Allagash Waterway now complete
BATH — The Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF) announced that after several years of effort and 49 years into its history, the final piece of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway has been acquired and is now in the hands of the state of Maine for its permanent protection and management.
The 40-acre Lock Dam Lot connecting Chamberlain and Eagle Lakes in northern Piscataquis County was privately purchased in September and donated directly to the state. Most all of the waterway’s protected area was acquired in 1966 with bond monies approved by the people of Maine and with help from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. Now acquisition of the last out-holding brings into state ownership the entire Waterway, stretching from Telos Dam in Penobscot County to West Twin Brook in Aroostook, a distance of some 92 miles.
“The Lock Dam Lot is historically significant to the Allagash River and Maine’s cultural history, especially that of northern Maine,” said Bob McIntosh, president of the AWWF. “The dam and lock system comprised one of several infrastructure elements that reversed the flow of Churchill Lake southward into the Telos Cut and East Branch of the Penobscot River. Logs that once floated down the Allagash to Fort Kent and the mills of the Saint John Valley would henceforth flow southward to mills along the Penobscot from Medway to Old Town and Bangor.”
“Over the last 50-years many people and organizations have collaborated in a shared vision for the Waterway,” McIntosh said. “Everyone’s hard work and goodwill have assured that the waterway, will forever retain its wilderness character and mystique. Thousands of visitors from around the world visit the waterway each year; and we are pleased, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the waterway in 2016, to protect this last out-holding.”
The AWWF is a recently-established nonprofit organization dedicated to the waterway in ways that will enhance the state’s stewardship of its natural and cultural resources, engage youth in challenging opportunities that foster leadership development, and assist with land protection efforts whenever the opportunity presents itself.
The Lock Dam Preservation Association LLC held an option on the Lock Dam Lot for several years. Working with the association, and with the assistance of the Butler Conservation Fund, the AWWF acquired the property from Katahdin Timberlands LLC and donated it directly to the state.
Howard Lake, Esq. of Winthrop negotiated the sale on behalf of the several parties involved. Marcia McKeague, president of Katahdin Timberlands LLC represented the owners of Lock Dam Lot; Frederick Denico represented the Lock Dam Improvement Association; and Commissioner Walt Whitcomb acted on behalf of the state in bringing this historic agreement to fruition.