Honoring Doreen MacGillis Through New Land Protection Fund

Nov. 2022

Over her 23-year tenure as Executive Director that concluded on October 2, 2022, Doreen MacGillis helped York Land Trust grow from a small organization of one staff member to a robust, stable, and well-respected force for local and regional land conservation. Since 1999, she has worked to protect thousands of acres of undeveloped land that will support wildlife and people within our community in perpetuity.

The following are some highlights of Doreen’s many accomplishments with YLT:

• The acreage of York Land Trust’s conservation holdings has increased from a couple hundred acres to more than 3,000 acres. She also facilitated the protection of an additional 1,200 acres held by state, federal, and local agencies.
• The number of public access preserves has increased from 0 to 7.
• The extent of public access trails has increased by more than 18 miles.
• YLT membership has grown from 150 to more than 650 members.
• YLT’s annual operating budget has grown from $60,000 to roughly $500,000.
• Over $50 million in land conservation funds have been raised including $1.7 million through town referendums.
• YLT acquired and established a permanent headquarters and conserved all of the adjacent land around it.

To honor Doreen’s remarkable leadership, the York Land Trust Board of Directors has established the Doreen MacGillis Land Protection Fund. The Board could not think of a better way to recognize all that Doreen has achieved for this organization than to establish a dedicated fund that will facilitate the conservation of more land for the benefit of generations to come.

Members of the Board have provided more than $50,000 to establish this fund. We invite you to join them and make a contribution to the fund to help carry on Doreen’s outstanding legacy of land conservation.

To learn more or to donate to this fund, please call Patty O’Connor at 207-363-7400 ext. 5.