Hooper Pond is also known as Little Sabattus Pond.

GREENE – The Androscoggin Land Trust has acquired a one-year option to buy 120 acres on Hooper Pond. The deal was made possible through a $55,667 grant from the Land for Maine’s Future Program.

The land trust has acquired 187.5 acres on Hooper Pond, also known as Little Sabattus Pond, for permanent protection over the past two years. In addition, Barbara Bubier has donated 13.5 acres of wetlands bordering the pond and Hooper Brook.

The Land for Maine’s Future program seeks to protect areas that have exceptional natural or recreational value.

“Hooper Pond became a conservation priority for the land trust when the Department of Conservation’s Maine Natural Areas Program identified the area to be of statewide ecological significance through their land trust awareness program,” said Michael Auger, lands and stewardship chairman of Androscoggin Land Trust.

Hooper Pond is one of the few remaining ponds in the area with public access, but without homes and camps covering its shores.

Its wetlands and watershed are home to wildlife, breeding birds and unusual plants. Its waters have provided fishing, canoeing, skating and a quiet getaway for generations.

The land trust property at Hooper Pond will be maintained forever for the protection and management of wildlife habitat and traditional, low-impact public access.

The land is most accessible from the town of Greene’s non-motorized boat landing during any season.

The land trust plans a stewardship workday from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday, May 2. Contact Michael Auger at 782-2302 if you are interested in attending.

The Androscoggin Land Trust is a nonprofit land conservation organization that works to protect – through land conservation and stewardship – the traditional landscapes, ecological integrity and outdoor recreational opportunities in the central Androscoggin River Valley region.

Since 1991, ALT has conserved more than 2,000 acres throughout Androscoggin County and in nearby towns such as Jay, Canton and West Bowdoin. For more information or to become a member, please contact the ALT office at (207) 782-2302.