The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust is pleased to announce that we will be partnering with The Trust for Public Land and the United States Navy on the Redington Forest project.  This 10,000-acre forest has outstanding wildlife habitat, landscape-scale connectivity potential and as a working, sustainably-managed forest it will continue to provide jobs for Franklin County.  This area has long been used for hiking, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, ATV riding and cross country skiing by individuals from the local area and those who visit the High Peaks region.  These uses will continue under a conservation easement which will be held by Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust and the U.S. Navy.  There will be opportunities for new recreational trails as well.

At this time the land trust is examining the possibility of an ecological reserve component and certain high-elevation areas will be under habitat management for rare species like Bicknell’s thrush.  Development rights on the parcel will be extinguished, ensuring that these lands will remain forested in perpetuity and the Appalachian Trail will be buffered from incompatible uses.  Once the easement is acquired, Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust plans to use the protected property for recreational/youth group outings, stewardship and trail maintenance opportunities, and healthy lifestyle programs.

This project is a major breakthrough for Maine A.T. Land Trust and we’re going to need every bit of support we can get.  In the coming months, we will be posting more photos and maps of this very special property so you can see for yourself why these Appalachian Trail lands need to be protected.

We welcome any ideas for what you would like to see for Redington Forest and encourage you to get in touch with us.  This is a very exciting project and these lands will be open for public use, so it’s important to have your input.

A draft of legislation to enhance the scenic impacts to be measured when a proposed wind energy development applies for permits to construct the facility is now making its way through the Maine legislative process.  LD 911 would require more extensive analysis of the visual impact of wind energy installations, especially on immensely significant scenic areas like the Appalachian Trail.  Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust supports this legislation as a means of protecting Maine’s A.T. lands and you can read our letter to the legislature’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources below.

LD 911 Letter of Support

Not one, not two but THREE Maine A.T. Land Trust board members received an award at the Maine Appalachian Trail Club’s Spring Meeting in April.  Bill Plouffe and Tony Barrett each received the President’s Award.  Tony received his for his commitment to a wide range of issues impacting the club as well as helping steer committees such as the Wind Power and ATC 2017 Biennial.  Bill was presented with his award (shown above – an old MATC trail sign) for his contribution of legal expertise to MATC.

Board member Bob Cummings received Honorary Membership for being a guiding force for the club, volunteering countless hours and holding leadership positions throughout his decades of service.

Tony was also crowned the meeting’s GORP Champ for his prize-winning trail mix.

Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC), the volunteer club that maintains and manages the Appalachian Trail in Maine, has a great new brochure (click the image above to see the whole thing).  Maine A.T. Land Trust works closely with MATC, whose trailbuilding skills are unmatched in the state.  This summer MATC will be building a new official A.T. side trail on our Saddleback property.  We will be posted maps and updates and even having a few hikes to the location.  Stay tuned…

Maine A.T. Land Trust Executive Director Simon Rucker recently appeared on Sugarloaf’s WSKI TV to talk about the Orbeton Stream project and other land trust items.  To see the segment click on the video above.  When it finishes, you can find the second half here.

Special thanks to host Kip Wells and all the folks at WSKI!

The Phillips Area Community Center in Phillips, Maine was the scene of a great celebration on Saturday for the completion of the Orbeton Stream Project.  There were a number of national conservation and political figures were in attendance, including U.S. Senator Susan Collins, U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Arthur “Butch” Blazer, and Ben Tucker, the Regional Representative for U.S. Senator Angus S. King.  A number of state and local representatives were in attendance (Senator Tom Saviello, R-Wilton, and Rep. Russell Black, R-Wilton, among them) as were many representatives of the many conservation groups who were involved with the Orbeton Stream project.

The Trust for Public Land did a wonderful job of hosting the event and provided refreshments for the estimated 150 attendees.  Thanks to Diano Circo and Wolfe Tone, who put on a great show, and the food was excellent.

This project could not have been completed without the local communities being on board and as you can see they really wanted to get out and celebrate this special achievement.  Public access to snowmobile trails like ITS-84-86 and trails like the Fly Rod Crosby Trail are guaranteed.  An important section of the Appalachian Trail has been buffered from incompatible development.  There was a whole lot to be thankful for.

You can read more about this event here and find more photos here.

Our REVISED listing for the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend is up on the website – you can see it here.  The hike will be on Saturday, February 22nd at 10am.

Table Rock overlooks Route 26 as it winds north through Grafton Notch in Newry, Maine.  While the terrain is fairly moderate, it is steep near the end and the rock itself is exposed, so it’s not an appropriate outing for children.  The views are spectacular – the peak shown above is Sunday River Whitecap and there are views of the Mahoosuc Range and Old Speck to the northwest.  We will be taking the blue-blazed official Appalachian Trail side trail from the A.T.  If you are planning to come along, please review the links below to prepare.

Grafton Notch State Park – this Maine State Parks page has information and maps about the area, including a description of the trails.

Maine Trail Finder – Another trails description with an embedded Google Map.

The trailhead is very easy to find and there is plenty of parking in the A.T. lot directly on Route 26.  You can see the location on this map.  We will meet in this parking lot.  Remember, you must RSVP for this hike and snowshoes are required.  If you do not have snowshoes, please contact us at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073 and we will try and arrange a pair for you.

Wilderness Society conservation biologist Peter S. McKinley will be accompanying us on the hike to talk about the ecology of the Appalachian Trail in Grafton Notch.

See you on the trail!

Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust Board Member David Kallin recently gave a TED talk about his hike.  You can see their trail blog here but seeing David describe the challenges and rewards of hiking the Appalachian Trail with his family is worthwhile.  Take a look and be sure to comment.

Maine A.T. Land Trust recently completed our project to acquire an easement over 5,774 acres of land in Madrid, Maine.  We worked with The Trust for Public Land over a period of six years to bring this project to completion.  The conservation easement is now held by the State of Maine and will ensure that these lands remain available to recreation and forest products management.

There has been a lot of items in the press about this project.  Here is an op-ed from the Sun Journal written by board member Lloyd Griscom, and here is one written by our Vice President, Peter S. McKinley.

We will be devoting significant time to creating public access areas and trails on this property, especially given that we are the conservation owners of the land just to the west.  A new Appalachian Trail side trail called “The Berry Pickers Trail” should be completed later this summer.  It will begin on this property, cross our lands, and then traverse the ridge to the summit of Saddleback Mountain.  Currently, the mountain has no access from the eastern side.  Should be a pretty exciting summer!