MAINE PUBLIC • July 17, 2024
Five thousand acres of Maine forestland has been preserved under a new easement to protect important freshwater resources. The parcel on Eagle Lake in northern Hancock County is rare in that it contains the headwaters of three rivers, said Forest Society of Maine president Karin Tilberg. The Passadumkeag, Union, and Narraguagus rivers all originate on the land, and protecting their source has positive impacts all along their course to the sea, Tilberg said. It's an example of how conservation groups are increasingly looking at how to protect whole ecosystems, she added. "Keeping these ecosystems intact is very important for Maine, very important for fish and wildlife, for water quality and for climate control," Tilberg said. The land, owned by the Dysart family, will remain open for fishing, hunting, recreation and logging.