ELLSWORTH AMERICAN • October 23, 2020
Wildlife habitat conservation efforts are integral to Frenchman Bay Conservancy’s effort to conserve 1,400 acres in Hancock. Protecting this forest from future development is the most fundamental element in conserving its value as wildlife habitat. Beyond that, FBC’s plan to allow the forest to grow old needs to be understood in context. First, old forests are exceptionally scarce in Maine. Second, bird species that prefer younger forests and forest edges will find significant habitat in this tract. Finally, the New England Forestry Foundation, will periodically harvest timber on their neighboring 3,100 acres, and thus the overall area, 4,500 acres, will have a mosaic of forest stands of different ages to provide habitat for a very diverse suite of wildlife species. ~ Malcolm Hunter, Frenchman Bay Conservancy