More than 12,000 acres, some important to Sebago Lake water quality, to be protected

ALBANY TOWNSHIP — More than 12,000 acres of privately owned western Maine forest is being conserved, a group of conservation organizations said Wednesday.

Mahoosuc Land Trust will hold a conservation easement on the property in rural Oxford County to protect it permanently from development and forest fragmentation.

More than 7,500 acres of the land is located within the watershed of the Crooked River, which is the largest tributary of Sebago Lake, the groups said. Mahoosuc Land Trust announced the easement with Sebago Clean Waters, landowners Mary McFadden and Larry Stifler and The Conservation Fund.

They said they partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Portland Water District on the project.

The project “marks a significant milestone in our efforts to conserve Sebago region forests to protect water quality, wildlife and the Maine way of life,” said Karen Young, partnership director of Sebago Clean Waters.

The parties did not disclose the price of the deal. Portland Water District provided about $500,000 and the NRCS provided about $1.9 million, Sebago Clean Waters said.