Five thousand acres of Maine forestland has been preserved under a new easement to protect important freshwater resources.
The parcel on Eagle Lake in northern Hancock County is rare in that it contains the headwaters of three rivers, said Forest Society of Maine president Karin Tilberg.
The Passadumkeag, Union, and Narraguagus rivers all originate on the land, and protecting their source has positive impacts all along their course to the sea, Tilberg said. It's an example of how conservation groups are increasingly looking at how to protect whole ecosystems, she added.
"Keeping these ecosystems intact is very important for Maine, very important for fish and wildlife, for water quality and for climate control," Tilberg said.
The conservation also boosts the state's plan to combat climate change. Maine has a goal of preserving 30% of acreage in the state by 2030. A draft recommendation from the state's climate council noted it would need to increase the rate of annual conservation fivefold to meet that goal.
Preserving Maine forests also helps trap greenhouse gas released by burning fossil fuels, Tilberg said. And conservation is becoming more pressing as development encroaches from the coast, she added.
"I will just emphasize that Maine's Forest sequester and store almost 70% of Maine's greenhouse gas emissions every year," Tilberg said. "Holding on to a large intact forest parcel like this, keeping it from being developed and divided and roaded and paved is a climate solution as well, and increasingly important part of of our state strategy to respond to climate change."
The land, owned by the Dysart family, will remain open for fishing, hunting and recreation. The family, who will stay owners of the land intend to keep sustainably managing the land for wood products.
