What We Do

The Baxter Park Wilderness Fund Trust is an independent tax-exempt entity, as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, whose sole purpose is to make periodic unrestricted cash distributions to support Baxter Park’s operations.  The Trust’s objectives, as specified in its founding document, are as follows.

Through the production of income, capital appreciation, and the conversion of small but regular sums of Trust income to Trust principal, the Trustees shall attempt to establish and maintain an ever-increasing source of funds for the Park and hope the Fund will make Park user fees more affordable.  [section 4.02(a)]

The Trustees, at their discretion, may fund specific needs and programs of the Park identified by the Authority.  [section 4.02(c)]

A link to the Trust document is available here. 

Technically speaking, the Trust is known as a 509(a)(3) supporting organization, which means that it operates under the oversight of the Baxter State Park Authority.

The Trust is managed by three trustees, appointed by the Authority, who serve staggered three-year terms.  Following the founder’s wish to keep operating expenses at a minimum, the trustees are unpaid volunteers, and the Trust does not have an office.  The current trustees are:

  • John F. Loyd, Jr.

    Harpswell, Maine

  • William N. Weickert

    Cumberland, Maine

  • Jensen Bissell

    Milo, Maine

The trustees are responsible for managing the Trust’s assets and for determining the amounts to distribute to Baxter Park.  One trustee (currently John Loyd) serves as primary contact, but all three trustees may be reached via a shared e-mail address at trustees@baxterparkwildernessfundtrust.org.

The Trust happily accepts donations, which will be added to Trust principal and thereby permit future distributions to grow.  For more on this point, see the DONATE page.