A version of this press release first appeared in Maine Public on September 29, 2026 as “Moxie Pond wilderness conserved.”

MONTPELIER, VERMONT—Northeast Wilderness Trust and Trust for Public Land have partnered to permanently protect 1,843 acres southeast of Maine’s Moxie Pond in Somerset County. The new Moxie Pond Wilderness Preserve is a win for both people and Nature—securing outdoor recreation opportunities, expanding habitat protection for plants and animals, and fortifying the region’s climate resilience.

Moxie Pond Wilderness Preserve will be managed as a “wildland” to allow the forest to grow old and the streams to run free—a passive management approach called “rewilding.” Wildlands deliver critical benefits for biodiversity and climate mitigation and yet represent just 3.7 percent of Maine’s land area.

Moxie Pond Wilderness Preserve will boost wildlands’ representation among Maine’s rich mosaic of managed forests and farms while strengthening migration corridors for roving wildlife, including fisher and bobcat. The Preserve contains 37 acres of wetlands, 3 miles of brook trout streams, and a mile of Moxie Pond’s last remaining undeveloped shoreline. The Preserve will also build upon more than 20,000 acres of adjacent conserved land, including the 2,620-acre Moxie Bald Mountain and Bald Mountain Pond and other lands owned by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Land.

Moxie Pond Wilderness Preserve will provide a natural buffer zone for a five-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail at the start of the renowned 100-Mile Wilderness. Rewilding this segment of the Trail’s buffer zone will enhance the experience of hikers who contribute to the activity’s $50 million-a-year impact in Maine, a key component of the state’s $3.9 billion outdoor recreation economy.

The Preserve will also guarantee access to a mile of the Bald Mountain Trail, an important regional snowmobile and ATV route, as well as secure public access for hunters.

“The conservation of Moxie Pond Wilderness Preserve is an incredible opportunity to strengthen Maine’s portion of the Appalachian Trail—one of the country’s great natural treasures. Building on a longstanding partnership with the National Park Service and a new partnership with Northeast Wilderness Trust, this project will help protect the Trail experience and the remarkable landscape that surrounds it for generations of hikers to come,” said Betsy Cook, Maine state director for Trust for Public Land.

“Moxie Pond is the embodiment of Northeast Wilderness Trust’s commitment to collaborating in pursuit of a wilder future,” said Jon Leibowitz, President and CEO of Northeast Wilderness Trust. “The project strikes a careful balance with Maine’s diversity of human and nonhuman stakeholders in mind, securing existing access while safeguarding more than 1,800 acres of forest that, as they rewild, will act as core habitat for wildlife and will naturally evolve into a future old-growth forest. The Preserve offers something to love to every Mainer who cherishes this precious landscape.”

To protect and establish Moxie Pond Wilderness Preserve, Northeast Wilderness Trust and TPL secured more than $3.2 million in private support from dozens of foundations and individual donors. These supporters’ generosity and commitment to conservation made it possible to safeguard this remarkable landscape for the benefit of wildlife, recreation, and future generations.

“This was a compelling conservation opportunity for us—particularly with the connection to the Appalachian Trail corridor—and we were excited to partner on the project and help support the creation of Moxie Pond Wilderness Preserve,” said Alex Littlejohn, Director of Conservation for Weyerhaeuser, which had owned and managed the land for timber production prior to the sale.

“This is one parcel in Maine where the ecological, recreational, and aesthetic values far outweigh the timber value. My family has savored this view almost at a spiritual level for six generations, since 1929, and now it will be preserved forever,” said Mark Leathers, Licensed Maine Forester, Master Maine Guide, and President of Lake Moxie Camper’s Association.

Traversing over 2,000 miles through 14 states from Georgia to Maine, the Appalachian Trail corridor is a conservation focal point of both Trust for Public Land and Northeast Wilderness Trust because of its importance to biodiversity, climate resilience, outdoor recreation, and cultural heritage.

While long stretches of the lands surrounding the Appalachian Trail are protected by the National Park Service, significant portions of that buffer zone remain privately held and unprotected. To ensure the Appalachian Trail continues to deliver its numerous essential benefits to wildlife, hikers, and nearby communities, Trust for Public Land has identified more than 39,000 acres in need of protection.

The Preserve is now owned and will be stewarded in perpetuity by Northeast Wilderness Trust. To date, with the addition of Moxie Pond Wilderness Preserve, the Wilderness Trust has now preserved nearly 18,000 wilderness acres bordering the Appalachian Trail in the Northeast, and Trust for Public Land has protected 345,000 acres along the entire length of the trail.

ABOUT NORTHEAST WILDERNESS TRUST—Northeast Wilderness Trust, a Montpelier, Vermont-based regional land trust, conserves forever-wild landscapes for Nature and people. It accomplishes this work by acquiring and stewarding land as forever-wild, and by holding forever-wild conservation easements on properties owned by other organizations or individuals. Across New England and New York, the Wilderness Trust secures wild places where Nature can thrive, wildlife can wander, and people can find beauty and quiet. Since its founding in 2002, Northeast Wilderness Trust has protected more than 118,000 acres, of which more than 63,000 are in Maine. Learn more at www.newildernesstrust.org.

ABOUT TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND—Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of land, created more than 5,504 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.

Project Supports the Regional Timber Economy, Secures Recreational Opportunities, and Protects Important Wildlife Habitats.

A story based on this press release appeared in Maine Public on July 27, 2026 as “Western Maine conservation project offers ‘ecologically important’ reprieve for wildlife.”

July 27, 2026

Oxford County, Maine — Four conservation organizations today announced the successful completion of a landmark project that has conserved more than 78,000 acres in the Magalloway River region of western Maine. Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, Forest Society of Maine, Northeast Wilderness Trust, and The Nature Conservancy — together, the Magalloway Collaborative — worked in close coordination on all aspects of the effort, from initial negotiations through fundraising and completion of the conservation transactions, to connect a corridor of more than half a million acres of contiguous conserved lands.

This multifaceted land conservation project maintains existing recreational access to the property’s lands and waters, creates new public preserves, restricts future development, and sustains the regional economy through continued forest management opportunities while creating buffers around key waterbodies. The partners hope that the innovative collaboration between local, state, regional, and global conservation organizations, which prioritized community engagement alongside conservation goals, may serve as a model for future projects.

The Magalloway project’s balanced conservation approach was negotiated in partnership with Wagner Forest Management, representing Bayroot, LLC, the property owner. Most of the property (over 62,500 acres) will continue to be managed by Wagner. It was important to both Wagner and the project partners that a substantial portion of the project lands continue to support the regional forest economy. A new permanent conservation easement held by Forest Society of Maine restricts future development while allowing continued timber harvest and forest management, securing substantial forested buffers around key streams, and continuing to allow public access for hunting, fishing, boating, and other recreational and cultural uses.

Northeast Wilderness Trust has acquired more than 11,200 acres of the land and is establishing a new wilderness preserve open to the public within the remote headwaters of the Magalloway River and the upland forests of Ledge Ridge and Rump Mountain — expanding upon adjacent ecological reserves in New Hampshire’s Connecticut Lakes Region. Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust now owns and manages over 4,400 acres for recreation and wildlife habitat, including corridors along the Little Magalloway and Magalloway Rivers and a forest tract southeast of Route 16 near Cupsuptic Lake. Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust will conduct river restoration throughout the project area to improve water quality and reconnect native brook trout habitat.

Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust Executive Director David Miller commented: “We have together accomplished something truly extraordinary with the Magalloway Lands and Waters project. Conservation at this scale takes trust, a shared commitment, and more work than we could have imagined. The benefits to local communities, wildlife, and the natural world that result from this work make all of us thankful to be part of it.”

Fish and Wildlife Habitat

The Magalloway region is home to world-renowned brook trout fishing, hunting, and other outdoor recreation opportunities which are now secured for the benefit of current and future generations.

Biologists and fisheries scientists have identified the Magalloway River as one of the last strongholds in the country for self-sustaining native brook trout populations. Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust is protecting corridors along the river and its largest tributary, while the conservation easement held by Forest Society of Maine provides additional 100-foot protective buffers along brook trout streams identified as High Priority by Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Allowing forests to grow old along these streams will help enhance habitat, add critical nutrients, regulate stream temperatures, and maintain and improve water quality.

The project area hosts excellent habitat for wildlife, including Canada lynx, black bear, moose, white-tailed deer, and diverse bird life including Ruffed Grouse and more than 20 species of warbler.

Public Access

The project preserves a wide variety of existing remote recreation opportunities. The property is accessible from Route 16 and a network of privately owned forest roads. Vehicular access to the northern third of the project area remains limited.

Boating access opportunities include a put-in on Aziscohos Lake and many hand-carry access points, including on the Magalloway River. Snowmobiling remains a welcomed activity on established trails throughout the property, including the ITS-84 which connects Maine and New Hampshire. Recreational users may still hire Registered Maine Guides for activities including hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing.

“The Magalloway project ensures that future generations can enjoy paddling, hunting, and fishing in this special place,” said Seth Laliberte, Registered Maine Guide and owner of Rangeley Adventure Company, a local outdoor sporting goods shop in Rangeley. “As a guide and business owner, access to wild places like the Magalloway is essential to our outdoor economy and the way of life that makes the Rangeley region so special.”

Cultural Significance

The partners acknowledge that the Magalloway Lands and Waters are part of the homeland of the Wabanaki Tribal Nations, the People of the Dawnland, and look forward to the opportunities this project creates for Wabanaki Peoples to strengthen and re-establish cultural and spiritual connections here.

Building Climate Resilience

Conservation of the Magalloway Lands and Waters bolsters connectivity of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitat in the Northern Appalachians, a major pathway for the movement of species in eastern North America in response to climate change.

With 78,000 acres of forests and wetlands now certain to remain undeveloped, along with more than 11,000 acres of those forests growing old in a wilderness preserve and in corridors along rivers and streams, the project delivers significant increases in potential carbon sequestration and storage.

Funding the Project

The Collaborative partners express their appreciation to the foundations, federal grant sources, and hundreds of individuals for the support they provided to the Magalloway project. Generous lead grants were received from MathWorks, EJK Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through Walmart’s Acres for America Program, and North American Wetlands Conservation Act funds.

With 97 percent of the funds raised as of July 27^th, the Collaborative continues to seek additional contributions to fully cover the $62 million project cost. As of today, an additional $1.9 million is needed. Donations can be made at magalloway.org or by contacting any of the project partners directly.

“The collaboration our four organizations achieved here is an important model for how people can work together to accomplish big things,” said Mark Berry, forest program director for The Nature Conservancy in Maine. “Together, the Collaborative and our supporters are accomplishing something no one organization could do alone.”

For more details on this project, including how to access the land and specific guidelines, visit magalloway.org. 

Magalloway Collaborative Partner Details

Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust

Since its founding in 1991, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust (RLHT) has worked with partners to conserve, restore, and steward the lands and waters of western Maine’s iconic Rangeley Lakes Region. Guided by its mission to sustain the ecological, economic, and social vitality of the region, RLHT advances land conservation, preserves public access, restores habitats, and promotes sustainable forest management to ensure the landscapes and waters that define Rangeley endure for future generations. Learn more at rlht.org.

Forest Society of Maine

Forest Society of Maine, a statewide land trust established in 1984, assists landowners, families, and communities to conserve forestland across the state for sustainable forest management, recreation, wildlife habitat, and historic and cultural values. Over the past 40 years, FSM has helped conserve more than one million acres, making it the seventh largest land trust in the country by conserved acres. More information about the Forest Society of Maine can be found at fsmaine.org.

Northeast Wilderness Trust

Northeast Wilderness Trust is a regional land trust that focuses exclusively on protecting wilderness areas—lands permanently protected as forever-wild, where natural processes direct the ebb and flow of life. With its headquarters in Vermont, staff in multiple states, and board members across the Northeast, the Wilderness Trust newildernesstrust.org protects more than 115,000 acres in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. TNC is working to make a lasting difference in 83 countries and territories and uses a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, tribes, the private sector, and other partners. Co-founded in 1956 by Rachel Carson, TNC Maine has helped protect almost 2.5 million acres and currently owns and manages around 300,000 acres in the state. To learn more, visit nature.org/maine or follow @TNCMaine on social media.