Strong ties to the land and a love of nature are why Pamela Sturt and her mother Dene decided to donate a conservation easement on their 58 acres in western Maine to the Wildlife Land Trust in early 2006. The mixed woodlands provide habitat for porcupines, snowshoe hares, black bears, bobcats, beavers, and red squirrels, as well as a colorful array of songbirds, woodpeckers, toads, and frogs. Two streams course through the woods, one of which boasts 10-foot falls.

The property was purchased by Dene and her late husband Richard in the 1970s as a family camping retreat. Over the years, the Sturts rejected many offers to buy the land for logging and hunting, deciding instead to protect the place where so many family memories took root and that so many animals call home.