The Falmouth Land Trust asked the town Monday to contribute $192,000 to help the trust purchase 42 acres of a 77-acre property near Highland Lake called Babbidge Woods.
Falmouth last helped the land trust purchase property a decade ago, when it acquired Hurricane Valley Farm.
The 42 acres come with $384,000 price tag, with the Falmouth Land Trust proposing to split the cost down the middle with the town. The organization already has raised or been promised $142,000 toward the property purchase from the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and other organizations and individual donors.
“I’m pretty confident that we’re going to get our half,” said Mila Plavsic, executive director of the Falmouth Land Trust, at the Nov. 24 meeting.
The parcel near the Windham border is currently privately owned, though it has been used by cross-county skiers and hunters with permission from the owner for decades. In addition to opening up the land to more public recreation, acquiring the land would conserve its wetlands and diverse wildlife, Plavsic said.
During public comment, residents of west Falmouth said that wetlands promote clean water, while development does the opposite, and they are in support of this town action. A majority of homes in that area of the town have wells.
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Conserving the land is also critical for the neighboring lake, according to the Falmouth Land Trust. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection designated Highland Lake as “most at risk of development.” Currently, 60 condominiums are being constructed on the Windham side of the lake.
Assessing how the parcel aligned with the town’s priorities, Falmouth’s Land Management and Acquisitions Committee walked the property in October and rated its value highly, later recommending the town support the acquisition.
“We don’t always come to the town. But for some acquisitions, it is more important than others,” Plavsic said.
In 2007, Falmouth voters approved $5 million in appropriations for open space acquisition. In the 18 years since, the town has allocated $2 million for open space purchases, along with other grants and sale agreements by the town that stretched those funds.
“Thus far we’ve spent $2 million, which is a good investment, but clearly our town has an intention to do more,” Councilor Alisa Morton said.
The balance in the town’s open space fund is $345,093. Morton suggested the town allocate the $500,000 it was paid for land for a workforce housing development on Marshall Drive toward open space acquisition.
The deadline for the purchase and sale agreement with the landowner is the end of March 2026. The Town Council will vote on funding the project at its next meeting on Dec. 8.
“I think this is a good use of my tax dollars. This is exactly the kind of project the town should be interested in,” Falmouth resident Laura Williams said during public comment.
