| | Dear Friend,
Welcome to the March 2007 edition of the Appalachian Mountain Club's Maine Woods Initiative News.
My wife, Ingrid, and I had a great trip into Little Lyford Pond Camps earlier this month. We had the good fortune to get snowed in and had to spend an extra night! The food, the staff, and our fellow guests were all great. And to top it off, we saw Canada lynx tracks on our way out.
Your help in conserving this wild and beautiful place is most appreciated. I hope you'll visit soon, and be sure to take advantage of all the 100-Mile Wilderness region has to offer!
Sincerely,
Walter Graff
AMC Deputy Director
Campaign for the Maine Woods
We are especially excited to announce the launch of the $45 million Campaign for the Maine Woods. The Kresge Foundation recently presented AMC with a wonderful opportunity to build support for the Maine Woods Initiative with a $1.5 million challenge grant. Learn more >>
Conservation
The Land for Maine's Future (LMF) Board contributed significant funding for conservation of the 37,000-acre Katahdin Iron Works property with the March 21 signing of a $1.25 million conservation easement that ensures sustainable forest management, restricts development, and guarantees continued public access. The board approved the easement unanimously at a Jan. 16 LMF meeting. Thanks to the many area residents who spoke in favor of the project. The $1.25 million in state funding will match $4.4 million in federal Forest Legacy funding for the sale of a conservation easement to the Maine Department of Conservation.
AMC trail crews were busy on the KIW property building and maintaining trails in 2006, and the top priority for 2007 is to create a new trail connecting Little Lyford Pond Camps and Chairback Mountain Camps. The Hedgehog Gate Trail and the Trout Brook ski trails were open this year, and we heard great reviews from people who skied in to our destinations on these new trails.
Outdoor Recreation
Camp-to-camp skiing and dog-sledding are among the new and popular recreational opportunities in the 100-Mile Wilderness region this winter. Skiers and mushers have enjoyed the powdery snow and beautiful trails and the amenities at Medawisla Wilderness Camps, West Branch Pond Camps and Little Lyford Pond Camps. Following a recent camp-to-camp ski trip with his wife, Sue, former Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Commissioner Bucky Owen said, "Adding West Branch Pond Camps and Medawisla to our 20th annual trek into Little Lyford Pond Camps gave us an exciting new adventure. Each camp is unique and the food delightful. We look forward to adding the camp on Long Pond in the future." Area mushers offering dog-sledding trips at the camps include Steve Madera of Song in the Woods and Kevin Slater and Polly Mahoney of Mahoosuc Guide Service.
We'll be offering new recreational options this year, including camp-to-camp mountain biking opportunities, guided flyfishing packages, self-guided paddling opportunities, a guided horseback riding trip, and birding programs. You can also find other recreational opportunities in the MWI 2007 Recreation Guide.
I t's not too early to plan a summer family adventure. AMC's popular Family Adventure Camps will be offered at Little Lyford Pond Camps and Medawisla Wilderness Camps in July.
V isit the nearest AMC camp, office, or visitor center near you and pick up the handy, new MWI wallet card. It features the latest MWI info at your fingertips, and highlights recreational opportunities on the KIW property. You can also view images of the KIW property in the Maine Woods Slideshow.
Community Partnerships
Here's an opportunity for Piscataquis County Teachers interested in place-based education. A Trail to Every Classroom (PDF), a program of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the National Park Service, and other partners, including the Maine Appalachian Trail Club and AMC, is offering training for teachers, and a Greenville workshop is slated for May 11 and 12. View the workshop application (PDF) >>
M aine Governor John Baldacci has created the Governor's Task Force Regarding the Management of Public Lands and Publicly-Held Easements "to develop recommendations to increase the information available about the management of public lands and to ensure management decisions continue to be made in a fair manner that considers the interests of diverse recreational users," according to a recent news release from the governor's office. Members include representatives of motorized and non-motorized recreation, landowners, and state officials. AMC Deputy Director Walter Graff has been selected to serve on the panel, which is set to convene in May.
The Greenville-to-Brownville 100-Mile Wilderness Sled Dog Race drew a great number of spectators Feb. 10. A collaborative effort among local mushers, snowmobile clubs, businesses, town and county officials, civic organizations and recreation organizations, the event has fast become a favorite among mushers and spectators alike.
T he new Elliotsville connector snowmobile route was completed and directional signs were installed in mid-February. AMC Land Stewardship Manager Bob LeRoy and members of the Elliotsville Snowmobile Club plan to make refinements to the trail this summer. In addition, a new connector trail that provides access for snowmobiles by relocating a trail from the ecological reserve area of the KIW property to Plum Creek land has been completed, through a partnership project between Plum Creek, The Moosehead Riders Snowmobile Club, and AMC.
People
Meet AMC Camps and Programs Manager Shannon LeRoy >>
AMC Executive Director Andy Falender and Deputy Director Walter Graff share their vision for the Maine Woods Initiative in an informative Q&A from AMC Outdoors magazine.
Sustainable Forestry
Foresters headed into the KIW woods this winter to gather some wood harvested last summer that had not been extracted due to wet weather and soft ground. Later in the spring, AMC's Maine Woods Project Manager Gerry Whiting and Forest Ecologist Dave Publicover will be visiting stands that our forestry consultant, Huber Resources Corp., has proposed for harvesting this year. They will also review cutting proscriptions with our project forester, Ted Shina.
MWI in the News
"50 All-Star Family Camps," Budget Travel Magazine, March 2007, AMC Family Adventure Camp at Little Lyford Pond Camps
"Snowshoeing at 37 below/Winter goes to the dogs," Concord Monitor, February 9, 2007
"Maine camps: a place to get away from it all," Concord Monitor, February 2, 2007
"Mushing through the wilderness from camp to camp," New Hampshire Union Leader, February 2, 2007
"Where Bullwinkle Bunks," Budget Travel Online, January 18, 2007
"Multiple use doesn't mean everything everywhere," Portland Press Herald, January 17, 2007
"The A*List," National Geographic Traveler, January 16, 2007
View ongoing press coverage of the Maine Woods Initiative and Little Lyford Pond Camps.
View back issues of MWI News.
Media Contact: AMC Public Affairs Director Rob Burbank at rburbank@outdoors.org or (603) 466-2721, ext. 195. Contact Rob if you have ideas for articles to be included in future issues of MWI News.
Photos: Walter Graff, Rob Burbank,
Ben Bragdon/Moosehead Messenger |  |
