County highlights Buckfield tri-county conservation as example of leveraging seed funds

Mark Davis described Buckfield as a tri-county partnership spanning Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties where Beaufort’s grant award (about $7,000,000) served as seed funding to leverage state and federal grants. "This seed money here, our $7,000,000 because of the green space program, was able to be used and be leveraged to achieve this goal," he said.

Davis said the combined protection in the area was nearly 3,000 acres total, with Beaufort’s portion representing a substantial in-county holding. He presented Buckfield as an example of how local green-space dollars can be paired with state and federal funding when projects protect county interests downstream; the project also involved regional partners and an EPA grant that flowed after the county’s investment.

Davis and council members framed Buckfield as evidence that local seed investments can unlock larger capital stacks for major conservation outcomes.