Four States, One Goal

Protecting the Montague tract in New York has helped complete a 15,000-acre core of conserved lands owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. This 707-acre property builds connectivity to secure this large, interior forest block for the benefit of wildlife, water quality and the local economy. Further east, near Adirondack Park, the 1,400-acre Fort Ann tract is a piece in the mosaic of conserved forests in the Southern Lake Champlain Valley’s habitat “bridge,” located on the New York-Vermont border. By combining opportunities for sustainable forestry and public recreation, we’re ensuring the Northern Forest’s long-term economic and ecological integrity.

In central Vermont, we’ve acquired 7,800 acres of the Northfield Ridge, critical headwaters for the Connecticut River.  Further south, building on the Windham Region Working Forest Project, TCF added 1,170 acres, joining with other private landowners protecting 8,250 acres of well-managed woodlands that provide critical habitat for many rare and endangered species. Following a strategic plan to protect the most threatened lands first, the initial phases of the project will strengthen connections from Green Mountain National Forest to the Connecticut River Valley in a conserved landscape.

In New Hampshire, The Conservation Fund purchased land within the Beebe River watershed adjacent to more than 700,000 acres of protected land in White Mountain National Forest. The exceptional water quality of Beebe River is encouraging spawning wild brook trout in the river’s tributaries. TCF is working with Trout Unlimited to enhance the aquatic habitat. This ecologically unique mix of boreal and northern hardwood forests hosts black bears and the threatened American martens. In partnership with the Squam Lakes Conservation Society, we will seek funding to place the Beebe River land and adjoining properties under conservation easement. TCF will sustainably manage the property until it can be permanently protected as a working forest.

TCF acquired the largest unprotected parcel around Maine’s Umbagog Lake. This 4,091-acre expanse of wetlands and uplands provides important nesting and brood-rearing habitat for waterfowl and migratory birds. It also expands the buffer along the popular Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Camping, hiking, paddling, fishing, wildlife viewing and snowmobiling are key economic drivers in a region diversifying its resource-based economy with recreational tourism.

Why This Project Matters

The Northern Forest is in transition. During the last 20 years, large industrial ownerships have divested and lands have been subdivided and sold off into increasingly smaller parcels — many for development.

Our Role

We are working to protect these forestlands from further fragmentation and conversion for development. In 2014, The Conservation Fund implemented our Working Forests model to acquire 30,000 acres in multiple parcels in all four states containing portions of the forest. A majority of the lands complement conserved areas. This will provide the time and opportunity for permanent conservation outcomes. Keeping these forests intact, sustainably managed and publicly accessible will provide economic stability for the region’s forest, tourism and nature-based industries. Our goal is to secure funding to purchase these tracts and place them under permanent conservation easements that support continued management and protect their natural resources.