Mountain land fund gets boost
By Donna M. Perry
Lewiston Sun Staff Writer © 2001 Lewiston Sun Journal
TOWNSHIP 6 NORTH OF WELD - Land preservationists' efforts to conserve 33,000 acres for public access in the Tumbledown Mountain/Mount Blue State Park region took a giant leap forward Thursday with a pledge of $2.15 million in federal and state funds. Maine's U.S. senators announced a $1 million allocation from the federal Forest Legacy Program to go with the $600,000 it announced last fall, to secure access to 11,800 acres in the Tumbledown region in Phase II of conservation efforts.
The Land for Maine's Future board also granted a preliminary allocation of $1.15 million this week to buy outright 4,000 of those acres to protect the ridge and northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain. The remaining 7,800 acres would be protected by conservation easements, said Ralph Knoll of the state's Bureau of Parks and Lands. The preacquisition process that includes appraisals of the 4,000 acres still needs to be completed, he said."We are very, very grateful," Knoll said.
The Trust for Public Land praised the administration of President Bush for releasing the $1 million from the Legacy program, said Erin Rowland, trust spokeswoman from her Massachusetts office."This is very, very good news," Rowland said. "Things look really good for Tumbledown." Hancock Land Co., a Maine-based timber company, has agreed to the acquisition and easement conservation proposal, she said, which means the company gives up the right to develop that land and would be mandated to practice sustainable forestry. It does guarantee public access, she added."We have agreements, but there is no fixed price yet," Rowland said. "We think we have most of the money and expect to do some fund raising. We're really, really excited about this great news." Rowland said so far a total of about $3.35 million, including $1.2 million committed from the Forest Legacy Program previously, has been pledged to protect the 11,800 acres.
The cost to preserve the 11,800 acres by purchase and easements is anticipated to cost about $3.5 million, Knoll said, so there is still a gap of about $150,000 to $200,000."We're almost at the goal," Knoll said. "We've worked very hard, but we still have a gap we need to close with fund raising. This is great; we're all ecstatic. This is big; once again Maine has fared very will with the Legacy program." Land preservationists are working to save another 5,000 acres in the Mount Blue State Park area, which will be mostly conservation easements and some purchases that are critical to conserve the multiuse trail system, he said.
Earlier this month, conservationists finalized the acquisition of 2,468 acres, known as the Hedgehog Hill parcel adjacent to Mount Blue State Park,at a cost of $980,000.If all goes well, Knoll said, by the end of the year about 17,000 acres will be conserved, which is more than half the total goal of protecting 33,000 acres.
This is good news for the Tumbledown Conservation Alliance, said Bruce Farnham, manager of Mount Blue State Park and member of the nonprofit grassroots organization."They're continuing to reach the goals they set two years ago," Farnham said. It is part of an ongoing project, he said. The alliance raised $300,000 in private money to aid Phase I of the preservation initiative and is continuing to raise money for Phase II. "This has gotten broad-based support," he said. All four members of Maine's congressional delegation, Farnham said, signed a letter of support for the project that went to the state's Land for Maine's Future Board. And Maine authorities and national, state and local people have contributed to the project, he said.