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Stowe Mountain Added to List of Protected Land in the Mahoosuc Range

January 05, 2010 - NEWRY -- Efforts to preserve the mountain peaks, forests and streams in the Mahoosuc region near Newry and Bethel took a big step forward last month with the protection of Stowe Mountain, conservationists and state officials announced Monday.

The Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands acquired a conservation easement that prohibits development of 3,363 acres on the north and east sides of the mountain, which is in Newry. The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit conservation group, helped buy the easement with about $1.8 million in federal and state funds and a contribution from a nearby wind power development.

The parcel is next to the Grafton Notch State Park and other land that's protected as part of a long-running effort to save the Mahoosucs Range as a valuable natural and scenic area. It also is near a 6,730-acre parcel on Robinson Peak that was protected a year ago under a conservation easement donated to the state by an investment group that supports sustainable forestry and conservation.

The Stowe Mountain property includes a four-mile section of the recently completed Grafton Loop Trail. It is west of Route 26, near the Sunday River ski resort, and is considered critical to the region's wilderness character and appeal as a year-round tourist destination.

It also includes the headwaters of two brooks and rare alpine plants including crowberry and bilberrry. Under the easement, the land will continue to be used for sustainable timber cutting and public access to snowmobiling and hiking trails.

"The Mahoosuc Region is a special place rich in natural resources and recreational opportunities," said Jim Mitchell, executive director of the Mahoosuc Land Trust, in the written announcement. "Future generations will benefit from the working forest, recreational opportunities and open space protected by these projects."

U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and Rep. Michael Michaud helped win $1.11 million in federal Forest Legacy funds for the project. Nearly $200,000 came from the Land for Maine's Future Program.

TransCanada's Kibby Wind Power Project, a wind energy project about 50 miles away, contributed $500,000 in conservation funds as part of its state approval.

Plans for a 100-lot subdivision and more than 60 other home lots south and east of the land made protection of Stowe Mountain a priority for the state and local officials, as well as such groups as the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce and the Mahoosuc Guide Service.

By JOHN RICHARDSON, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald, January 5, 2010


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Regions: Sebago, Rangeley


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