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On Dec. 9, 2003, the AMC announced the Maine Woods Initiative, the largest conservation and recreation investment in the Club’s 127-year history. The initiative provides a strategy for land conservation that integrates habitat protection, recreation, education, and sustainable forestry in the 100-Mile Wilderness region of Maine. (See also the related press release in PDF format.)

Consistent with AMC’s ongoing work on Northern Forest, the 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 backcountry experiences for visitors, and attracting new nature-based tourism to the region. AMC will draw on its long history in Maine and New Hampshire in developing new trails and a range of accommodations that are scaled appropriately for the natural resources of the area. The investment made by AMC will make paddling, hiking, skiing and snowshoeing experiences available to a broader range of visitors, while reducing overuse on some portions of the Appalachian Trail. Our vision is consistent with that laid out by Maine Governor John Baldacci in his Maine Woods Legacy speech on Nov. 26.

As an initial phase of the initiative, the AMC will announce the purchase of 37,000 acres in the region from International Paper (IP), in a transaction facilitated by the Trust for Public Land (TPL). The purchase closed on Dec. 3, 2003. Short-term financing was provided by Citizens Bank and the Open Space Institute. AMC will be seeking out public and private sources of permanent funding. The parcel, also known as the Katahdin Iron Works (KI) property, includes outstanding ecological and recreational resources, and is traversed by the Appalachian Trail. The parcel lies 10 miles east of Greenville, and includes Long Pond, Big Houston Pond, and Chairback Mountain.

Little Lyford Lodge and Cabins, purchased earlier this year, lie within the KI property and are also part of the initiative. The camps have been in operation since 1874, and the AMC is continuing to manage the property as a traditional sporting camp, which offers such activities as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and fly-fishing. The camps offer an excellent base for exploring the region.

The AMC will develop a management plan over the next year that determines which portions of the property will be managed for natural resource protection, recreation, certified sustainable forestry and multiple use.

The Maine Woods Initiative and IP purchase are the results of several years of planning and input from local communities and environmental groups, the Maine Chapter and the State of Maine. The initiative was created in the context of Maine’s unique history and economic needs, and not necessarily the approach it would use elsewhere in the Northeast. AMC is aware of the wilderness values of the area and will work to manage recreation in the area in such a way consistent with those values.

The KI parcel lies in the heart of Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness region, which stretches from Monson to Katahdin, and was recently described in Stephen Gorman’s Northeastern Wilds, published by AMC Books. This parcel includes significant ecological and recreational resources, including:

  • The West Branch of the Pleasant River, which supports a high-quality natural fishery and is a source of water for the Gulf Hagas Gorge.
  • A wetland complex of more than 1,000 acres, including the 300-acre Caribou Bog, one of the largest contiguous, non-forested wetlands in this part of Maine.
  • Spectacular scenery seen from the Barren/Chairback Range.
  • Baker, Whitecap and Little Spruce mountains, the highest peaks between Bigelow and Katahdin.
  • Gulf Hagas, a region of steep cliffs, waterfalls and rock formations considered one of the most outstanding natural features along the Appalachian Trail.

AMC’s work in Maine dates back to 1876. AMC members were the first to map Katahdin, and AMC trail crews built many early trails in Baxter State Park. The AMC has also been active in Maine conservation efforts as a leader of the Northern Forest Alliance and member of the Tumbledown Conservation Alliance. The AMC currently manages Echo Lake Camp on Mount Desert Island, Knubble Bay Camp on Georgetown Island, Beal Island Campground in Georgetown, and Swan’s Falls Campground in Fryeburg, as well as the newly re-opened Little Lyford Lodge and Cabins, near Greenville. All are open to members as well as the general public.