Bold Coast Wilderness Preserve

Cutler, Whiting, Trescott Township, Maine 2,037 acres Download Map

Protecting One of the Last Expansive Forests on the Eastern Seaboard

The dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss make conservation of expansive areas of interconnected habitat more urgent than ever. Maine’s native plants and animals, seventy-five percent of which are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, require room to migrate to adapt. Today we have an opportunity to further protect an area of extraordinary habitat: one of the few places on the Eastern Seaboard where open coastal lands connect to inland forests.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) and Northeast Wilderness Trust (NEWT) are partnering to conserve 2,037 acres of forest in the downeast region—linking large blocks of conserved land, contributing to a landscape scale effort to protect and restore watersheds, and enabling public access for hunting, fishing, and quiet recreation. This very special property is set to become the Bold Coast Wilderness Preserve.

The Next Chapter in an Ongoing Conservation Story

In the late 1980s, development pressure in Maine reached a section of Washington County known as the Bold Coast. A vast proposed subdivision targeted lands that harbored unique ecological features and supported traditional recreation, including hunting, fishing, and hiking. In response, MCHT spearheaded a decades-long land conservation effort in the region with a coalition of partners, including the State of Maine, which began with landmark protection of the Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land. The Bold Coast Wilderness Preserve will be the latest and one of the larger conservation efforts in the region, significantly expanding this remarkable forest block connecting inland forest to the sea.

A Place for Wildlife to Thrive

NEWT and MCHT share a common goal of securing a healthy future for Maine’s treasured plant and animal communities, which is why protecting this place of high ecological significance is a top priority for both organizations. The Bold Coast region has an unusually rich concentration of at-risk species
and habitats, and includes one of the state’s “Beginning with Habitat Focus Areas.”

The Bold Coast Wilderness Preserve stands out for its varied landscape features. Mixed hardwood and deciduous forests blanket the property, with pin cherry, speckled alder, and white ash regenerating in areas previously managed for timber. The property’s water features include 204 acres of wetlands, the largest marsh of which is a Grassy Shrub Marsh ecosystem, classified as “rare/exemplary” by the Maine Natural Areas Program. The property includes more than six miles of stream frontage. East Stream’s headwater starts in the Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land ecological reserve and flows out into Cobscook Bay, making up the northern boundary of the property. The southern boundary of the property is home to a Northern White Cedar Swamp, an important natural community featuring rare mosses and ferns.

Moose by Larry Master.

Image by Maine Coast Heritage Trust

Black-throated Green Warbler by Bryan Pfeiffer.

The forest is also a haven for wildlife. Within the property, there are two mapped habitat areas for inland waterfowl and wading birds. Both Wiggins Brook and East Stream support resident and sea-run brook trout, with local residents citing East Stream as one of the best brook trout streams
in the region.

The forest is home to moose, beaver, grouse, many warblers and other songbirds, snowshoe hare, black bear, coyote, and white-tailed deer, among other species. A bald eagle nesting site has been documented near the headwaters of Wiggins Brook. Salamanders, wood frogs, and other amphibian species thrive in two vernal pools on the property.

A primary goal of this conservation partnership will be to allow the land to revert to a more natural state and become increasingly hospitable to current and future wildlife species. The longrange plan is for NEWT to acquire and care for the land, with MCHT holding a forever-wild conservation easement.

The Bold Coast Wilderness Preserve at a glance

Size: Approx. 2,037 acres

Context: The Bold Coast region has an unusually rich concentration of at-risk species and habitats, and includes one of the state’s “Beginning with Habitat Focus Areas.”

Location: Cutler, Whiting, Trescott Township, Maine

Objective: Significantly expanding a remarkable forest block, connecting inland forest to the sea.

map of proposed Bold Coast Wilderness Preserve

The Bold Coast Wilderness Preserve needs your support

Will you help Northeast Wilderness Trust continue its growing legacy of wilderness protection in the Northeast?

Your gift to the Bold Coast Wilderness Preserve advances a rare opportunity to conserve thousands of acres near the coast. Together we can ensure a healthier future for Maine’s world-renowned Bold Coast and the wildlife that depend on this expansive habitat to survive and thrive. You can help by:

Sending a check made out to Northeast Wilderness Trust with “Bold Coast” written in the memo line
Making a gift online through the donation box on this page.
Giving through a Donor-Advised Fund (indicate “Bold Coast”) at https://newildernesstrust.org/giving
Making a gift of stock or other publicly traded securities. Please contact Nicie Panetta, Vice President of Advancement, at nicie@newildernesstrust.org

Thank you!

Photography by Ryan Malagara.