Examples of Wildlands in New England

Canaan Mountain Wilderness Natural Area Preserve is a rugged, high-elevation section of Housatonic State Forest in the Northwest Highlands. Protected in 1972, and expanded in 1997, this 2,260-acre preserve is in the state’s Natural Area Preserve System and is one of only two Wildlands protected by state statute. It is part of the largest roadless area in Connecticut, and its remote location, cool temperatures, and northern forest composition make it ideal habitat for human and climate-sensitive species like moose. Photo copyright Edward Faison.

Protected in 1932 by Senator George McLean, the preserve lies in north-central Connecticut, a half-hour drive from the state capital of Hartford. With over 20 miles of trails, McLean provides accessible passive recreation for many residents, along with remarkable core forest habitat in a diversity of sandplain and upland habitats. Photo copyright by McLean Game Refuge.

The diversity of public and private entities advancing Wildland conservation is exemplified by this northern landscape, embracing Baxter State Park (State of Maine), Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (National Park Service), Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness Area (The Nature Conservancy), and Nahmakanta Ecological Reserve (State of Maine). Southward it extends along the Appalachian Trail to the Roach Ponds, Katahdin Iron Works, Baker Mountain and Silver Lakes Reserves owned by the Maine Woods Initiative LLC of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Photo copyright by David R. Foster.

Alder Stream Wilderness Preserve, a 7,292-acre property owned by Northeast Wilderness Trust, is protected with a forever-wild conservation easement held by Forest Society of Maine. The Preserve lies within one of the largest, most varied and intact freshwater wetland systems in Maine, supporting nearly 400 species of plants and at least 199 animal species and uncounted species of invertebrates. The Preserve abuts a 6,500-acre private tract, protected with a forever-wild easement by Sweet Water Trust and transferred to Northeast Wilderness Trust in 2021. Photo copyright Jerry Monkman / Ecophotgraphy.

Monhegan Associates Inc. was founded in 1954 “to preserve for posterity the natural wild beauty, biotic communities, and desirable natural, artificial, and historic features of the so-called ‘wild-lands’ portion of Monhegan Island, Maine.” The Wildlands comprise about 375 acres, slightly more than half of the island and the approach to land management is strictly minimalist, though challenges include a post-agricultural history of invasive plants and the impacts of tourists to this popular destination for art, history, and scenic beauty. Photo copyright David R. Foster.

Whetstone Wood Wildlife Sanctuary, the product of the vision and Wildland conservation effort of Mason and Ina Phelps, is a nearly 3,000-acre area in north-central Massachusetts protected by Mass Audubon. The Sanctuary connects with Wildlands on adjoining Wendell and Orange State Forests to form a nearly 11,000-acre block of forever wild landscape. Photo copyright Mass Audubon.

Mount Greylock State Reservation was the first public land designated for forest preservation in 1898 and the largest Wildland in Massachusetts at 10,342 acres. Incorporating the state’s tallest mountain, the reservation also supports an 11-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Like other state reserves, Greylock is the focus for calls for permanent protection through state legislative designation. Photo copyright John Burk.

Muddy Pond Wilderness Preserve lies in the suburbs of Kingston in southeastern Massachusetts about half an hour from Boston, New Bedford, and Cape Cod. Northeast Wilderness Trust is rewilding the landscape of Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens dotted with over two dozen vernal pools while connecting local students, residents, and visitors with wild nature and Wildland conservation. Photo copyright Natalia Boltukhova.

Pemigewasset Wilderness—White Mountain National Forest. Totaling approximately 45,000 acres that make it the largest of six federal wilderness areas on the WMNF, the “Pemi” was designated by the U.S. Congress in the 1984 New Hampshire Wilderness Act. Although intensely logged and burned from the 1880s into the 1940s, the area’s forests are recovering and rewilding remarkably across the topographically and ecologically diverse terrain that is accessible by a series of Wilderness trails. Photo copyright by Ken Gallagher.

Pisgah State Park. Situated in part of southwestern New Hampshire known to Henry Thoreau as a region of immense pines and scattered old forests, this rugged region attracted Wildland preservation in the 1920s. Since the 1970s, as the park grew to nearly 14,000 acres managed by the Department of Resources and Economic Development, pressure mounted for timber harvesting and ATV and snowmobile use. An ongoing dispute has ensued over the expansion of the core Wildland, which currently stands at approximately 4,594 acres. Photograph copyright David R. Foster.

Vickie Bunnell Preserve comprises nearly 11,000 acres in northern New Hampshire, owned by The Nature Conservancy, and secured by a Forest Legacy easement held by the State of New Hampshire and a “forever wild” easement held by Northeast Wilderness Trust. With adjoining Nash Stream State Forest, the area comprises a 40,000-acre block of unfragmented forest, including thirteen mountain peaks above 3,000 feet and habitat for less-common species like pine marten and Bicknell’s thrush. Photograph copyright Zack Porter.

Oakland Forest includes a regionally ecologically unique old-growth American beech forest, with trees estimated to be between 200 and 300 years old based on tree coring done in 2000. In addition to beech, the forest includes old-growth tree forms of other species including white oak and red maple. The property was once part of a “gentleman’s farm” owned by the Vanderbilt family in the 1800s and 1900s. There is a row of 100+ year old rhododendrons running through the forest part of the old estate. Photo copyright Aquidneck Land Trust.

Lye Brook Wilderness is one of eight wilderness areas in the Green Mountain National Forest and comprises over 18,000 acres of forests, streams, and wetlands, mostly above 2,500 feet in elevation. It provides habitat for a diverse array of wildlife species, including those with large home ranges and solitary habitat needs. Many hiking trails, including the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail, enable access and enjoyment of this land. Photo copyright Scott Wixsom.

Peacham Bog Natural Area in Groton State Forest protects one of Vermont’s largest peatlands within a multiuse area in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. A boardwalk and interpretive sign offer easy access to visitors and researchers who can safely enjoy and study the bog without causing damage. The peatland, underlain by several feet of partially decomposed organic matter, has been the subject of ecological research and has provided a living classroom for countless students of ecology. Photo copyright Elizabeth H. Thompson.

Woodbury Mountain Wilderness Preserve, owned by Northeast Wilderness Trust, is one of Vermont’s newest Wildlands and the largest nongovernmental wilderness in Vermont at over 6,000 acres. It lies in a critical wildlife linkage and provides safe movement for bears, fishers, bobcat, and moose. A mere half-hour drive from the state capital of Montpelier, it provides opportunities for hiking, nature study, and hunting. Photo copyright Elizabeth H. Thompson.