RANGELEY, Maine — Conservation leaders from Maine and around the country came to Rangeley Thursday to celebrate a major move for public access and forest protection.
13,640 acres in the region—from the top of Quill Hill to Perham Stream—are now designated for conservation.
Much of the land will be set aside as a permanent ecological reserve, but the public will have access to every acre. Hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and ATVing are all allowed.
And Kate Dempsey, from The Nature Conservancy, said this helps Maine protect the planet.
"This is a tool to make sure our forests stay in forests," she said. "Forests are so essential to our fighting climate change and, in Maine, they’re particularly essential."
It’s the largest swath of land conserved during the Mills administration. The governor met with NEWS CENTER Maine after speaking to the gathered crowd.
"You can see into Canada and New Hampshire, and into northern Maine. Some days you can see Katahdin from Quill Hill," she remarked.
Andy Cutko, director of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands called the project a huge accomplishment for his department.
U.S. Forest Service Regional Field Representative Bob Lueckel spoke warmly about the land and the achievement of protecting it long-term.
"This property is amazing; absolutely amazing," he beamed. Lueckel added that this particular project put the department over 3,000,000 acres protected nationwide.