[at-l] Abraham Mountain Protected

[Bob C." <ellen@clinic.net (Bob C.)]

Some 4,000 acres of Mount Abraham, located just north of Saddleback and abutting
the  Appalachian  Trail  purchased  by the Appalachian Trail Conference has been
donated  to  the  Maine  Bureau  of Parks and Lands. ATC purchased the land with
donations  from  a  number  of foundations and individuals over the past several
years. It estimates the current value of the gift at $325 an acre.

The official Press Release Follows:

        The  Appalachian  Trail Conference (ATC) has donated 4,033 acres of land
        on  Mount  Abraham  (known to locals as "Mount Abram") near Kingfield to
        the  Maine  Department of Conservation to be permanently preserved as an
        ecological reserve. The land donation, valued at more than $1.3 million,
        represents  the largest land acquisition project ever undertaken by ATC,
        a  private  national  organization that manages the Appalachian National
        Scenic  Trail  from Maine to Georgia.

         The organization took on the Mount
        Abraham  project  due  to  its  proximity to the Appalachian Trail which
        traverses   surrounding   peaks   including   Saddleback  and  Spaulding
        Mountains. Robert Williams, Director of ATC's land trust program, called
        Mount  Abraham,  "an  absolute  gem  that  deserves the highest level of
        protection possible."

Mount Abraham, with a summit elevation of 4,049 feet, is one of only thirteen
peaks in Maine higher than 4,000 feet, ten of which are already in public
ownership. The mountain includes more than four miles of above-treeline
ridgeline that encompasses an alpine plant community surpassed in size only by
Mount Katahdin. The lands donated by ATC to the State comprise the eastern and
southern portions of the mountain and abut the Appalachian Trail corridor. The
property includes most of the Firewarden's Trail, a popular hiking trail leading
up the east side of the mountain. The summit of the mountain can also be reached
from a side trail off the Appalachian Trail. Before transferring the land, ATC
conveyed a conservation easement on the property to The Nature Conservancy,
ensuring that it will forever be managed as an ecological reserve. The
conservation easement includes restrictions that prohibit future development and
timber harvesting. Mount Abraham is home to eight rare plants, seven of which
are located on the alpine mountaintop. The other is located in an undisturbed
stream valley. In addition, wildlife biologists have identified known or
potential habitat on the mountain for four rare animal species. "Key sites
across the five-state Northern Forest can be preserved as unmanaged sanctuaries
within our vast working forest," said Kent Wommack, Executive Director of The
Nature Conservancy in Maine. "Holding this easement and contributing funds to
this important acquisition are part of our goal of balancing ecological and
economic values across this region."

        Tom Morrison, Director of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, hailed
        the donation as "a spectacular addition to the state's ecological
        reserve system and an outstanding recreational property." In 1999, the
        Maine Legislature established an ecological reserve program to preserve
        representative examples of Maine's natural communities as habitat for
        native plants and animals and to provide opportunities for ecological
        research. In 2000, BPL designated 69,994 acres of public lands as
        ecological reserves. The Mount Abraham acquisition is the first
        ecological reserve to be donated to the State. Morrison commented that
        the donated lands will be managed by BPL for backcountry recreation,
        including the maintenance of existing campsites and trails.

        The donated lands are part of a larger conservation effort on Mount
        Abraham. Last fall, BPL acquired 1,026 acres on the lower eastern slope
        of the mountain. The State hopes to acquire additional lands on the
        western side of the mountain in the future, resulting in public
        ownership of more than 6,000 acres on Mount Abraham.

The  Mount Abraham project was made possible through a combination of public and
private  funding.  According  to  Williams,  the lands donated to the State were
purchased  over  the past three years with private funding including a lead gift
from  the  Sweet  Water  Trust  and  other  major  donations from the Open Space
Conservancy,  Great  Outdoors  Conservancy, and Clark Charitable Trust. The Land
for  Maine's  Future Program and the Bureau of Parks and Lands contributed funds
to the purchase of other lands on Mount Abraham. "Ecological reserves are a high
land  acquisition  priority for the Land for Maine's Future Program," stated Tim
Glidden,  Director  of  the  program  that  is the primary source for state land
purchases.  According  to  Glidden,  when  completed,  private sources will have
provided  more  than  two-thirds  of  the funding for the Mount Abraham project.
"Projects  such  as  Mount  Abraham  allow  us  to  really  stretch  public land
acquisition funding, acquiring more acres with fewer public dollars."