FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 15, 2008
GREENVILLE—Piscataquis County residents and visitors are encouraged to pick up a new recreation guide to the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC) Katahdin Iron Works property being distributed locally, says Shannon LeRoy programs manager for the AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative.
The guide was designed to highlight the various recreational opportunities available to the public on AMC’s Katahdin Iron Works (KIW) land. The organization purchased 37,000 acres from International Paper in 2003, and this property is a focal point of AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative, an innovative approach to conservation that combines outdoor recreation, resource protection, sustainable forestry and community partnerships.
The map and visitors’ guide includes information on hiking, hunting, fishing, paddling, camping, lodging, mountain biking, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing opportunities on the property. It makes note of several ponds on the property that are prized by anglers for brook trout, landlocked salmon, and other species of gamefish. It also includes a map, designed by AMC cartographer, Larry Garland.
AMC manages more than 212 miles of recreational trails in Maine, including more than 51 miles of trail on its KIW property, all of which are open for use by the public. They include hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country ski trails, mountain biking routes, and 17.5 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, maintained by local snowmobile clubs, including the important east-west route connecting the communities of Brownville and Greenville.
The KIW property provides a multitude of opportunities for outdoor recreation, and local residents and visitors to the region are welcome to pursue these activities on the property, LeRoy said. “We encourage folks to come out and visit,” she said.
AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative seeks to address the ecological and economic needs of the Maine Woods region by supporting local forest products jobs and traditional recreation, creating new multi-day recreational experiences for visitors, and attracting new nature-based tourism to the region. AMC is committed to maintaining public access to the area.
Also as part of the Maine Woods Initiative, AMC is deepening its commitment to outdoor education by offering outdoor learning experiences to every elementary school, middle school, and high school student in Piscataquis County, at least three times over the course of his or her school career, in a new program known as the Moosehead Area Schools Project.
In addition to managing the KIW property for recreational use, AMC is also harvesting timber on the property, working with Maine-based Huber Resources Corporation to implement a long-term, sustainable timber management plan, employing local crews and supplying wood to local mills.
Locations where copies of the free KIW map and guide can be obtained include the AMC’s Greenville office at 7 Washington Street. More information is available at (207) 695-3085.
More information on the Katahdin Iron Works property and the Maine Woods Initiative is available at www.outdoors.org/mwi.
The AMC has a long history of operating recreational facilities in Maine. The organization operates Echo Lake Camp on Mt. Desert Island, as well as Beal Island and Knubble Bay camps in Georgetown.
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the United States. The AMC has 3900 members in Maine.
See the Katahdin Iron Works Guide and Map (PDF 1.56MB)>>
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