A new deer wintering area in Somerset County is among nine new Land for Maine’s Future projects announced Friday by Gov. Janet Mills.
The Lexington Deer Wintering Area, which includes 1,452 acres in Lexington Township, will be acquired by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to continue its efforts to restore white-tailed deer habitat in northern, western and eastern Maine.
The parcel includes excellent deer wintering habitat, freshwater wetlands, wading bird and waterfowl habitat and miles of freshwater streams.
“The Land For Maine’s Future program continues to preserve, protect and enhance many of Maine’s most valuable and pristine natural areas, ensuring Mainers and visitors alike will always be able to enjoy the way life should be,” said Judy Camuso, Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
There are two eastern Maine projects among the nine new ones announced. One is an expansion at Branch Lake in Ellsworth, which includes a 279-acre acquisition by the city of Ellsworth that will help protect the public drinking water supply by growing and connecting greenspace in the city forest.
In Montville, the Midcoast Conservancy will acquire Haystack Mountain from the Friends of Haystack Mountain. That property is characterized by blueberry fields, walking trails, snowmobile trails and panoramic views from the mountain’s 840-foot summit.
The Legislature in 2022 approved $40 million to fund projects under the Land for Maine’s Future program. The LMF Board has now approved 46 new projects, totaling $5.19 million, which are expected to create access to another $6.7 million in private and federal funds.
The other Land for Maine’s Future projects include:
A 155-acre parcel to be acquired by the Town of Wells that will provide for access to a new section of the Eastern Trail and help preserve habitat for the New England cottontail rabbit.
A project in Rumford Community Forest in which Inland Woods and Trails will acquire 446 acres from the Trust for Public Land to establish accessible trails between downtown Rumford and Black Mountain.
A 2,666-acre property at High Peaks Orbeton Keystones in Franklin County that will be acquired by the Bureau of Public Lands. It will improve access to existing BPL lands next to the Appalachian Trail that include snowmobile and hiking trails.
A 32-acre property to be acquired by the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust that includes upland and intertidal areas within Maquoit Bay and Middle Bay Focus Area of Statewide Ecological Significance, including shoreline and a Wetland of Special Significance.
