"They came not only from Wells, but from many surrounding communities and nearby New Hampshire. They were average citizens and prominent government officials; they were lawyers, scientists, senior citizens, and high school students. There were more than 100 of them in the Wells High School auditorium, but they came with only one purpose in mind: to support the proposed Laudholm Farm Estuary Sanctuary."

York County Coast Star, 1981

And they came together again Thursday night, in the Barn, the Auditorium, and across our eight breakout sessions, to talk about the past, present, and future of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm (which is still referred to by most as Laudholm Farm, even 27 years since becoming a Reserve, ha!).

Fifty-five friends, neighbors, business owners, founders, volunteers, long-time supporters, and first-time visitors joined the Wells Reserve and Laudholm Trust staff and trustees for a spirited, lively, and extremely illuminating discussion on how this place and its functions are perceived.

We'll have more updates in the coming months on the findings from this community input session of our 9-month strategic planning process. We continue to solicit opinions, recommendations, ideas, and even complaints from across Southern Maine and beyond; if you'd like to help us plot the management plan for the Laudholm Trust, please don't hesitate to contact us by any means (even the Comments section below).

A special thanks to our new friends from right down the road, the "Pantry Posse" from Messiah Christian Church, who oversaw the sloppy joe dinner — they organized, cooked, served, and even cleaned up afterwards. THANK YOU, Lee and company. The seaweed coleslaw from Ocean Approved was also a treat.

Here are the slides that set the stage for breakout work group sessions…