Saving Lives by Saving Land
© The HSUS
A loon skims across Shin Pond in Maine.
I spent Saturday and Sunday at an HSUS property not far from the northeast corner of Baxter State Park. Percival P. Baxter, a strong animal advocate, served as Governor of Maine from 1921-24 and then devoted subsequent decades to the mission of creating this park. Baxter is a magnificent 200,000-acre expanse of the extraordinary North Woods.
We hold a lovely 300-acre property at Shin Pond about 20 miles from Baxter, donated by former HSUS board chairman William K. Wiseman. This is one of the many properties held or managed by the HSUS Wildlife Land Trust (WLT) in 37 states.
We have two other properties not far from Shin Pond, and it is our mission to preserve them, and all other Wildlife Land Trust properties, in an untrammeled state for the benefit of the wild animals who live there or just pass through.
© The HSUS
A red squirrel finds something to eat on the Shin Pond property.
It was my first time to Shin Pond. It was drizzling, and the ground was saturated. The forests are thick and a rich green, and the water is as high as it gets in the pond, I’m told.
In the mornings, I heard the loons calling. I did not get a glance at a moose or bear on hikes, but saw ducks and other birds as I quietly paddled around the lake.
What I took in, for the most part, was the silence.
Even in this quiet, there is life at work. These creatures deserve their space, too.
