The Cape Elizabeth Land Trust is saddened to learn of the recent passing of our friend, board member, and mentor Francis 'Bud' Guthrie.  Both Bud and his late wife Marion were true supporters of our organization in the most meaningful of ways.  They cared deeply for our mission, and they gave generously of their time and many talents to help us succeed.  Their energy and encouragement made us better as an organization and better as individuals.

The Cape Elizabeth Land Trust was fortunate to be among the many organizations, events, and initiatives that benefitted from Bud's sage advice and encouragement.  On paper, Bud's leadership qualities were undeniable.  In person they were simply invaluable.

Meetings with Bud always entailed a bit of soul searching for the core motivation behind each action, and he had the uncanny ability to know when something was right.  Perhaps, most importantly, he taught us how to be more critical thinkers, and to always remember that without joy and passion our efforts would be missing a critical ingredient.

Honesty, integrity, determination, and commitment were but some of the traits that Bud exemplified. He and Marion brought these not only to their volunteer efforts, but also to their devotion to family and friends.  We are saddened to say goodbye to Bud and Marion, but we are doing so knowing they lived their lives fully, gave of themselves fully, and made us better people in the process.

Residential real estate broker and commercial lobster fisherman Frank Strout's tenure on CELT's board is unrivaled.  Frank fulfilled two full 9-year terms, left the board for a year and returned, serving in nearly every board and committee capacity since the late 1980's.   He currently co-chairs the Lands Committee with Tom Gale.   Frank is a lifelong resident of Cape Elizabeth and he and his wife Nancy raised two children here; they've resided on Shore Rd. since 1984.  His uncle John Robinson was the owner of the conserved wooded parcel that now bears his name, and a founder of the Land Trust.  

"Being able to help with land acquisition in the beginning, I was really proud of that work - it was a huge benefit to the town.  One of the things I love doing, is when I drive my clients around town, I can point out, 'this piece of land is protected, and that parcel is protected, this is a working farm, etc.'; that means a lot.  When you look at the survey that was done (in 2005 as part of the creation of the Comprehensive Plan in 2007) - 83 percent of Cape residents said that the number one most important issue to them was conserving wetlands and wooded areas; number two was preserving our rural character, and three was protecting farmland.  And that is what the Land Trust has done.

"A major part of CELT's focus now is working with our farmers; this is something we've been talking about for a long time.  The Cape Farm Alliance advocates for helping local farmers, and we can work together with them; the Land Trust can help look at tax benefits for farmers.  We're not talking about necessarily creating an easement or access; a landowner can set up limited easements with no public access.  But we're all working in the same direction, for the same benefit.  We can do some great things for the town."  Frank can be reached at [email protected].