RUMFORD – To prevent Rumford Whitecap mountain from being sold and closed to the public, the Mahoosuc Land Trust continues work to buy the popular hiking and blueberry-picking destination.

To date, the trust has raised $128,000 in pledges toward the 761-acre parcel’s total cost of $678,153.

That amount includes the purchase price, closing costs and long-term stewardship costs to maintain three trails to the summit, signs, parking, boundary marking, regular monitoring of property, and more, trust Executive Director Jim Mitchell said Tuesday afternoon.

“This would be a great asset for the community. Rumford Whitecap has 360-degree views, it’s a great place to hike, a great place to hold family picnics, and a great place to take young children up,” Mitchell said.

Additionally, the Land for Maine’s Future Program has approved a grant of $243,000 for the proposal. The board will vote to allocate the money to the trust at their meeting from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, in the Pine Tree State Arboretum, 153 Hospital St, Augusta.

That, Mitchell said, would coincide with the trust’s start of a capital campaign to raise the remaining money to buy the mountain from owner Bayroot LLC. The purchase and sale agreement has a recently extended time limit of March 30, 2007.

Mitchell said the 761 acres abut Black Mountain ski area and runs west, encompassing most of the 2,214-foot-high summit, ending about a mile to 1 miles from East Andover Road.

“People of Rumford have been climbing it for at least 150 years, and, we want to preserve it for future generations,” Mitchell said.

Approximately 1,200 visitors from 42 Maine towns, nine other states and three foreign countries registered at trust sign-in boxes prior to ascending Rumford Whitecap during the past year, according to information on the trust Web site.

“With the boom of the second-home market evident on many of the mountainsides in Western Maine, this is one special mountain we want to preserve. In this area, where the paper and wood products industries are in apparent decline, it is important to save some of these sites for the enjoyment of future generations as the economy becomes more focused on recreation and eco-tourism,” the site states.

Once the property is bought, the trust will manage it and include Rumford residents as stewards to protect the land and preserve its traditional uses.

At the Nov. 14 meeting, directors are also seeking comment for, and voting to allocate funding to two other land purchase proposals:

• Cupsuptic Lake Park, 125 acres on the north shore of Cupsuptic Lake in Adamstown Township, which is northwest of Oquossoc and Rangeley and in northern Oxford County; Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust is seeking $500,0000 toward the $2 million total cost to secure public access to and the only readily accessible legal public swimming access anywhere on the 16,000-acre Cupsuptic Lake.

• Androscoggin River Park, 14.3 acres of Androscoggin River frontage in Lewiston, on which the Androscoggin Land Trust is proposing to create a nonmotorized trail network and nonmotorized boat launch site to give the public access to three miles of river between Deer Rips Dam and Great Falls Dam. The trust is requesting $75,000 toward the total cost of between $125,000 and $150,000.

Public comment on the acquisitions will be accepted at the Land for Maine’s Future Board of Directors meeting on Nov. 14. Written comments will be accepted until noon on Nov. 13, and should be submitted to Tim Glidden, Land for Maine’s Future Program, No. 38 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333. For more information, phone 287-1485.