Land for Maine’s Future marks 30th year, Moosehead Lake area is the beneficiary
Established by Maine voters in 1987, the Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. This successful program awards money from voter-approved bonds to worthy projects that have been ranked and vetted in a rigorous public process.
Over the course of three decades, LMF funds have helped conserve more than 150 special places totaling more than 600,000 acres. This successful program conserves the state’s natural resources, helping make Maine, including the Moosehead Lake region, a more desirable place to live, while supporting important industries like tourism and forest products.
One of the first LMF projects was the state acquisition of 800 acres on Mt. Kineo in 1990, which is an iconic Moosehead Lake feature. The Forest Society of Maine was pleased to receive support from LMF on several projects in the Moosehead Lake region, including the West Branch of the Penobscot project, and most recently the Gulf Hagas-Whitecap project, which conserved thousands of acres of land east of Moosehead Lake.
In fact, the Gulf Hagas-Whitecap project is an example of how the LMF program helps guarantee public access to the outdoors. This area is visited by thousands of residents and visitors each year and it is important to many who live and work in the area as a readily-accessible, treasured outdoor destination. Completing this project has ensured public access across a large portion of the KI Road and pedestrian access to more than 8,000 acres of forestland and miles of the Pleasant River for camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, and other traditional activities, forever.
The LMF program has been a crucial tool to keep lands as working forestland, farmland, and waterfront. The Gulf Hagas-Whitecap project illustrates that conserved managed forestland can continue as a working forest while also benefiting outdoor recreation businesses that can rely on these conserved lands forever.
The LMF program has broad public support and was established under a Republican administration and received renewed funding proposals from the independent and Democratic governors who followed. A program unique to Maine, LMF bond questions have always enjoyed bipartisan support in the legislature. Maine people have also strongly endorsed the program at the ballot box — passing bond measures to fund the program in 1987, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2012. Most importantly, the program encourages local involvement, and the Forest Society of Maine is gratified that many Greenville area businesses, outdoor organizations, and leaders wrote letters of support for the Gulf Hagas-Whitecap project.
This milestone year is a time to recognize the projects that the LMF program has brought to the Moosehead Lake region. However, there are still areas where LMF investments would be helpful, as the Forest Society of Maine frequently hears from landowners who wish to explore conservation opportunities and could benefit from the LMF program. We believe LMF is well-positioned to begin a new chapter of assisting land conservation in the years ahead.
In the meantime, there has never been a better time to get out and enjoy the incredible work that LMF has already helped accomplish. Take a moment this summer, with friends and family, to experience places like Mt. Kineo and the Gulf Hagas-Whitecap lands, and other memorable areas for yourself. To learn about the more than 150 properties protected by Land for Maine’s Future over the past 30 years for the people of Maine, visit www.landformainesfuture.org.