County commissioners pledge support for Big Moose Mountain purchase campaign

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscataquis County Commissioners have pledged their support for a local nonprofit to purchase the 1,700-acre Big Moose Mountain property. 

The goal of the Friends of the Mountain’s “Ski the View, Save the Mountain” campaign is to provide a permanent nonprofit ski area for the Moosehead Lake region and a year-round outdoor recreational asset that will revitalize the area’s economy. The campaign would enable the purchase of the ski resort and an adjacent 500 acres for projects that help sustain the area.

A motion to this effect was passed during a commissioners meeting on Tuesday, March 4, and County Manager Michael Williams will write a letter of support.

The property is owned by James Confalone with the 1,700 acres listed with Folsom Realty Group for $5.95 million.

“Ski the View, Save the Mountain” launched in mid-January as a partnership between the Friends of the Mountain and Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corporation. Phase I is a $5.95 million goal and Phase II seeks more than $13 million in additional funds through 2030 for more improvements to the site in a $19.65 million project.

The mountain rises to 3,150 feet and has 27 trails, with one chairlift, along with a full-service ski and rental shop and snack bar and grill in the lodge.

The $13.75 million would open the upper mountain; provide for new ski lifts, snowmaking equipment, and infrastructure upgrades; renovate the upper mountain lodge; develop housing options; and secure private development for hotel renovation.

Friends of the Mountain ownership would likely open the property to tubing and sledding and snowmobile events as well as mountain biking and other non-winter recreational activities. Offerings would be kept affordable, per the organization mission. Ticket prices are $40 for adults and $35 for children. 

“We have already received written pledges of over $1 million towards the purchase of this property and that is in just six, seven short weeks of going public,” said Amy Lane, executive director of Friends of the Mountain.  This will enable the acquisition of the property and to conduct surveys, environmental assessments and infrastructure planning.

Lane said the group hopes to soon enter into negotiations with Confalone. 

“We want to have some confidence the community is 100 percent behind us before we enter this written agreement and fully agree this is 100 percent the way to go,” the executive director said.

The ownership change could lead to more grant opportunities for improvements, Lane said.

Since 2012, $1.5 million has been raised for infrastructure through donations and volunteer efforts, including nearly $240,000 for lift upgrades, more than $150,000 for snowmaking repairs and upgrades, $65,000 to fix and expand the parking area, and nearly $57,000 to clear the upper mountain.

“We hope to protect it,” she said “As I said, it is a gem in our county and we want to keep it that way.”

“For those of you who have never been, we are closer than you think,” she said. “We are only five miles from downtown Greenville in the unorganized territory called Big Moose Township. We are up to 3,150 feet and the views up there are really unlike anything you have ever seen, they are really spectacular.”

“We think that this is the single most important project that can be done right now, to have a direct economic impact on our region,” said Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corporation President Margarita Contreni, who is a board member of Friends of the Mountain.

Fifty to 60 jobs would be created at the mountain through the campaign, including 10 full-time, year-round positions; 20,000 additional visitors would be attracted, for a total of 30,000 annual skiers; and businesses would be able to hire seasonal ski employees for summer/fall employment to help address the region’s labor shortage. 

“This is an important thing, back in the heyday 100 to 150 people were employed up there,” Commissioner Wayne Erkkinen of nearby Harford’s Point said. “This is one of the biggest projects we have lined up in the county at this point.”

There are currently 20 employees with about $175,000 paid out last year, Lane said.

“We are open four days a week right now,” she said. Additional time would require overtime wages or a second shift.

Commissioner Paul Davis asked if cash flow is meeting expenses.

Lane said yes, saying volunteers and sponsorship programs are key. She said running Big Moose Mountain as a business would most likely not be profitable.

“Our mission is to keep it affordable and we have been able to do that and still have enough left over to keep the lifts going and make some improvements,” the executive director said.

“We think that this is the single most important project that can be done right now, to have a direct economic impact on our region,” Contreni said.

Erkkinen’s motion for a letter “showing we are 100 percent behind the project” passed.

In other business, the county agreed to work with the Atlantic Salmon Federation, The Nature Conservancy, and Appalachian Mountain Club on a pair of Katahdin Iron Works Road culvert replacements after meeting with Jeff Reardon, habitat restoration project manager at the Atlantic Salmon Federation.

The most the county needs to contribute is his time to attend project meetings and work on related matters, Williams said.

Culvert replacements have been on-going as the AMC and Atlantic Salmon Federation have formed a partnership to restore salmon and brook trout habitat in Piscataquis County, Reardon said.. The groups are specifically targeting restoring the watershed of the West Branch of the Pleasant River.

The groups want to reconnect Atlantic salmon to their traditional freshwater areas by conserving habitat, removing barriers such as dams, and managing forests. The AMC has already conserved 114,000 acres of habitat in the Moosehead Lake region and reopened 128 miles of streams since 2003 by installing 132 fish passages.

Two culverts in need of replacement remain on the Route 11 side of the Katahdin Iron Works Road, Reardon said. The two are on a county-owned road outside the Katahdin Iron Works gate.

“These are both undersized, these are both fish barriers, and they are both getting to the point where there is significant structural deterioration,” Reardon said.

A contractor is in place and the awarded $1.1 million bid agreement still needs to be signed, with permitting in place for one site and being worked on for the second culvert location. The county needs to sign on for a $200,000 grant from the Maine Department of Transportation as well as for an Army Corps of Engineers permit, Reardon said.

The timeline would have site work start on July 1, with the contractor getting into the water by mid-July and be done the first week of August if all goes according to plan. 

“There’s about a 4-week road closure that’s necessary to do both of these sites,” Reardon said. “I know what it means to close that road in the summertime, and of course there will be access from the Greenville side.”

He said he would work with emergency services on providing access during construction and with property owners.

The Atlantic Salmon Federation, among other groups, has worked for decades to restore the fish species’ natural habitat in Maine and New Brunswick. This is the organization’s latest project to further that effort.

The AMC and Atlantic Salmon Federation plan includes conserving the watershed through AMC’s ownership, removing all barriers to fish passage by 2030, improving forest management practices to safeguard water quality, and adding large wood to reverse the impacts of river driving of logs.

AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative property conserves the 100-Mile Wilderness region where sea-run Atlantic salmon and the Appalachian Trail meet. With more than 10 miles of headwater area reopened by the end of 2024, AMC will be more than halfway to its goal of removing all culverts and opening all stream miles by 2030.

The West Branch of Pleasant River is a crucial habitat for eastern brook trout and Atlantic salmon.

Funding for the projects has come through federal partnerships with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in addition to private donations.

The Bangor Daily News’ Julie Harris contributed to this story.