Preserve grows to over 6,800 acres

    The Alder Stream Preserve in Piscataquis and Penobscot Counties has increased by 2,300 acres as a result of the conservation work of the Northeast Wilderness Trust. In accordance with the mission of the Wilderness Trust, this land will be protected as forever wild, ensuring that it will provide habitat for wildlife and recreational opportunities for people for the long term.

    Protection of this key parcel significantly advances the ecological recovery of the area and brings the total acreage of the Alder Stream Preserve to 6,803 acres. The Alder Stream addition contains extensive wetlands that provide exceptional habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, as well as approximately 15 miles of frontage along Levensellor Brook and Dead Stream, critical habitat for imperiled Atlantic salmon. In a survey of the property, 41 bird species were recorded; one highlight was a singing clay-colored sparrow—a species that has been confirmed breeding only once in Maine.
    According to Northeast Wilderness Trust Executive Director Daryl Burtnett, “The protection of this land as forever wild ensures the forest that has been cut will recover, and the woods and wetlands will stay intact for future generations of wildlife and people. We can rest assured this wild place is protected from the threats of habitat fragmentation and loss of public access.”
    Northeast Wilderness Trust purchased the 2,293 acres from forest products and real estate company H.C. Haynes, Inc. in late January. The project was made possible by a federal grant of $1 million through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) as well as funding from the Steven C. Leuthold Family Foundation. Additional support was provided by Sweet Water Trust.
    Northeast Wilderness Trust has worked in this region since 2006, when it conserved 1,500 acres in the heart of the Alder Stream watershed. The area has become a priority for the trust’s efforts because of its biological richness, recreational opportunities, and wilderness character. In addition to being home to a great diversity of plants, birds, fish, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, the Alder Stream watershed is characterized by cedar swamps and bogs, conifer and northern hardwood forest, and a remote, wild character. The Alder Stream Preserve also contains what is though to be the largest grove of wild, reproducing American chestnuts in existence, anywhere.
    On a landscape scale, the Alder Stream addition plays a crucial linkage role and prevents the fragmentation of the surrounding protected landscape. The addition connects the Alder Stream Preserve to the adjacent 6,500 acre Bud Leavitt Wildlife Management Area and fills in the largest unprotected gap in the approximately 22,000-acre Piscataquis River-Alder Stream project area. This complex of conservation lands being assembled by various conservation groups includes areas devoted to wilderness, sustainable forestry, and organic farming. Additional phases of conservation are envisioned in the future, including protection of key inholdings, adjoining parcels, and various ecological hotspots providing habitat for rare and sensitive species.