Background
Peaks Island Land Preserve is committed to the acquisition, preservation, and stewardship in perpetuity of Peaks Island lands for the use and enjoyment of islanders and visitors.
You are an important part of every acre we protect. We accomplish this by acquiring suitable properties or establishing conservation easements which guarantee that the land will remain forever undeveloped.
Since its founding, Peaks Island Land Preserve has brought nearly 150 island acres under protection and stewardship which guarantees that the land will remain forever undeveloped. We acquire properties through conservation easements, gifts of land, and, in extreme circumstances, by asking the community to help with an outright purchase.
The Peaks Island Land Preserve was founded to preserve Battery Steele, which was going to be sold to private developers. Built in 1942 to protect Portland from German naval attack, the Battery never fired its gigantic guns in anger, and passed into private hands after the war. In 1994 its owner put the extraordinary 14-acre property on the market, and a group of islanders scrambled to save the Battery from becoming house lots. PILP was incorporated as a non-profit in late 1994 and raised the $70,000 purchase price with telethons, T-shirt sales, and tenacity. The closing took place on July 20, 1995. Soon after, PILP conveyed a conservation easement to another land trust, Oceanside Conservation Trust, setting forth the property use restrictions of public access and no development which has become a defining vision of the role of PILP then, today and in the future.
Our largest conservation easement is on a 100-acre tract of woods and wetlands owned by the city of Portland. After a yearlong effort by PILP members, in 2000, the City Council voted to preserve this land from development by entrusting it to PILP.
In 2001 and 2002, with generous support from committed neighbors, PILP purchased two wooded parcels adjacent to the ball field, helping to preserve the character of this unique space called Peaks Island. In 2005, the State of Maine transferred to PILP approximately 25 acres, now known as the Parker Wildlife Preserve. This land includes a large part of the Indian Trail.
In 2014 PILP acquired the historic Ice Pond, beloved by generations of islanders for winter skating, and situated near two other parcels already under PILP’s control: the Daveis Sanctuary and Skillings Woods. Over the years, smaller properties have been donated by Robert McTigue, Robert McIntyre, Hannah Russell, Anne and John Whitman, and Guy Gannett Communications.
PILP began as an ad hoc campaign and quickly evolved into an ongoing effort whose mission is the acquisition, preservation, and stewardship of open spaces for public use on Peaks Island. Today, PILP is committed to considering the specific needs of each parcel of land, and to understanding the long-term consequences of climate change and how to support native habitats within evolving realities.
Our Board
Peaks Island Land Preserve is an all-volunteer organization, with some members becoming stewards or serving on the board. We depend on volunteers for help with monitoring and ongoing stewardship of PILP properties.
Our 9-member Board of Directors is elected for staggered 3-year terms by the membership at the annual meeting in July.
If you're interested in serving on PILP's Board, let us know! The Board meets once a month, and members serve for a three-year term, sometimes longer.
impact
island acres conserved
volunteers
stewards
environmental studies
Turn your passion for Peaks Island into action. We depend on volunteers for monitoring PILP lands, and for helping to revitalize specific areas: containing ‘invasives’ and planting native seedlings that will be suited to supporting that specific natural habitat.
Volunteers also help with trail work, removing blowdowns and insuring that fire hazards are minimized.
Acquiring, preserving, and stewarding open space for public use on Peaks Island.