Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust

The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust (MATLT) today announced the acquisition of land parcels comprising the summit and ridgeline of Mt. Abraham and the southeast slopes of Saddleback Mountain from timberland owner MeadWestvaco. Both parcels are located in Western Maine’s High Peaks region.

These mountains are two of the last remaining high-elevation Maine mountains not largely protected through public or conservation ownership. Mount Abraham and the southeastern portion of Saddleback Mountain possess ecological resources of statewide and regional significance and offer outstanding backcountry recreational opportunities.

The Mount Abraham ridgeline encompasses an expansive alpine community in Maine—second in size only to Katahdin—and harbors significant ecological habitat and diverse species. The lower elevations of these properties also include old-growth forest and unique habitat.

This is the last step in a complicated journey, begun in the mid 1990’s by the Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC), that was frequently stalled by timber industry acquisitions and mergers. In March of 2002 ATC transferred ownership of 4,033 acres of land the ATC had acquired on Mt. Abraham to the state of Maine to become one of the state’s first ecological reserves. However, the summit and ridgeline of the mountain were withheld from that deal when the land changed ownership and new negotiations were required.

The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust was formed in June 2002 by a group of Mainers dedicated to the preservation of the natural qualities of the lands surrounding the Appalachian Trail in Maine. “The potential of the AT to advance a conservation strategy by anchoring a network of protected reserves represents a huge opportunity to advance conservation planning on a statewide basis”, said Tom Lewis, President of the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust.

When the opportunity to complete the protection of the summit of Mt. Abraham and the southeast slopes of Saddleback arose in mid 2004, the group stepped up to the plate, took out a loan, and pitched in to help close the deal in the required short period of time. The group has now embarked on a $450,000 fundraising campaign to raise the money to repay the loan, provide stewardship of the 1183 acre Saddleback parcel, which MATLT now owns, and monitor the conservation easement it holds on the 1159 acre Mt. Abraham summit and ridgeline. The Mt. Abraham parcel has been turned over to the State of Maine as an addition to the existing ecological reserve on the mountain, created in early 2002 in a partnership with the ATC Land Trust and the State of Maine.

“We knew these lands were ecological gems and that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire them for public benefit.” said Lewis. “Our mission is to protect the Appalachian Trail Lands in Maine for public benefit. We are a relatively new organization and are grateful that the Norcross Foundation provided a loan that allowed us to conclude the necessary negotiations in the short amount of time required that made this purchase a reality. We have confidence that the public realizes how important Maine’s special places are and will contribute financially toward achieving our goal.”

In addition to the loan from the Norcross Foundation, funds for the new acquisition were provided by the Land For Maine’s Future Program, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Land, and the Open Space Institute’s Northern Forest Protection Fund, a grant and loan fund established with support from the Doris Duke Charitable and Surdna Foundations.

“This project is another fine example of how public and private interests can work together on major conservation projects,” said Patrick McGowan, Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Conservation. “It also points to the continuing value of the Land for Maine’s Future program as a vehicle to provide funding for such acquisitions. I congratulate the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust for their hard work in completing this project.”

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