BELFAST — Autumn Jade Fitch, who is Pasamaquoddy, is the project leader for Land in Common, and will be presenting again about the proposed Little River Community Land Trust, alongside Ethan Hughes of the Possibility Alliance, Sunday, May 5, from 2 - 4 p.m., at the proposed site, 3 Adney Place, off Edgecomb Road, in Belfast.

The public is invited to see the land, house and river, meet community, ask questions, and hear about the vision.

Land In Common, The Possibility Alliance, and the Little River Coalition have been fundraising to purchase 66 acres and a house that will become a land trust and community educational center on the banks of the Little River in Belfast. They have reached a landmark of 75% of the way towards their goal, with $95k left to go. Because the coalition has come so far, so fast, they have generously been given an extension of one month by the property owners to reach their goal with a new deadline of May 15, 2024. 

The community land trust will be held by Land in Common (www.landincommon.org), a multi-racial-led land trust whose vision is “a world in which land is shared and cared for in common, where humans and other species flourish in interdependence,” according to Aimee Moffitt-Mercer, in a news release.  

Through joint stewardship with Wabanaki groups and other Black-and Brown-led organizations, the land would support Wabanaki Lifeways and would be maintained according to principles of  ecological restoration, Regenerative Forestry, and Permaculture. The project would include community access to the Little River, outdoor event spaces, and a craft space, as well as providing a place to hold classes, workshops, and youth programs, all offered within the gift economy. 

The Little River Land Trust would be the first multi-racial-led land trust and gift-economy-based commons also supporting Wabanaki Lifeways, within city limits, in Belfast’s 250-year colonial history.

“Thank you for considering the support of this important step toward land justice and increasing the Commons,” said Moffitt-Mercer. “We believe this land trust and the educational center would be a huge gift for the Belfast community, the watershed, and the beautiful species therein. All donations are tax-deductible and also will be completely refunded if the goal is not reached.”

For those interested in contributing, it is noted that four donors are now offering to match donations up to $50,000.

“This is an exciting opportunity to double your contribution,” said Moffitt-Mercer.

Please call Ethan Hughes (207-338-5719) or email Shawn Gregory (shawncollective@gmail.com) if you want to have your donation matched.  

For more information, or to donate, please go to https://littleriver.ju.mp o r call Ethan Hughes are 207-330-5719 or email Shawn Gregory at shawncollective@gmail.com. 

For those still wishing to know more about Land in Common:

The Land in Common organization seeks to make land accessible to those who have been excluded from it. People of color in Maine (non-Native) represent nearly 7% of the state's population, but own less than 0.1% of land in the state. Maine's Native tribes hold a mere 1% of Maine land, and much of this is owned "in trust" by the federal government.  Land in Common wants to build a "collective land base for a just and resilient future." We can be part of this important work right here in Belfast!  Onward we go toward collective liberation!