The Wrack

The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco Journal Tribune Sunday edition, 6/15/2014.

When Facilities Manager John Speight watched a pickup truck accidentally drive into what he’d thought was a well-protected propane tank at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm last weekend, his first thought was: “I hear the hiss, so I’m still alive.”

His second thought was: “let’s keep it that way.”

WELLS, Maine, January 26, 2012 — A 105-acre property that connects 540 acres of existing conservation land has been permanently protected by the Town of Wells in partnership with the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve at Laudholm.

The Tilton parcel, as it is known, contains 5,250 feet of frontage along the Merriland River, ecologically significant wetlands, and forested uplands. It protects habitat for a variety of wildlife, scenic views, and historic stone walls, and will provide for recreational and educational opportunities for the public.

WELLS, Maine, September 2, 2011 — The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve has received a $287,000 federal grant to assist with the permanent protection of a 130-acre parcel with high conservation value along the Merriland River in Wells. The Wells Reserve and the Wells Conservation Commission collaborated in requesting the grant, which was awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program.