AUGUSTA (AP) – More than 3,200 acres of forest and shoreland near Mattawamkeag Lake will be protected from development under a $756,200 land deal announced Tuesday by the state Department of Conservation.

Two parcels totaling 190 acres and a conservation easement over an additional 3,026 acres were purchased by the state from former Houlton residents Wayne and Maxine Farrar, of Tavares, Fla.

The acquisition was paid for through a combination of state funds approved by the Land for Maine’s Future Board and federal money through the Forest Legacy Program.

“Through this purchase, we have assured that Lower Mattawamkeag Lake will forever retain its wild character and guaranteed future access to these lands for fishing, hunting, boating and camping,” Conservation Commissioner Patrick McGowan said.

The purchase price was about 15 percent below the appraised value of the acreage, which surrounds the southern end of Mattawamkeag Lake and the West Branch of the Mattawamkeag River southeast of Island Falls.

Mattawamkeag Lake has received the top ranking of the Land Use Regulation Commission for its significant scenic, wildlife, fishery and cultural values. The area is popular with anglers, campers, boaters, snowmobilers and hunters.

The landowners first proposed the project to the state in the mid 1990s, but public funding only became available in the last few years. Wayne Farrar owned and managed a logging operation in the area and later in his career began to acquire interests in timberlands in the Haynesville-Mattawamkeag Lake area.

The land included in the deal has more than seven miles of undeveloped shoreline on the lake, along with three miles of river frontage.

The two parcels acquired by the state are 126 acres on Big Island, which has extensive old growth timber, and 64 acres on Long Point, which includes a popular campsite with water access.

Development will be prohibited in the 3,026 acres under easement, which will be managed for sustained timber production and remain open to the public for traditional recreation.

AP-ES-05-20-03 1155EDT