MILLINOCKET, Maine — An agreement reached Tuesday will conserve a 4,342-acre parcel that includes an 8.6-mile stretch of the East Branch of the Penobscot River and a 1.2-mile piece of Mud Brook in order to improve recreational access as well as allow traditional forestry practices in an adjoining area.
The conservation area is located off the Grindstone Scenic Byway, also known as Route 11, in Soldiertown Township, north of Medway.
The project’s goal, according to the release, is to increase opportunities for people of all ages to spend time on and near the river while protecting the ecological assets that the river provides to all of Maine.
According to a news release, the Butler Conservation Fund and its subsidiary, Maine River Trails, partnered with the Open Space Institute and the Nature Conservancy to bring the project to fruition. The Nature Conservancy was the holder of a conservation easement on the river corridor property.
The area will be used by the Butler Conservation Fund’s Maine Outdoor Education Program, which exposes children to nature experiences, according to the release.
The improvements planned include a welcome center, trails and other infrastructure.
The seller of the property, Conservation Forestry, facilitated the transaction, as did other landowners with common and undivided interest, according to the release. The purchase price was not disclosed.
“I am very encouraged to see the Maine Outdoor Education Program expand to have land and facilities for its own base of operations,” said guide Paul Sannicandro, who has worked as a coach for Maine Outdoor Education programs in the past. “The land and water trails available on the property and proximity to a good road will allow for schoolkids to spend even more time outdoors learning.”
Since its inception in 2012, about 3,000 students a year have taken part in the Maine Outdoor Education Program. Conservation Forestry will continue to manage 32,000 acres of woodland that surrounds the project area, as a working forest.
The property that is being conserved is outside of the land that has been proposed as a national park or national monument, and none of the partners — The Nature Conservancy, the Butler Conservation Fund and Open Space Institute — have taken a position for or against a national park or monument, according to the release.
“This land purchase goes to the heart of our mission — it enhances recreational opportunities, conserves [a] stretch of the iconic East Branch known for its habitat while engaging the next generation in outdoor education and conservation,” Kate Dempsey, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Maine, said in the release.
