Celebrating Earthsong Sanctuary
Midcoast Conservancy celebrated the donation of EarthSong Sanctuary, 544 acres for wildlife in Somerville and Washington. Friends and family of Smoky and Stephanie Payson, along with members of the Midcoast Conservancy Lands Committee gathered at Pumpkin Vine Family Farm, home to the Paysons’ daughter Kelly and her family, which overlooks the sanctuary. Guests hiked to a knoll from which they could appreciate the sweep of forest and field that will support ecological integrity and biological diversity; habitat for native plant, animal, and other species; ameliorating climate change; and water quality and watershed protection.
For Smoky, the call to take action now for Earth’s climate is critical. When speaking to those assembled at the celebration, he said, “I’m a birder; I see and I watch and hear them. We’ve lost one third of all the living birds in North America in the last fifty years. I say to my family, ‘Empty woods! Empty Skies! They’re not there anymore!’ If we keep losing birds at this rate, in a hundred years, they’re all gone. What’s a hundred years? I’m in my eighties. A hundred years, that’s just one long lifetime! Imagine a child being born today, who lives to be 100. At the rate we’re going, there will be no living wild birds in North America, period. In one generation.” He continued, “There’s a lot we have to do. It won’t just be birds we’ll lose; the whole ecosystem is going to be in chaos. So what we’re doing is very urgent. The good news is, you’ve probably heard about 30x 30, you can look it up to learn about it. We’re in the beginning of the decade, we still have eight or nine years. Let’s work together, let’s try to do our part so we reach the goals of 30x30. It’s important. It’s urgent.”
Every conservation gift has a story behind it, and EarthSong is no different. Kelly Payson-Roopchand shared some of the genesis of EarthSong, a story with roots in loss. Stephanie Payson, Kelly’s mom, was a passionate and avid hiker most of her life. Then an accident left her with mobility issues that ended her hiking career. Kelly said that everyone encouraged Stephanie to “go on a cruise, or buy herself something nice” with the settlement money from the accident. Instead, Stephanie and Smoky saw an opportunity to do lasting good by purchasing the EarthSong property, thus protecting it from development and ensuring that generations of species--floral, faunal and human—will enjoy the benefits of an instrumental and inspirational swath of protected land. The gift of EarthSong, and of all conservation lands, is one that knows no bounds and offers hope to the wild places of midcoast Maine and beyond. If you are considering conserving your land, we’d love to hear your story! Email us at info@midcoastconservancy.org.
