FORECASTER • February 7, 2025
The Royal River Conservation Trust has appointed Chris Franklin, an experienced land conservationist, as its new executive director. “I look at this as a great opportunity,” said Franklin, who is 57 and lives in North Yarmouth with his wife and three children. “I think the communities in the watershed really would like to see more open space preservation, more habitat protection, more working farms. Royal River (Conservation Trust) is really well positioned to be a catalyst for that.” Founded in 1988, the Yarmouth-based Royal River Conservation Trust works to conserve and steward 6,140 acres of land in the Royal River watershed across the municipalities Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Auburn, Durham, Gray, New Gloucester and Pownal.