In the Rangeley Lakes region of western Maine, an ambitious effort is underway to conserve tens of thousands of acres in historic Wabanaki territory.
For centuries, these have been prized hunting and fishing grounds, home to bear, lynx, deer and moose and one of the last strongholds of native brook trout in the country.
But with a recent construction boom, forest fragmentation and rising temperatures, woods and wildlife are under threat. The Magalloway Conservation Initiative aims to safeguard both while also protecting public access to the region.
In mid-October, angler and fishing guide Alex Caisse navigates his pickup truck along logging roads in the woods of remote western Maine, not far from the northern New Hampshire border. He's showing off highlights of the Magalloway project, nearly 80,000 acres of woods and waters that four organizations — The Nature Conservancy, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, the Forest Society of Maine and Northeast Wilderness Trust — are working together to conserve.
"The area really speaks for itself," Caisse says, setting off toward Aziscohos Lake. "It's something that's uniquely special in the way that it looks and the way that it feels"
It's moose hunting season. The leaves have turned orange and gold but Caisse still has fishing on his mind. For two decades he worked in the restaurant business and then, about 13 years ago, he became a fishing guide. He moved to Rangeley in part, he says, because of the cold, swift-moving waters of the Magalloway River. That's how much he loves this place and why he's passionate about keeping it intact.
Getting out of the truck, he takes a short walk through some dense woods to the edge of the upper Magalloway. It's quiet and remote, one of Caisse's favorite spots.
"When you come here, you lose sight of all the other things that are going on in the world and you focus more on the moment," Caisse says. "You don't focus on tomorrow. You don't focus on yesterday. And so oftentimes, I think it is like church out here because it's just so peaceful."
The groups have until the end of May to raise $62 million for a conservation easement. Right now, they're a little over halfway to the goal. But if they're successful, they'll have secured the final parcel on a remote and wild landscape of more than half a million connected acres that have previously been conserved.
The project includes woodlands, 170 miles of rivers and streams and more than 2,400 acres of lakes and wetlands.
As part of the Appalachian Mountain range, this region is a global conservation priority for the Nature Conservancy because of its biodiversity and resilience in the face of a warming climate.
"What we're trying to do is to keep Maine's forests, forest," says Abby King of the Nature Conservancy Maine. "This place is hugely important for the forest economy in Maine. And if we lose out on our forests, we lose our livelihoods and our culture as well as a place for plants and animals to live."
Bayroot LLC, an investment company controlled by Yale University, owns the land, which is managed for timber. Under the terms of the easement, more than 60,000 acres would continue to be harvested, but Jake Metzler of the Forest Society of Maine says it will be done sustainably. As the holder of the easement, he says his group will ensure that the amount of wood that's cut does not exceed what's growing. Plans also call for 100-foot-wide forest buffers around lakes, rivers and streams to benefit cold water fish.
"Keeping forest cover around the watershed and directly over the streams keeps the water temperature cooler and allows that cold water to persist which is necessary for the brook trout," Metzler says.
The deal to conserve the Magalloway also sets aside just over 11,000 acres that won't be cut or managed. Instead, Jon Leibowitz of Northeast Wilderness Trust says his group will own it and keep it "forever wild" as an ecological reserve.
"It's really important for wildlife. It's really important for ecological processes to continue," he says.
The wilderness parcel is adjacent to another wilderness preserve just across the New Hampshire border. Combined, Leibowitz says they total 25,000 acres, which is the amount of land that scientists have said can withstand natural disturbances like pest infestations and wind events.
Protecting large landscapes like this one is crucial, Leibowitz says. It doesn't happen very often in New England.
"Will this kind of thing be available in the future? I don't know," he says. "But we have an opportunity to do it now ... and it's just a really special opportunity. It's once in a generation."
Rangeley is best known as a fly-fishing destination, but it's also popular for hunting, bird watching and snowmobiling. Molly Shaw of Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust says public access for those activities will continue after the land is conserved.
"We're fortunate to have access in all parts of the state of Maine. But I think maybe what people don't realize is access is under threat," she says. "You know, a private landowner could come in and shut down what's currently available."
And that's why angler and guide Alex Caisse is so committed to sealing the Magalloway deal. He says it's got something beneficial for everyone.
"We need to get a lot of people out here. It would do them a world of good. Nobody wants to talk politics when you're out here ... because when you look at all this and what nature is giving us ... I just feel appreciative," Caisse says.
