BETHEL – Public input is being sought on land conservation needs in western Maine.
That public meeting will be held by the Land for Maine’s Future Program Board from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Telstar Regional High School.
“We welcome public input and suggestions on how land conservation fits into that area,” said LMF Staff Director Tim Glidden. “In Bethel, there is a lot of interest in farmland along the Androscoggin River.
Glidden said LMF is seeking opportunities for Maine’s land conservation efforts to secure public recreational access “that is so important to the regional economy.”
“Some areas with the mountain counties are under significant development pressure while at the same time, the area as a whole faces difficult economic conditions,” he added.
The meeting is aimed at protecting western Maine’s natural resources.
“Western Maine’s natural resources have always been the bedrock of the region’s heritage. In changing times, we need to protect the key assets that anchor that heritage while seeking new opportunities to build for the economic well-being of this region’s citizens,” Glidden said.
The meeting is jointly sponsored by the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce, Mahoosuc Land Trust, Mountain Counties Heritage, and the Land for Maine’s Future Board.
“To date, the Land for Maine’s Future Program has protected over 130,000 acres of Maine’s best natural areas,” he added.
Most recently, LMF supported the purchase of large recreational properties in the Mount Blue-Tumbledown area. An LMF-Maine Department of Conservation deal is also pending to purchase the popular Frenchman’s Hole swimming spot in Riley Township and abutting forest land.
Other projects include:
• The Jay-Farmington Railtrail Project that protected a 15-mile popular trail used by snowmobilers, Nordic skiers and bicyclists.
• The Bear River Rips canoe launch site on the Androscoggin River in Hanover.
• The pending Five Fields Farm Project south of Bridgton, which will protect a popular and well-established apple orchard as part of LMF’s farmland protection effort.
For more information, contact Glidden at 287-1487, or Robin Zinchuk, executive director of the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce at 824-2282, or Marcel Polak, Mahoosuc Land Trust director, at 665-2577, or Bruce Hazard of Mountain Counties Heritage at 778-3885.
tkarkos@sunjournal.com
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