It hosts a myriad of deer, moose and migratory waterfowl, offers a peaceful sanctuary to nature lovers and has become a secret, sparkling jewel set amid the by-products of progress.
Now, this secluded yet accessible acreage in Raymond, known as Morgan Meadow Wildlife Management Area, has a benefactor. Former owners of the land, Jack and Anne Spiegel, announced their plan to fund a $25,000 endowment to be known as the Anne and Jack Spiegel Fund for Morgan Meadow.
At a recent meeting of the Raymond Board of Selectmen, Jack Spiegel, along with his friend and advisor, Richard Anderson, were on hand to talk about some of the details of the endowment.
Guided by recommendations from the Raymond Conservation Commission, under the terms of the fund, the town would be given the power to approve the expenditure of the interest income for improvements or enhancements to Morgan Meadow. And after 25 years, both interest and principal may be used.
Although the town has been given control over the endowment, the state must approve any changes to the area, as it owns the 1,100 acres that make up Morgan Meadow. It purchased the property from the Spiegels in 1989 with money from Land for Maine’s Future.
John Rand, who co-chairs Raymond’s Conservation Commission, believes the partnership between the town and the state will work well.
“It means a higher level of stewardship,” he said. “It’s a great gift and a great model for stewardship for public land – a public-private land management model.”
When Jack Spiegel and his siblings purchased the property in 1960, it had been decimated by a decade of clear-cutting. Spiegel said he relied on the State Forestry Service and the New England Forestry Foundation for suggestions on how best to improve the land.
Armed with their advice as to what trees to plant and what to clear, over the next 30 years, Spiegel gradually managed to turn the barren terrain into the verdant, natural terrain it is today.
“Conservation is a way of life for us,” Spiegel said. “We enjoyed the land and something good was accomplished by it. We had a lot of pleasure working this out.”
Now, Morgan Meadow, which makes up about five percent of Raymond’s total land area, is mostly upland forest – 1,000 acres of trees that include old-growth white pine with trunks up to three feet in diameter and a rare stand of black birch. The other 100 acres is freshwater wetland, attracting many forms of wildlife. And Glover’s Wig, a small mountain on the property, rewards its climbers with views of Sebago Lake and Panther Pond.
Wildlife Biologist Scott Lindsay, of Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, oversees the management of about 25,000 acres in the department’s Region A, which includes Morgan Meadow. Lindsay says this property is important as a wildlife management area. His first priority is to maintain the area for the benefit of the wildlife and not as a public park. Hunting, fishing and trapping are all activities he lists as appropriate for the area.
Lindsay hopes that some of the endowment might be used to help purchase outlying lots that would “fill in the gaps” around the meadow.
One area Rand would like to see addressed is ATV traffic in Morgan Meadow. In the past, these vehicles have caused extensive damage to the trails, he says.
“We need to engage with an ATV group and work with them to make sure they know that either there is no access or that there are certain places or times of the year they can’t go,” Rand said.
In addition to the ATV problem, Rand believes part of the income from the Spiegel endowment should be used to create safer parking and improved access from Egypt Road.
The residents of Raymond will vote on whether to accept the Spiegel’s endowment at annual town meeting on May 20.
“The town of Raymond is in a very fortunate position to have 1,100 acres to be perpetually protected from development,” Rand said. “We’re grateful for that.”
In 1989, the state of Maine purchased Morgan Meadow Wildlife Management Area from Anne and Jack Spiegel using Funds for Mainecott Lindsay.Send questions/comments to the editors.
