BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 13, 2024
State officials have approved funding for a piece of property near Branch Lake that will help triple the size of Ellsworth’s city forest. The Land for Maine’s Future board has decided to award Ellsworth $92,500 to pay for half the cost of acquiring roughly 280 wooded acres on the eastern side of Branch Lake. The land separates the existing 238-acre lakefront Ellsworth City Forest, which is publicly accessible, from another 285-acre wooded lot that the city owns to the north off Phillips Way. Branch Lake is used as the city’s water supply.