The Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Woods Initiative (MWI) combines outdoor recreation, ecological protection, sustainable forestry and community partnerships in the 100-Mile Wilderness region. On the 37,000-acre Katahdin Iron Works (KIW) property, our goal is to create new multi-day recreational experiences for visitors with an emphasis on non-motorized, backcountry opportunities, attract new nature-based tourism to the region, and support local forest products jobs and traditional recreation.
AMC is placing a conservation easement over the entire property to ensure permanent public access for hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, and other traditional, non-intensive outdoor recreation, to permit sustainable forestry activity, and permanently restrict development to a few small footprints for public overnight facilities, such as sporting camps and remote cabins. Under the easement, a Recreation Management Plan will be developed and mutually agreed to by AMC and the Maine Department of Conservation.
Below are more details on AMC’s recreational activities and infrastructure investments to date, community partnership and education programs, background on the design and proposed management of the ecological reserve area, and our forestry activity.
Human-powered Recreation and Community Partnerships
New Trails: AMC has built 26 miles of new trails for hiking and skiing since we took ownership three years ago. In addition to building new trails, AMC is improving existing trails. A total of about 45 miles of actively maintained hiking and skiing trails are currently open for public use on AMC’s property.
New and Improved Campsites: In 2006, AMC trail crews established a new primitive campsite at Coyote Rocks, on the north side of Long Pond, about midway between the east and west ends of the pond. This site is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, the KI -Jo Mary Forest campsite on the west end of Long Pond was improved significantly. Campsites were added and relocated. The road and boat put-in were improved, and a parking area was established. A boat dolly is now in place to make getting boats into the water a lot easier than in the past. Use of both campsites is on a first-come, first-served basis, with registration through the KI Jo-Mary Forest checkpoints from May to October.
Sporting Camps: In 2003, AMC began operating Little Lyford Pond Camps, an historic sporting camp. In fall 2004, we opened our first remote cabin, Moose Point Cabin, on Long Pond, providing recreational opportunities (including fishing, canoeing, skiing and hiking) to the public year ’round as a self-service facility. In 2006, AMC purchased Medawisla Wilderness Camps on Second Roach Pond and made arrangements to operate Chairback Mountain Camps on Long Pond for the public. Medawisla continues to be open to the public year ’round, and we plan to open Chairback Camps to the public in the near future. Little Lyford and Medawisla currently provide both meals and lodging for AMC members and the public.
Outdoor Education Programs:
- In 2005 and again in 2006, AMC provided instructors for a program hosted by the Evergreen Enrichment Collaborative in Greenville and Guilford that introduced 350 kids to cross country skiing and snowshoeing. In 2005 we found that fewer than 5% of the students had ever been in skis or snowshoes. In 2006 AMC provided instructors for similar programs in the Brownville and Milo elementary schools.
- AMC hosted and provided instructors for an Evergreen Enrichment Collaborative school program at Moose Point Cabin for two weeks in the summer of 2005.
- AMC hosted the Holderness School for a weeklong mushing program in the winter of 2005 at Moose Point Cabin. In winter 2006, AMC hosted a Natural Resource Education Center program at Moose Point.
Partnerships for Local Economic Development
- AMC worked with the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to create the "Southern Piscataquis Regional Recreation Map and Guide," as a tool for residents and visitors to explore and appreciate the region’s many natural and cultural resources. This map is available for free to schools and health care providers in the region.
- AMC representatives have served on the board of directors of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council since 2005 and on the Piscataquis County Tourism Task Force since 2006.
- AMC is a member of the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce.
- AMC worked with snowmobile clubs from both Brownville and Greenville as well as many other groups to help create the first ever 100 Mile Wilderness Sled Dog Race, which took place in February 2005. AMC and local clubs worked together to lay out the race route, groom the trail, and provide monitoring during the race. The race already has a full slate of competitors for 2007 with an additional waiting list.
Snowmobile Access
Open Trails:
- There are currently 14.5 miles of groomed snowmobile trails open on AMC’s KIW property (with an additional 3 miles coming in the winter of 2006-’07). AMC’s easement includes language recognizing the significance of the existing east-west snowmobile access across our property, connecting the communities of Brownville and Greenville. We are not aware of any other easement held by the State of Maine that includes comparable language regarding snowmobile trails. AMC has been and remains committed to allowing a major east-west snowmobile trail, as we recognize the economic and recreational importance of snowmobiling to the region.
- AMC has kept open a popular club trail, Calli's Trail, to allow for access from Horseshoe Pond to the ITS 110 and to points on the northwest slopes of Indian Mountain for prime views of Katadhin and other mountains to west. This decision was mutually agreed to by the Moosehead Riders and AMC to ensure that both motorized and non-motorized recreationists will continue to have the opportunity to enjoy these special places.
- AMC has worked with the Moosehead Riders to plan for a new snowmobile parking area to allow riders to don snowshoes and climb Indian Mountain on a recently constructed AMC hiking trail. As we did last year for Calli’s Trail, AMC has offered to provide grooming for this parking area for snowmobiling.
- AMC has worked with local clubs for the last few years on improved signing and trail maintenance. We worked together with the Moosehead Riders Snowmobile Club to develop a very successful plan to create a snow "berm" to separate snowmobilers and skiers on the KI Road to facilitate safety and enjoyment for all-- creating a truly multi-use trail
- AMC has worked closely with the Elliotsville Snowmobile Club to build a new snowmobile trail over AMC land to connect their landlocked trails to the KI Road ITS trail. This will add approximately 3 more miles of groomed snowmobile trail on the property, for a total of 17.5 miles of snowmobile trails.
Balancing Land Uses
- After discussions with the Moosehead Riders and Brownville Snowmobile Clubs, approximately 9 miles of club snowmobile trails in the proposed ecological reserve area were closed between 2004 and 2005. Groomed snowmobile trails through and around AMC’s property continue to allow connections between Brownville, Greenville, Elliotsville and Kokadjo. As a private landowner managing this property to meet multiple goals, we strive to find the best fit of appropriate uses across the property based on our management goals and the landscape features.
- AMC created a new ski trail to Little Lyford Pond Camps to provide alternate routes for skiers and snowmobilers, and enhance the recreational experience of both.
Ecological Reserve Area
We are developing management guidelines for the 10,000-acre reserve area to maintain its remote and wild character and protect the headwaters of the West Branch of the Pleasant River.
Ecology: AMC has completed a major ecological assessment of the entire property including the reserve area. The boundaries of the reserve area were created to protect the headwaters of the West Branch of the Pleasant River, which includes the remote Mountain Brook Pond watershed. This 3,000-acre watershed is almost entirely contained within the reserve. We believe that it is relatively rare in Maine to have a watershed area of this size completely protected. The area includes the highest elevation on the property and a dense network of small ponds and wetlands, including Baker Pond, a Land Use Regulation Commission-classified remote pond. On a larger scale, the reserve boundary encompasses the watershed of the West Branch of the Pleasant River upstream of Gulf Hagas. This watershed is known for its native brook trout fishery, and its protection is a high priority for AMC. The reserve boundary follows the watershed boundary to the maximum extent possible – an important concept in conservation biology.
Wilderness: The reserve is also a wilderness area meant to provide a place for skiers, hikers, anglers and hunters who wish to experience the quiet and remote feeling of the Maine woods. An increasingly rare commodity across the region, we believe this wild and non-motorized ecological reserve will attract new visitors and outdoor enthusiasts to the area. It is our goal to have a positive impact on the local and regional nature-based economy.
Currently about 14% of Maine’s BPL lands, but only about 2% of total land in the state, is officially designated as wilderness or ecological reserve (and close to half of this acreage is Baxter State Park). We feel our management of this area will make an important contribution to a land use (and the associated ecological conditions and recreational opportunities) that is quite rare in the state.
Sustainable Forestry
- AMC has developed a long-range timber management plan and we intend to pursue certification under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) program.
- AMC has completed three harvests between 2004 and 2006 with an estimated local payroll of more than $500,000. All wood was cut by Maine loggers and sold to Maine mills and woods products operations.
- AMC has harvested approximately 16,000 cords over the past three years.
For more information, contact: Gerry Whiting, AMC Maine Woods Projects Manager, 207-829-3410, gwhiting@outdoors.org; Bryan Wentzell, AMC Maine Policy Manager, 207-626-5777, bwentzell@outdoors.org; Shannon Leroy, MWI Camps and Programs Manager, 7 Washington Street, Greenville, ME 04441, Sleroy@outdoors.org
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