India, Oct. 7 -- Most of us have daydreamed about escaping the noise and owning a quiet little island. In 1964, Jane Sewall actually bought one, off the coast of South Bristol, Maine. According to the Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, the land trust that now manages the place, Witch Island stayed in private hands until Sewall donated it to the Maine Audubon Society in 1986. Today, visitors can walk its trails and paddle out. Her story shows how one person's decision can benefit an entire community.

Witch Island is about a half mile from the town landing in South Bristol. The trust says the island was once called Davis Island. It was named by its former owner, Grace Courtland Chittenden, who liked to call herself the "Witch of Wall Stree...