[at-l] Quick Katahdin Trip

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

>"...You might ask exactly how committed The Nature Conservancy is in the first
>place," sneers TJ, who for some reason seems compelled to question every effort
>to preserve land in Maine.

Well, to keep the debate honest, let me point out that since its founding in the
1950s with the help of Maine summer resident, Rachel Carson, the Maine Chapter
of the Nature Conservancy has been a major player in scores of land preservation
projects in Maine. Last summer in my town we celebrated the 25th anniversary of
a non profit corporation that owns 600 acres and a mile and a half of
undeveloped ocean beach that was created through Nature Conservancy efforts and
encouragement. I'm familiar with it because I've served as one of the five
trustees of the corporation since its founding.

Similar projects are scattered across Maine through the Conservancy's efforts.

The DEbsconeag portion of the Katahdin Forest, for instance, links Baxter State
Park with the Nahmakanta Preserve, which together ensure that the final 35 miles
of the Appalachian Trail South of Baxter is mostly managed as defacto
wilderness. This is an incredible acquisition -- 41,000 acres of mostly old
growth forest, wild trout ponds, and delightful canoeing streams.

There is nothing else in the east that compares with this particular preserve.

Well, perhaps one other. That's the 180,000 acres the Nature Conservancy has
purchased in the headwaters of the St. John River in northwestern Maine. The St.
John provides the most rewarding wilderness canoe experience in the East. For a
matter of weeks after ice-out, the waters run high and fast for 150 miles
unbroken by any public road. No river east of the Mississippi offers more miles
of solitude, wildlife and adventure.

These were not easy acquisitions. There achievement took dedication, planning
and an incredible commitment of money and resources.

TJ. Why do you  question the Nature Conservancy's commitment?  Surely, the
routine sale of a mortgage shouldn't negate 40 years of unparalleled commitment
to the special wild places of Maine. No other organization has come close to the
Nature Conservancy's commitment to land preservation in Maine.

Weary