By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

Nearly 3,700 acres in the Grafton Notch area have been ranked as the nation’s No. 1 Forest Legacy Program priority.

The 3,688 acres largely drape the shoulders of Old Speck and Sunday River Whitecap mountains in the Mahoosuc Range of Grafton Township north of Newry.

A subalpine forest known for its fir and birch trees on the southern flank of Old Speck has been identified for special protection status. And a spot crowded with crowberry and bilberry on a bald summit ridge on Whitecap is one of only five of its type in Maine.

The region also includes a section of the famed Georgia-to-Maine Appalachian Trail, as well as about four miles of the recently opened Grafton Loop Trail, according to Sam Hodder, the Mahoosuc project manager for The Trust for Public Lands.

A vital section of an interconnecting snowmobile trail that links Maine with New Hampshire also passes across some of the land, Hodder said. Losing the tract to private ownership could result in that sledding trail being closed.

“This is great stuff,” said Rocky Freda, who operates the nearby Sun Valley Sports and Guide Service in Bethel. “It’s awesome. It’s win, win, win for everyone.”

He said the eventual acquisition will ensure continued use of the snowmobiling trail system, something important to sledders, clubs and business people like himself who rent snowmachines.

It also means continued access to trails, and to certain fishing waters dear to Freda, a fly-fishing guide during the warmer months.

The Bush administration’s fiscal 2007 budget, unveiled Monday, has earmarked $2 million to help in the acquisition of the land from Bayroot LLC. Wagner Forest Management, Bayroot’s land agent, offered the parcel to the state after Bayroot bought the parcel about two years ago from MeadWestvaco.

Besides the federal Forest Legacy funds, money from the state’s Land for Maine’s Future program is expected to be applied to the deal. The state Department of Conservation and The Nature Conservancy are partnering with The Trust for Public Lands to put the land in public ownership.

Once purchased, the land would likely fall under the watch of the state Bureau of Parks and Lands and be managed by the Department of Conservation. It would be designated as public reserve lands.

“The lands involved in these projects are among the most beautiful in Maine,” said Gov. John Baldacci in a statement issued Tuesday. “The Grafton Notch area has a rich recreation tradition, from hunting and hiking to skiing and snowmobiling.”

Maine’s congressional delegation hailed the program and the efforts behind it. Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said the high ranking of the project “is truly a testament to the conservation ethic of the people of Maine.”

Hodder said the Mahoosuc land is prime multiuse property. In addition to its recreational uses it provides opportunities for sustainable forest management and harvesting of timber to support the state’s paper and lumber mills.

Maine landed two projects on the Forest Legacy Act program list for the coming fiscal year, Hodder added. The other, ranked No. 9, is a project west of Bangor that’s known as the Penobscot Highlands project. The president’s budget earmarks $2.2 million for that acquisition.

Getting one project funded let alone two is a coup. Bush’s budget for fiscal 2007 lists a total of 31 Forest Legacy projects up for funding. Hodder said 91 such projects had been submitted for consideration.

Hodder and the Trust for Public Lands had a leading role in the proposed expansion of Baxter State Park, which was announced a couple of weeks ago. The expansion includes Katahdin Lake and land surrounding it that the late Gov. Percival Baxter had identified as being crucial to the park.

The trust has also worked on other Maine projects, including efforts to make the Tumbledown Mountain and West Branch of the Penobscot River regions public lands.

The Grafton Notch project

The 3,688 acres involved in the project include a flank of 4,180-foot-high Old Speck Mountain. The area offers opportunities for hiking, snowshoeing, hunting, wildlife watching and other recreational activities. The woodlands also offer opportunities for sustainable forestry and habitat protection.

The parcel is surrounded on three sides by Maine public reserve lands and Grafton Notch State Park, and is adjacent to Mahoosuc Notch, one of the most rugged sections of the Appalachian Trail.