growth and service to our greater community.
We continue to identify open space worth protecting, improve trail access, and look for opportunities to help landowners find long-term solutions for their land.
We envision a community with carefully preserved natural resources, significant historical, agricultural, and scenic landscapes, public community recreational opportunities, and an abundance of wildlife habitat for today, tomorrow, and future generations.
Join us in keeping Holden’s outdoor spaces open, accessible, and beneficial to our community.
Become a member
Become a member by donating. Your entire donation will go directly to activities like trail development and maintenance, signage, community events, and other local preservation efforts.
Volunteer with us
We’re a 100% volunteer organization. Get in touch with us to learn how you can lend a hand to preserve our town’s rural character.
Join our team
Reach out if you’d like to become an involved member, join a team like the Trails Committee, or help with events.
Get outside and play! Come enjoy the land we’re working hard to protect.
Gary Donovan, Holden resident, Volunteer, and former Wildlife Biologist at Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Champion International
“If you are interested in moderate exercise, a clear day view of Mount Katahdin, a walk along a ravine or two, a visit to a historic early homestead site, and the opportunity to observe a variety of wildlife, the trail system at the Hart Farm is an excellent choice. The Hart Farm’s managed large and small ‘pocket’ fields embedded in timbered acres making this property an attraction for many species of wildlife that can include bobolinks, wild turkeys, occasional coyotes and bobcats, and the always present white-tailed deer.”
All of our Board Members are volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to protecting the rural character and natural beauty of our town.
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President
John was born and raised in Maine, is a 39-year resident of Holden, a licensed Maine forester, and a forestry consultant who enjoys golf, camping, hiking, and exploring the beautiful state of Maine with his golden retriever, Crosby. After receiving his Forestry degree from the University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources, he spent a career working in the woods of Maine as a forester for Champion International with the last 15 years as Region Manager and a co-owner of American Forest Management, a national forestry consulting company. Now semi-retired, John owns a small forestry consulting company, K2QC Consulting, that provides forest management services for landowners in Maine. John served 15 years on Holden’s planning board, 9 years as a Holden town councilor, and has been involved with the Holden Land Trust since its inception in 2005. John serves on the Maine Forest Logging Museum Board of Directors and chairs the Maine Woodland Owners land stewardship committee.
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Vice President
Stephen and his wife Joyce have been lifelong Maine residents living in Holden on the boundary of the Hart Farm for the past 33 years. They raised 3 daughters and enjoy being outside, hiking, paddling, swimming, and playing golf. Stephen has a BA in Medical Technology and an MBA from the University of Maine. He recently retired after a forty-year career in Medical Laboratory Science at Eastern Maine Medical Center, Dahl Chase Pathology Associates, and Dahl Chase Diagnostic Services. Stephen served 5 years on the SAD 63 school committee, including 2 years as chairman.
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Secretary
Mary is a licensed professional forester, who has worked in the forest industry for almost 40 years. She currently works for Wagner Forest Management as a GIS Specialist. Mary is an avid outdoors recreationist, and having grown up and lived in the town of Holden for over 50 years, was excited for the opportunity to join the Holden Land Trust (HLT) board in 2007 to help conserve and preserve the rural and natural aspects of the town. In addition to being HLT's Secretary, she also provides GIS mapping capabilities for the Land Trust.
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Kris is a retired educator who taught in the Bangor area for 38 years. A fifty-year resident of Maine, she graduated from The University of Maryland with a BS in education and received her Master of Education degree from the University of Maine.
She is an avid outdoorswoman who enjoys hiking, traveling, and photography. She is currently an Appalachian Trail boundary maintainer and has previously served on The Penobscot Valley Senior College board and the Challenger Learning Center. Kris resides in Holden and has two sons, three grandchildren, and her special dog, Leia.
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Treasurer
Betty is a retired educator who enjoys the outdoors in all seasons: hiking, cross-country skiing, gardening, and golf. She balances numerous interests such as playing pickleball, baking, sewing, and traveling. A land trust member since 2008, she is ready to contribute to maintaining trails and helping others enjoy nature.
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Jay has been a resident of Holden for 30 years. He has been GM and Owner of Tradewinds Market Plus and Tradewinds Citgo in Clinton, Maine for the last 7 years. Jay retired from Hannaford Bros. after 30 years, spending most of this years as a Store Manager in Bangor area stores. He is married to his wife Debby. He has 3 grown daughters, 2 granddaughters, and a grandson on the way. He is also on the St. Joseph Hospital Patient Advisory Committee. Jay enjoys fly fishing, deer hunting, snowmobiling, skiing, and spending time with his growing family.
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Since settling in Holden in 2020, Matthew and his wife have immersed themselves in exploring the trails in town and the surrounding areas. He serves the Holden Land Trust committed to conserving our natural resources and brings an extensive background in the non-profit sector and community development financial institutions. As the Executive Director for a loan fund that supports Tribal and community economic development initiatives, he has a proven track record of collaborating with Municipal, State, Tribal, and Federal Governments. Over the past decade, he has successfully administered revolving loan funds and executed various community development projects. Matthew's dedication to fostering sustainable communities is deeply intertwined with his commitment to the land he calls home. His dedication to the land is not only professional but deeply personal.
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Native to next-door Orrington, Rodney has resided in Holden for 23 years and has served on the HLT Board of Directors since 2011 when he retired from a Maine-based career in environmental, regulatory, and consulting engineering. A graduate of the University of Maine, BSME, he also served 14 years on the Baxter State Park Advisory Committee including one year as chair. Rodney and his wife Judy have enjoyed all that outdoor Maine offers - hiking, climbing, canoeing, and tent-camping throughout the state as well as sailing its beautiful coast.