By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

The final piece of the Baxter State Park puzzle is about to fall into place: Katahdin Lake and 6,016 acres that surround it are on the cusp of being annexed into the wilderness park.

Katahdin Lake – a remote haven for native brook trout and waterfowl ranging from loons to wood ducks – was significant in the vision of the late Gov. Percival Baxter for the lands that he gifted to the people of Maine.

The lake offers a long and spectacular view of Mount Katahdin. Its famous visitors included conservationist and President Theodore Roosevelt, conservationist and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas and Lewiston-born artist Marsden Hartley, who painted a scene of Katahdin from the lake.

State leaders, along with The Trust for Public Land, plan to announce a deal at 10 this morning in Augusta’s State House Hall of Flags that should lead to public ownership of the lake parcel. In all, the land surrounding the lake borders about 7 miles of the existing eastern boundary of Baxter State Park.

The Trust for Public Land has until July 1 to raise $14 million to seal the deal. That amount includes $13 million for land acquisition and project costs of another $1 million to permanently protect the lake.

About $3.3 million of that amount has already been promised by private donors, said Sam Hodder, Katahdin project manager for the trust.

Project plans call for the acquisition to be made with a minimal contribution by the state, mostly land being swapped out to Gardner Land Co. of Lincoln, which owns the Katahdin Lake parcel. The Legislature is expected to take up the land swap legislation later in the session, acting on a bill sponsored by Rep. Josh Tardy, assistant Republican leader in the House.

Tardy called the Katahdin Lake acquisition “a special project, near and dear to the hearts of many Mainers.”

Hodder echoed that, noting his role in the effort “has certainly been a humbling experience to participate in completing the vision of Percival Baxter.”

“The 6,016 acres surrounding Katahdin Lake contain unequaled natural beauty which has, by and large, been left untouched and unspoiled,” added Attorney General Steven Rowe, who chairs the Baxter State Park Authority. “We have been waiting for this opportunity ever since Baxter first defined his vision as including ‘the whole of Mount Katahdin and Katahdin Lake, of itself one of the most beautiful of all Maine lakes.'”

Baxter’s vision for the park was a theme among state officials as they spoke of the Katahdin Lake lands.

“Today, nearly 37 years after Governor Baxter’s death, the opportunity to complete his vision has finally come our way,” said Gov. John Baldacci in a statement issued through the Department of Conservation. “With the completion of this project, we will fill out the map that he envisioned for the people of Maine.”

Besides bringing Baxter’s dream to full fruition, the deal does much more, said Conservation Commissioner Pat McGowan.

“This current opportunity will never surface again. If we fail, the old-growth forest near the lake will likely be harvested and the lake’s shore will be developed to the extent legally permitted,” McGowan said.

“This is the most important conservation project in Maine since Governor Baxter purchased the lands around Mount Katahdin,” he added.

McGowan said the land boasts some trees that are up to 200-years-old. Many would have been harvested, if not for the pending purchase.

“It’s also interesting to note that 75 years ago Governor Baxter made his first acquisition for the park – 6,000 acres including Mount Katahdin,” McGowan said. “Now we’re adding the final 6,000 acres and Katahdin Lake. We’re thrilled that we can complete this on our watch.”

He said the state hopes to encourage individuals to make cash donations to help fund the purchase. School-age children will be a component of the fundraising effort, McGowan said, but their role hasn’t yet been finalized.

Katahdin Lake Wilderness Camps, a main cabin and 10 guest cabins owned by conservationist Charles FitzGerald, will remain in operation under a 25-year lease agreement, officials said.

Lake Katahdin

Size: 717 acres

Source: Spring-fed

Access: Via float plane or a nearly a 4-mile-long tote road hike from the Roaring Brook Road in Baxter State Park

Famous visitors: Theodore Roosevelt, artist Marsden Hartley

“”We have been waiting for this opportunity ever since Baxter first defined his vision as including ‘the whole of Mount Katahdin and Katahdin Lake, of itself one of the most beautiful of all Maine lakes.'”
Attorney General Steven Rowe, Baxter State Park Authority chairman

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