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- OVERVIEW
- MAINE
- Greater Alder Stream/ Piscataquis River Project
- Howland Research Forest
- NEW HAMPSHIRE
- Central New Hampshire Forestlands
- Wapack Wilderness
- Slavic Wildlife and Wilderness Sanctuary
- VERMONT
- Northern Green Mountains
- Babysitter Swamp
- Anderson-Wells
- Dykema Property
- NEW YORK
- Split Rock Wildway
- MASSACHUSETTS
- Wildlands and Woodlands
Greater Alder Stream/ Piscataquis River Project
Piscataquis and Penobscot Counties
Active Project Area
In remote central Maine, a roughly 20,000-acre complex of protected lands is being assembled by various conservation groups including the Northeast Wilderness Trust. The protected lands border Alder Stream and the Piscataquis River, and contain mature American chestnut trees, expansive wetlands, and Atlantic salmon habitat. The Trust is working actively with local partners to expand and further connect this network of protected lands, which includes areas devoted to wilderness, sustainable forestry, and organic farming.
The Greater Alder Stream/Piscataquis River project area contains one of the largest, most varied, and intact freshwater wetland systems in Maine. Recognized as vital at multiple scales, it is embedded within: (1) a Species-at-risk Focus Area identified in Maine’s Comprehensive Wildlife Action Plan; (2) a larger 88,000-acre area identified by The Nature Conservancy as a high priority Tier 1 Matrix Forest Block due to its unfragmented, high quality forest and wetland characteristics; and (3) the Piscataquis-Penobscot Rivers Focus Area of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
Threats of fragmentation and loss of public access are high, and the wilderness recovery potential of the region is extraordinary—fertile ground for creative conservation action by the Northeast Wilderness Trust and its partners.
Piscataquis Preserve Phase 2
Atkinson, Maine
New Project, Spring 2011
The Northeast Wilderness Trust is pleased to announce that it has commenced the second phase of a greater Piscataquis Preserve aggregation effort. The Trust hopes to raise $1.75 million to acquire an additional 2,200 acres around the Piscataquis River tributary Levensellor Brook, and also conserve another 3,800 acres of match lands. If successful, roughly 24 square miles of continuous habitat will be permanently secured. Additional phases of conservation are envisioned in the future, including protection of lands across the river from the Trust’s conservation properties, key inholdings, adjoining parcels, and various ecological hotspots providing habitat for rare and sensitive species.
Piscataquis Preserve Phase 1
Atkinson, Maine
Completed Project
The Piscataquis Preserve, a 1,200-acre tract of conifer and deciduous forest, wetlands, and riparian habitat, was acquired by the Northeast Wilderness Trust in December 2010. The Piscataquis Preserve provides a critical link in the matrix of already conserved lands in the area and is adjacent to the 1,500-acre Alder Stream property that the Trust has protected since 2006.
With three miles of frontage on the Piscataquis River, extensive adjacent and nearby conservation lands, crucial habitat for rare and endangered species, and a one-of-a kind grove of American chestnuts, the Piscataquis Preserve offered a rare opportunity to create a wild legacy for Maine and the nation. Complementing the Trust’s Alder Stream Preserve, the Piscataquis parcel extends the contiguous riverfront protection to roughly six miles.
Piscataquis Preserve encompasses 245 acres of “high value habitat” wetlands, which serve …
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Alder Stream
Atkinson and Milo, Maine
Completed Project
The Alder Stream watershed is a focus of the Northeast Wilderness Trust’s conservation efforts because of its biological richness, recreational opportunities and wilderness character. The Trust acquired the 1,500-acre Alder Stream property—located in the heart of the watershed—in 2006. The Alder Stream parcel is characterized by cedar swamps and rich bogs, conifer and northern hardwood forest, and a remote, wild character. The property contains extensive frontage on the Piscataquis River, an important river for Atlantic salmon recovery, and a significant section of the Alder Stream.
The Alder Stream watershed is home to a great diversity of plants, birds, fish, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species. The permanent preservation of the Alder Stream property is vital to the ecological health of the watershed and ensures that the watershed’s woods and wetlands stay intact for future …
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