Thirty Seven Acres Protected in Milton

Thirty seven acres of mature forests and scenic open fields in Milton will be forever protected thanks to an easement donated by long-time Milton residents Philip Zaeder and Sylvia Thayer.

The conservation agreement was arranged after a year of effort by Moose Mountains Regional Greenways. The easement will be held by our partner, Strafford Rivers Conservancy. The Town of Milton will serve as the Executory easement holder. Milton also contributed the boundary survey for the easement.

Philip Zaeder and Sylvia Thayer purchased the property, once owned by the Plumer family, in the early 1960s. One of the most impressive features of the property is its extensive stone walls, over a mile of them, rebuilt by Phil Zaeder himself over many years. They almost completely define the property boundary, and connect to extensive interior walls forming numerous chambers and paddocks, remnants of a grazing past. Some of the walls are readily visible from the scenic Hare Road, as is a hayfield surrounding an historic cemetery, ringed with century old maple trees.

The conserved lands surround an historic farm house, built in the 1790s, which still retains its original façade and serves as the family residence. The conservation easement protects 760 feet of road frontage, almost half a mile of shoreline along an intermittent stream, and a small pond.

Phil and Sylvia have generously donated not only the easement, but some of the costs of the conservation transaction, including a stewardship endowment to help with long term monitoring of the property by Strafford Rivers Conservancy.

When asked why they chose to conserve their property, they said “Because we have been long-time believers in land conservation and wanted to preserve the fields and woods surrounding the old Plumer homestead, we sought a conservation easement. We were greatly assisted by staff at Moose Mountain Regional Greenways and Strafford Rivers Conservancy, who encouraged our questions and affirmed our appreciation of land long-held, a legacy for generations to come.”