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Downeast Lakes Forestry Partnership
On Tuesday, May 20, 2008, at 11:00 AM, the Downeast Lakes Forestry Partnership
is hosting a press conference and reception celebrating the completion of this
historic project.
Governor John Elias Baldacci will thank funders and volunteers who were
instrumental in the success of this endeavor. Representatives of the land
trusts, including local residents, will discuss this unique, locally-inspired
project and its place in Maine’s working forest landscape. This cooperative project is a model for land conservation to sustain
rural communities and preserve public recreational access!
The Downeast Lakes Forestry Partnership is a joint effort of the New England
Forestry Foundation, the Downeast Lakes Land Trust, and the
Woodie Wheaton
Land Trust to protect 342,000 acres of nearly contiguous woodlands and waterways in
Washington County, Maine. Locally incubated, locally led, and locally supported,
the project was designed to address the social and economic needs of Maine’s
easternmost county, while achieving far-reaching conservation goals.The 342,000 acres conserved create a centerpiece for more than
1 million acres
of essentially uninterrupted habitat across the international boundary from
Maine to New Brunswick. The project area has been designated as a
Globally
Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy.
 The
Partnership’s budget of $34.8 million was used to fund the three purchases,
establish critical monitoring and management endowments, and cover the costs of
the capital campaign. The project succeeded because of
tremendous support from the Acres
for America program, a partnership of the National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Wal-Mart,
in cooperation with The Conservation
Fund, and from: the
Open Space Conservancy at the Open Space Institute,
The Nature Conservancy, Mrs. Elmina B. Sewall, the Land For Maine’s Future
Program, U.S Fish and Wildlife
Service, the Sweet Water Trust, the Woodie Wheaton Land Trust, Passamaquoddy
Tribe of Indian Township, National
Wildlife Federation, Wildlife
Forever, and many other individuals, corporations, and foundations.
NECN (New England Cable News) has teamed up with NEFF and
the Downeast Lakes Forestry Partnership. NECN's Scot Yount put a spotlight on this beautiful part of our region, and
offered viewers the opportunity to be part of this historic conservation project to keep this land unspoiled.
The 342,000 acres conserved create a centerpiece for more than 1 million acres
of essentially uninterrupted habitat across the international boundary from
Maine to New Brunswick. The project area has been designated as a Globally
Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy. The transaction consisted
of three major purchases:
- St. Croix Corridor: the State of Maine acquired a 50-mile, 3,019 acre,
conservation corridor along Spednic Lake and the Upper St. Croix River.
- Farm Cove Community Forest: the Farm Cove Community Forest, 27,080 acres
bordered by 62 miles of pristine lakeshore, was purchased on May 15, 2005,
and is managed as a community forest by Downeast Lakes Land Trust.
- Conservation Easement: NEFF purchased an easement over 312,000 acres of
the “Sunrise Tree Farm” on May 15, 2005, and the State of Maine acquired a
public access easement on the same lands. The land is still owned by
Typhoon, LLC and managed by Wagner Forest Mgt.
Click here for more project details.
Project Location |
Click here for May 2008 press release. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Contact
Lynn Lyford, Executive
Director of New England Forestry Foundation at 978-952-6856 x103, or
Mark Berry, Executive Director of the
Downeast Lakes Land Trust, at (207) 796-2100
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Board of Directors
