MADRID – The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust recently announced the acquisition of land on Mount Abraham and Saddleback Mountain.

A relatively new land trust organization based in southern Maine, the group was founded in 2002 to “preserve and protect land surrounding the Appalachian Trail in Maine for public benefit,” according to their Website. In their statement of purpose, the trust quotes Benton MacKaye, who first proposed the idea for an Appalachian footpath. He wrote, “a realm and not merely a trail marks the full aim of our efforts.”

The trail has a narrow corridor in Maine, said the trust’s president, Tom Lewis. On average, it is only about 1,000 feet wide, he said.

The land comprises 1,159 acres on the summit and ridgeline of Mount Abraham and 1,183 acres on the southeast slopes of Saddleback Mountain.

“These mountains are two of the last remaining high-elevation Maine mountains not largely protected through public or conservation ownership,” according to a news release.

Through grants and the approval of a loan, the group raised more than $665,000. The break down of agency and organizational contributions to these purchases reported by Lewis is as follows:

• $157,667 grant from Land for Maine’s Future.

• $163,000 grant from Maine Bureau of Parks and Land.

• $150,000 grant from the Northern Forest Protection Fund of the Open Space Institute.

• $195,000 loan from the Norcross Wildlife Foundation.

The group hopes to raise $450,000 to pay back the loan, putting the remainder in an endowment to help with maintenance and stewardship activities in perpetuity, said Lewis.

The land on Mount Abraham is owned by the state but the trust has a conservation easement on it that needs to be monitored. Also, the land adjacent to the trail on Saddleback is owned by the trust and needs to be monitored and maintained. Currently, the trust has one part-time employee who works out of her home but Lewis expects that position to become full-time in the future.

This land is touted to be home to several rare plant and animal species. According to the trust, the endangered dwarf white birch and golden eagle are among them. Also listed as threatened or of concern are seven other plants, two mammals and two birds, Bicknell’s thrush and peregrine falcon, among them.

“We knew these lands were ecological gems and that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire them for public benefit,” stated Lewis in a news release.