NOTICIAS Y ARCHIVOS
Coming home to conserve what matters
An introduction from the Executive Director
June 11, 2025
Folks often ask me what it was like to grow up in Maine—usually after saying, “Wow, Korey, I think you’re the first person I’ve ever met from there.”
My usual reply: “How much time do you have?” It’s a simple question with a layered answer.
But if I could bottle the sweetest parts of my childhood in the western foothills like spring water, I’d share the early August days, when the heat set in and grasshoppers whirred and clicked in the tall grass.
My sibling and I walked barefoot along the hard-packed gravel of Rowe Hill Road in Greenwood. At a familiar spot, we’d slip into the shade beneath the oaks, maples, and beeches, following a well-worn path to Twitchell Pond to spend the afternoon.
We were free to roam, free to be kids. We adventured and made memories in the way only kids know how. The beech bark was smooth then. The spaces between homes were wide. The fields buzzed with bumblebees.
Those early experiences grounded me. They shaped my identity and sparked a lifelong commitment to protecting the forests and open spaces that made my childhood possible.
Today, I’m humbled to serve as the Executive Director of Western Foothills Land Trust. It’s an honor to contribute to a mission that protects the future of my home. I’m energized to bring nearly a decade of national conservation experience back to western Maine—uniting local voices in a shared love for our woods and our farms and working together to conserve the places that make this region so special.
Western Foothills Land Trust’s mission is more important than ever. The small-town culture I knew as a child—where open access to land was a given—is changing. More and more, “No Trespassing” signs and painted property lines are becoming the norm.
But there’s good news: Organizations like WFLT have been hard at work for decades, bringing local people together to make thoughtful decisions about which special places to conserve. This work matters deeply—for us, our children, and their children.
A lot has changed since I was a kid on Rowe Hill. Now, I have a son of my own. Not long after he was born, I took him to Twitchell Pond. The trail we once walked is now a driveway, but I carried him to the water’s edge and dipped his feet in.
I hope a little of the magic rubbed off on him, too.
Warmly,
Korey Morgan
Executive Director
Western Foothills Land Trust