Help the Appalachian Mountain Club permanently protect the Whitecap Highlands Forest, a 29,500-acre, ecologically significant landscape in the heart of Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness.
Whitecap Highlands Forest. Photo by Warden Co.
The Whitecap Highlands Forest lies immediately north of AMC’s recently protected Barnard Forest and connects directly to lands conserved through AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative (MWI). Securing this property would expand AMC’s conserved holdings in the region to approximately 157,000 acres, representing more than half of the 100-Mile Wilderness that AMC is working to conserve through science-based, climate-resilient stewardship.
We need to raise $15 million to support habitat restoration, our plans to open the land for public recreation, and our long-term stewardship of the forest. Reaching that goal will unlock a land grant, valued at $22 million, from an anonymous donor! The interim, conservation-minded owner has committed to gifting the Whitecap Highlands Forest to AMC once stewardship funding is secured, creating a total conservation investment of $37 million.
“This is a rare opportunity to protect an entire high-elevation watershed at scale, while restoring access and strengthening climate resilience across the region,” said Nicole Zussman, President and CEO of AMC. “Whitecap Highlands builds directly on the momentum of our Maine Woods Initiative and reflects what’s possible when long-term vision, partnership, and public benefit align.”
The Whitecap Highlands Forest is home to extensive cold-water streams and tributaries that provide critical habitat for Atlantic salmon and native brook trout. Conservation and restoration work will reopen or improve approximately 70 miles of stream habitat within the Pleasant River system, a key tributary of the Penobscot River and one of the most important watersheds in the region.
The property also features higher-elevation terrain that is increasingly important for climate resiliency, along with heritage ponds, intact forest habitat, and opportunities for recreation. AMC plans to designate approximately 8,000 acres as ecological reserves to protect sensitive forest ecosystems, while using responsible forest management elsewhere as a restoration tool to rebuild late-successional forest conditions and enhance long-term carbon storage.
Previously under private ownership and closed to public access, Whitecap Highlands Forest will be reopened for recreation, including hiking, hunting, and fishing. This land is adjacent to the Appalachian Trail, and protecting the forest means that the breathtaking views of the 100 Mile Wilderness from the trail will be forever preserved. Future plans include the development of new trails connecting Gulf Hagas to the Whitecap ridgeline, strengthening regional trail connectivity and expanding public access within the 100 Mile Wilderness.
Barnard Forest, Maine Woods. Photo by Warden Co.
The Whitecap Highlands campaign builds on the momentum of AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative, the organization’s largest and most ambitious conservation effort. Over the past two decades, AMC has conserved more than 130,000 acres in Maine’s North Woods through a model that integrates conservation, sustainable forestry, recreation, and community partnership.
With the recent acquisition of the Barnard Forest restoring public access to nearly 29,000 acres, AMC’s work in the region continues to demonstrate how large-scale land conservation can benefit wildlife, local communities, and outdoor recreation alike. Help us go even bigger—donate today to protect the Whitecap Highlands Forest for future generations.