The Appalachian Trail is one of America's great success stories and a wonderful outdoor legacy. The Conservation Fund has worked to conserve land in several states to protect public access to the trail and to ensure that future generations will be able to experience the trail as we do today.
Learn about our work >>
Photo: View of the Outlook / Bill Duffy
The Fund is working in the Androscoggin Valley to conserve wildlife habitat, working forests, public recreational access and riparian corridors in the area. Recent projects include assisting the state of Maine in acquiring property along a section of the Androscoggin River that had been designated priority land for protection and restoration. In three separate projects in 2010, we assisted the state in conserving river frontage and wildlife corridors that stretch from the Mahoosuc Mountains across the Androscoggin River. These lands also provide increased public access for boating and other recreational activites.
The first project in the initiative began in 2005 with the effort to preserve the historic Philbrook Farm Inn in Shelburne, New Hampshire.
This is an extraordinary story of a local land trust in Connecticut that led the charge in its community to create a 16-acre waterfront park. Their goal was to preserve their community’s character as well as one of the last great natural places in the city. Watch a video and read more about this project >>.
The Conservation Fund works to shelter Vermont’s most ecologically sensitive and diverse natural areas—protecting nearly 200,000 acres since 1985. Our efforts to preserve the state’s working forests reflects our dedication to maintaining environmental and economic balance.
The Fund helped protect more than 440 acres of private forests, ridgeline and vista near the village of Plymouth. This is an exceptional tract of verdant working forest and critical wildlife habitat near Woodward Reservoir that will now be permanently saved for campers, counselors and outdoor enthusiasts.
We were able to save this property, after years of effort, by negotiating a conservation easement, which will be held by the ANR’s Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. The property enhances a local, state and federal initiative that protected a vital wildlife corridor encompassing approximately 20,000 acres between the north and south units of Green Mountain National Forest and various state owned parcels.
Now this natural area will continue to be used by Farm & Wilderness for educational and recreational activities during youth summer camps and will remain open for public recreation including hunting and hiking.
“The unique features of the Farm & Wilderness forest make its permanent protection and conservation so important,” said Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy. “Farm & Wilderness is special for the experience that it offers children every summer and throughout the year learning new skills while enjoying Vermont’s natural beauty, but this forest also serves as an important wildlife habitat in the Plymouth Valley. The many generations of families who have attended Farm & Wilderness camps over the years will be able to return and again visit these beautiful natural forest communities of rich Northern hardwoods that will remain the legacy of all, on into the future.”
The Green Mountain National Forest offers black bears and other wildlife a safe route through the mountains. It also offers the public a great place to experience the outdoors. The Fund has helped add more than 2,000 acres to the 375,000 acres that make up Green Mountain National Forest, one of only two national forests in the Northeast.
Our work includes helping the U.S. Forest Service complete a 30-year effort to preserve 450 acres of critical wildlife habitat here—protecting a regional source of water and providing new opportunities to hike, cross-country ski and enjoy the outdoors.
We helped protect a 775-acre property in the Taconic Mountain range known as Spruce Peak. A popular destination for hunting, hiking, fishing, wildlife viewing and winter sports over the last two centuries, the Spruce Peak tract features ideal wooded habitat for an array of wildlife and will be incorporated into the Green Mountain National Forest.
Located near the northern end of the Taconic range—a Native American name meaning “in the trees”—the property and the adjacent public lands rest within an expansive forested area of roughly 16,000 acres on the New York border.
The conserved parcel contains some of the highest quality northern hardwood forests in Vermont along a series of ridges ranging in elevation from 1,300 feet to the 3,033-foot Spruce Peak. Two important headwater tributaries of the Batten Kill watershed, an internationally famous river for its trout fishery, can also be found on the property.
The Conservation Fund acquired the property from Meadowsend Timberlands LTD, a New Hampshire-based, family-owned forestry business that manages for the health, sustainability and long term productivity of their forestlands. The acquisition will further the Service’s effort to protect existing national forest system lands from invasive species while increasing public access to recreational opportunities.
Bears need an extensive, uninterrupted range for access to varied food sources, mates, and territories that young bears can claim as their own when they leave their mothers.
The Green Mountain Bear Corridor project was citizen-initiated in 1993. With the challenges and complexities of protecting a checkerboard mix of state and private lands, we helped the initiative succeed by leading the partnership to secure safer passage for black bears through the Green Mountain range. Click here to learn more.
In February 2009, we facilitated the protection of 120 acres of wildlife habitat in southern Rhode Island. The unique conservation deal involved two separate state-owned properties: the 48-acre Camp Pastore property and the 72-acre Stedman property.
Located in Charlestown, the Pastore property sits along the northwestern shore of Watchaug Pond. The Stedman property in South Kingstown fronts Pettaquamscutt Cove and is adjacent to John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).
The Pastore property was originally part of the Burlingame State Park and was acquired by Rhode Island’s Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals (MHRH) in 1986. In 2007, MHRH had recommended selling the Pastore property in an effort to address a budget deficit. Citing the property’s origin, natural resource value and proximity to existing protected lands, Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management (DEM) opposed the sale and worked with others to devise a plan that would allow the land to be conserved and, at the same time, help MHRH close its budget gap.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service agreed to purchase from the state the Stedman property because of its proximity to the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge. Rhode Island’s congressional delegation secured the federal money for the purchase from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Stedman property will be added to John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge and protected in perpetuity.
In exchange for USFWS’ purchase of the Stedman property, the state agreed to grant a conservation easement on the Pastore property to The Nature Conservancy. The conservation easement protects the property’s natural resources and ensures the property’s permanent protection.
The Fund has protected nearly 30,000 acres of working forestlands and wildlife habitat across New Hampshire.
The Fund is working in the Androscoggin Valley to conserve wildlife habitat, working forests, public recreational access and riparian corridors in the area. We have assisted willing land owners, land trusts and state agencies in conserving river frontage, wildlife corridors and historic lands in the area. The initiative's first project was the protection of Philbrook Farm Inn in the town of Shelburne, New Hampshire (see below).
The Mahoosuc Mountains spread across New Hampshire and Maine, offering a rich forestland as well as some of the most picturesque and rugged sections of the Appalachian Trail.
In the fall of 2010, we assisted the National Park Service in conserving 4,777 acres of forestland in Success Township. The property was added to the Mahoosuc Mountain Range section of the Appalachian Trail, linking previously conserved properties and ensuring continued public access through historic side trails. Some of the Appalachian Trail’s most rugged passages can be found in this area including the section referred to as the “toughest mile.” This famed corridor is now protected for six miles along the crest of Mahoosucs. Also protected are two prominent peaks, Bald Cap and North Bald Cap, and the famous Outlook, known for its stunning views. The property will be managed by the White Mountain National Forest, maintaining public access, including traditional uses of hunting and fishing.
This addition to the Appalachian Trail continues our work from 2008 when we partnered with local communities, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Appalachian Mountain Club and the National Park Service to purchase Bald Cap Peak, 1,200 acres of forests and scenic lands bordering the trail, which now are protected with a conservation easement.
Our work in 2010 also includes the protection of 1,200 acres of bordering forestland in Shelburne, which has been conserved as working forest under a conservation easement.
Both the 4,777- and 1,200-acre properties were acquired from T.R. Dillon Logging Company in the first of a three-phase agreement to conserve more than 29,000 contiguous acres in Success Township. The comprehensive goal of this multi-year effort is to protect important natural resources while ensuring working forests and sustainable economic opportunities for communities in the Berlin-Gorham area, Coos County and the White Mountain region.
Photos: The Outlook from Mahoosuc Trail (top) and North Bald Cap Mountain (bottom) both courtesy Bill Duffy.
Read about our efforts along the Appalachian Trail in Alabama
In 2009 we completed efforts to conserve the historic Philbrook Farm Inn and adjacent Croftie Farm. Built in 1834 and established in 1861 as an inn, Philbrook Farm is the longest operated, continuously owned family inn in the nation and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The inn and the adjacent Croftie Farm were selected for New Hampshire's "Seven to Save" historic properties in 2006. The town of Shelburne has a number of historic homesteads, farms and cemeteries that are eligible for listing on the National Historic Register, but the Philbrook Farm Inn has a special place in the community and was at risk of being sold and developed after the death of the current owner. Efforts to preserve Philbrook Farm Inn began in 2005 when the town of Shelburne contacted us to help develop a plan that would permanently protect the inn.
We worked for four years until the inn and surrounding property were protected permanently in 2009. This project involved many local partners, including the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, which provided a critical grant, and three landowners who donated conservation easements on their properties to leverage additional funding. The Shelburne Historical Commission, the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, the state Fish and Game Department, the state Department of Agriculture, the Mahoosuc Initiative, the Mahoosuc Land Trust, Androscoggin Watershed Council and the Northern Forest Center all worked together to place a permanent conservation easement on the properties.
The properties together total slightly less than 1,000 acres of contiguous land with a mile of frontage on the Androscoggin River. The land also is a primary wildlife corridor across the river to the White Mountain National Forest, and there are numerous hiking trails, some of which link to the Appalachian Trail.
In 1998 we worked with private, public and nonprofit partners to protect 300,000 acres of critical forestland in New York, New Hampshire and Vermont through a series of acquisitions, completing the largest multi-state conservation project in U.S. history.
As part of this project, with our partners we purchased 18,000 acres from Champion International Corporation in New Hampshire. This land, near the Connecticut River, represents a microcosm of the surrounding ecology. Much of the viewsheds of Blue Mountain and 12 other peaks above 3,000 feet, as well as approximately 5,800 acres above 2,700 feet, are protected by the conservation of this land. Also secured are 28 miles of stream frontage on Lyman Brook, Gore Brook, Simms Stream, Cone Brook and other smaller streams.
Numerous significant alpine areas that support native wildlife were safeguarded as well by this acquisition. The conservation plan emphasizes long-term restoration of a privately owned working forest with protected ecological reserves.
Working with local land trusts, The Conservation Fund is safeguarding the agricultural legacy of Massachusetts' working farms and protecting its rivers and forests. We've protected nearly 5,000 acres across the state.
With some of the best farmland anywhere and historic properties throughout the region, the Connecticut River Valley is a special place. But as the population continues to spread, this land could be lost to unchecked development, unless the communities safeguard this land. And local groups are working to do just that.
The Fund has been helping local communities with their efforts to conserve their special places. Since 1998, we've provided conservation financing to local land trusts to help them meet their conservation goals. One of our frequent partners is the Franklin Land Trust. Over the years our financing has helped them conserve more than 1,700 acres of fertile land in one of Franklin County’s most rapidly developing areas. Learn more about our work with them here.
Other projects include our work with the Deerfield Land Trust to protect more than 100 acres of farmland and our efforts to protect nesting and breeding habitat for dozens of bird species with the purchase of a 450-acre former tobacco farm straddling the border between Massachusetts and Connecticut. This latter project was made possible with key support from Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. The two states plan to restore and manage the property as a new wildlife management area.
The Fund works to save America's favorite places by helping communities and organizations conserve the land that's special to them. In Massachusetts our ongoing partnerships with land trusts is helping communities maintain their character while balancing the needs of development.
From its dramatic coastline to its magnificent forests, Maine's wild character, abundant wildlife habitat and natural resource-based economy is being protected by the Fund and its partners. Since 1985 we've protected nearly 350,000 acres across the state.
The Fund has assisted willing land owners, land trusts and state agencies in conserving river frontage, wildlife corridors and historic lands in the Androscoggin Valley. In three separate projects in 2010, we assisted the state in conserving river frontage and wildlife corridors that stretch from the Mahoosuc Mountains across the Androscoggin River. These lands also provide increased public access for boating and other recreational activites.
We teamed with the Maine Department of Conservation on the acquisition of almost 8,000 acres of critical lake and stream front land surrounding the Machias Lakes of eastern Maine. The project protects almost 250 miles of prime lake, river and stream frontage – a truly amazing legacy. Some 86% of the Machias River’s Atlantic salmon spawning and rearing habitat will be preserved along with the famous backcountry canoe route. The protection of Machias Lakes fits into a broader conservation strategy for the Downeast Lakes region. The project links up with 45,000 acres of existing conservation lands and 329,000 acres of lands protected under easement by the Fund and its partners.
Sales of significant forest properties in Maine and across the nation are changing the face of resource-based communities. In addition, the potential loss of habitat for wildlife as forests are converted to other uses threatens an array of species.
In 2005 we joined a network of partners to secure a conservation easement on 327,000 acres of working forest. The Downeast Lakes property is an exemplary forest conservation project. The partners secured the second largest forestland conservation easement in U.S. history, designed to sustain a natural resource based, rural economy and the lifestyle of residents in Washington and Penobscot counties.
These forestlands are strategically positioned between more than 600,000 acres of conserved lands in New Brunswick and 200,000 acres of state, federal and Native American lands in Maine. The lands contain 54 lakes with 336 miles of lake shoreline and more than 1,500 miles of river and stream shoreline in the Machias, East Machias, Dennys, Mattawamkeag and St. Croix River watersheds. There are at least eight active bald eagle nests and 33 nesting pairs of loons, representing seven percent of the loons in northern Maine. Together, the lakes and 50,800 acres of wetlands provide habitat for 180 bird species, including 23 warblers, American black ducks and wood ducks, as well as bear, moose, deer, pine marten, beaver, and otter. This tremendous coldwater fishery also supports landlocked salmon and smallmouth bass.
The project brought together an extraordinary group of public and private partners to support the local economy, linked by tradition to the surrounding natural resource base. Project partners included New England Forestry Foundation, State of Maine, The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Downeast Lakes Land Trust, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, and Wal-Mart’s Acres for America program.
The 312,000-acre property will be placed under a forest conservation easement and an access easement that together will maintain sustainable forestry practices and ensure perpetual public access for hunting, fishing, hiking, birding and boating. This bold conservation initiative will result in the permanent protection of more than one million acres of essentially uninterrupted habitat across an international boundary.
The Fund has protected more than 1,100 acres in Connecticut since 1985. On top of that, our Land Trust Loan program is helping local communities save their favorite places from development.
We've teamed with local land trusts through our Land Trust Loan Program to help communities protect their favorite places.
It's called Sheep Farm but don't expect to find any sheep here. This is a story of how we were able to help a local community save valued historic land dating back to the early 1700s. Click here to read this inspiring story.
This is an extraordinary story of a local land trust that led the charge in its community to create a waterfront park.
In 2006, when an iconic waterfront property was placed on the open market, The Norwalk Land Trust (NLT) brought together a group of concerned citizens, the City of Norwalk and others to create and develop a vision for a 16-acre waterfront park on the Hart Peninsula. They wanted to preserve their community’s character as well as one of the last great natural places in the city.
But NLT almost lost their chance: developers were keenly interested in purchasing the land and the land trust didn't have the resources to buy it.
The Fund has completed more than 25 projects that protect nearly 450,000 acres in New York state.
In 2010, our Land Trust Loan Program provided bridge financing to help the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund (NSWF) acquire a 3.4-acre property on Peconic Bay National Estuary in the Hamlet of New Suffolk. The land, which offers a sweeping view of Cutchogue Harbor and Robins Island, will become a place for recreational and cultural activities as well as waterfront access.
Once home to a busy port, a flourishing shellfish industry and site trials for the U.S. Navy’s first submarine, the New Suffolk waterfront has been a vibrant landscape for more than 200 years. When the property was targeted by developers to be converted into residential and heavy commercial use, the community rallied. In 2005, a group of concerned citizens established a 501(c)(3) organization, the NSWF, to purchase the property themselves in order to preserve it for the benefit of the community and future generations. To assist the fledgling organization, the Peconic Land Trust drew from its own revolving fund and other Trust assets to acquire the parcel in December 2007 and give the newly formed NSWF time to raise money for the property’s purchase. Our Land Trust Loan Program contributed the bridge financing that helped make the purchase possible. Read more about the project >>
Close to the headwaters of the Hudson River, dense forests and crystal-clear lakes beckon wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts alike. The river’s cold, clean water has meandered for centuries through this vast wilderness, feeding the lakes and inlets that characterize the Adirondacks. In 2005 we worked with the Bunting Charitable Real Estate Trust to secure donated conservation easements on two Essex County properties near the Hudson’s headwaters. Now more than 6,200 acres of wilderness here are protected.
In one of the largest land conservation projects in New York state history, the Fund and its partners protected 257,000 acres of forestland—conserving sensitive wildlife habitat, protecting water quality and benefiting the Adirondack Region’s economy.
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