TIMES RECORD • August 25, 2022
Kate Stookey spent her childhood roaming the outdoors of Blue Hill. She remembers boating to little islands to camp on the beach, called back only by her mother’s clanging of the dinner bell. Now, after spending two decades developing leadership skills in Boston, Washington D.C. and Azerbaijan, Stookey has been called back to Maine with a new mission — protect the outdoors she grew to love as a girl. Maine Coast Heritage Trust has preserved over 170,000 acres and 330 islands since its founding in 1970. The organization works with the more than 80 local land trusts around the state to conserve outdoor spaces. Stookey said that finding more ways to partner with local groups like the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust and Island Workforce Housing on Deer Isle are keys helping Maine Coast Heritage Trust confront the challenges ahead.