BELFAST — In 2017, Coastal Mountains Land Trust launched a campaign, in honor of Skip and Jo Pendleton, to establish an annual internship focused on the stewardship of community trails in the greater Belfast area.

Skip and Jo were volunteers with the Land Trust for more than twenty years, and dedicated to the development and care of trails in their local community. In addition to working on trails at the Land Trust’s Stover, Head of Tide and Meadow Brook Preserves, they were involved with the creation of the Belfast Rail Trail, the Little River Community Trail, and the Hills to Sea Trail.

This November, with more than 150 donors and a finishing gift provided by Central Maine Power to recognize Skip’s 45-year career with them, the Land Trust reached its fundraising goal of $75,000. Thanks to the support of the Pendleton family and many community members who enjoyed spending time in the woods with Skip and Jo, funds for the Pendleton Stewardship Fund were raised through movie nights at the Colonial Theater, a coin trail at the Captain Albert Stevens Elementary School, a Community Cents drive at the Belfast Community Coop, and the Pendleton 5k+5mile on National Trails Day as part of RunBelfast.

This past summer, the Land Trust hosted Olivia Laroche, of Searsmont, as the Land Trust’s first Pendleton intern. A student of Wellesley College, Laroche spent eight weeks working with Coastal Mountains Land Trust and partnering with such groups as the Waldo County Trails Coalition and the Friends of Sears Island.

The Land Trust is looking forward to selecting its next Pendleton intern in 2020.

“If you know of a Waldo area student who wishes to get involved as an intern with Coastal Mountains Land Trust, be sure to watch our website for the position in early 2020,” said the Land Trust, in a news release.

Coastal Mountains Land Trust has worked since 1986 to permanently conserve land to benefit the natural and human communities of the western Penobscot Bay region. The Land Trust has protected more than 12,000 acres, offering 45 miles of trails for public recreation.