Breakneck Ridge Farm earns IF&W Landowner Appreciation award

Contributed photo
    LANDOWNER APPRECIATION AWARD — Steve Hobart of Breakneck Ridge Farm in Blanchard is shown holding the award plaque he received upon acceptance of the 2014 Wildlife Landowner Relations Award. Pictured, from left, are IF&W Outdoor Partners Landowner Relations Program Specialist Rick LaFlamme, PCSWCD Executive Director Joanna Tarrazi, Hobart and IF&W Commissioner Chandler Woodcock.   

AUGUSTA — Corporate and private landowners from across Maine were recently honored by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) and the Maine Snowmobile Association during the annual Landowner/Land User Recognition banquet and ceremony. These landowners are exceptional partners to IF&W and user groups, and support the Maine tradition of recreating on their private property.
    Stephen and Diana Hobart of Breakneck Ridge Farm in Blanchard were honored in the “100 acres or more” category.
    The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) Board of Supervisors nominated the Hobarts, noting that they have done a wonderful job of deer management and also forestry management for wildlife. They have opened their land to others, by permission, for hunting, outdoor recreation and education.

    Additionally, the supervisors noted that IF&W and the Maine Snowmobile Association offer these awards to recognize outstanding landowners, because encouraging relationships between landowners and user groups helps all of us achieve our missions of fostering outdoor recreation and education. This is very much in the spirit and ethos of the conservation district.
    Presenting the 2014 Wildlife Landowner Relations Awards at the Augusta Civic Center were IF&W Commissioner Chandler Woodcock and Outdoor Partners Landowner Relations Program Specialist Rick LaFlamme.
    Also among those present to offer their congratulations to the landowners was Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner Walt Whitcomb, who noted, “We really feel a kinship with the land that we share with constituents like you … I would like to take this opportunity to extend a sincere thank you to these landowners that make their land available to the public.”
    PCSWCD Board Chair Gordon Moore said that he “wholeheartedly endorsed the nomination of Diana and Steve Hobart. Over the length of their stewardship, the Hobart family has conducted outstanding silvicultural practices on their property which has proven beneficial in maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat. The Hobarts are keenly aware of the unique position of their property with respect to wild salmon breeding waters and at the interface of the agricultural and woodland areas of the state of Maine. In addition, the Hobart family has always welcomed the public onto the property for many forms of recreation. I believe that the Hobarts are an excellent nominee for this award.”
    Breakneck Ridge Farm is located on 950 acres in Blanchard Township where they have produced maple syrup for sale since 1987.
    They maintained a herd of fallow deer until 2006, when they instead started raising American buffalo. Their herd of over 60 buffalo is rotationally grazed on 45 acres of land.
    In addition, they provide educational tours of their land by request. They have hosted numerous school groups, the Moosehead Lake region’s Natural Resources Environmental Education Center and also the PCSWCD’s Conservation Summer Camp on several occasions.
    Because of their exemplary forestry practices, the Hobarts were also chosen as Maine’s Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year in 1995. The outstanding conservation practices that they have implemented in cooperation with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have resulted in the Hobarts being recognized as the PCSWCD’s Cooperators of the Year in 1990 and 2007. The conservation practices that they have implemented include forestry and agriculture management practices, as well as soil erosion control practices on their access roads, both to keep these roads functional and to protect water quality.
     “In the eight years I have worked with the Hobarts, I have seen what outstanding land managers and conservationists they are,” David Power, USDA-NRCS’s Piscataquis County District Conservationist said. “Steve and Diana take great pride in their land and welcome the public with the opportunity to visit the farm and learn about their forest and farming operation. The Hobarts are true stewards of the land, who care deeply about the land and its future, and are among the most deserving landowners of this award that I know.”
    Additional private landowner award recipients included John Willard Jr. of Rockwood, owner of The Birches.