The Vermont-based Northeast Wilderness Trust, in partnership with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Monday announced the creation of the 2036-acre Bold Coast Wilderness Preserve in Downeast Maine.
The parcel, which includes parts of Trescott, Whiting and Cutler, is adjacent to the state-owned Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land. It was heavily logged for decades and Northeast Wilderness Trust President and CEO Jon Leibowitz says the goal is "rewilding" of the preserve. That's a "hands off" management strategy associated with ecological complexity and carbon retention. Over time, Leibowitz says it will become a refuge to support wildlife such as brook trout, bear and moose.
Public access for recreation including hunting and fishing will continue on the land.
Maine Coast Heritage Trust President and CEO Kate Stookey says the forever-wild preserve complements recent efforts to improve trail and water access for local fishers and harvesters.
"There are few opportunities left to conserve large areas of land with such outstanding ecological value so close to the coast," she says.
The project's location next to the Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land means that more than14-thousand contiguous acres of wildlife habitat have been safeguarded from development.
