Topic: Wildlands

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.

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.

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.

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.