Conservancy completes land purchase Hancock County parcel home to endangered salmon

Nearly 10,000 acres in northern Hancock County, including vital habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon, is now in the hands of The Nature Conservancy.

The organization completed its purchase of the property from forestry harvester H.C. Haynes Inc. last Thursday.

The land is located on the west branch of the Narraguagus and Spring rivers in Townships 10 and 16, between Cherryfield and Franklin. With the nearby ecological reserve at Donnell Pond, the acquisition establishes a 24,000-acre stretch of contiguous conservation lands in Hancock County.

The $2.2 million deal is an example of how logging contractors and conservation organizations can work together with mutual respect for each other’s goals, Bruce Kidman, director of communications and government relations for The Nature Conservancy, said Tuesday.

“This is really the culmination of several years of work and an ongoing relationship with H.C. Haynes,” he said. “This is breaking new ground for both of us.”

Last fall, the conservancy announced its award of a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund to use toward the purchase of 9,934 acres from H.C. Haynes Inc. Before the forestry company bought the land, it belonged to International Paper.

Additional funds were provided by private donors. The culminating gift to the campaign was given by Judy Marshall, a Hawaii resident who has a camp in northern Aroostook County. The Nature Conservancy also has a $375,000 stewardship endowment for the property.

The purchase includes more than 12 miles along the Spring River and the west branch of the Narraguagus River. The Narraguagus is one of eight Maine rivers considered critical to the recovery of Atlantic salmon, which the federal government in 2000 classified as an endangered species.

The sale also includes half of Tunk Mountain.

The deal has been in the works since 2003, when the conservancy signed an option to buy the land. After the agreement was reached, the forestry company scaled back its harvesting plan and established a no-cut buffer around the rivers to avoid disturbing the salmon habitat.

Kidman said the conservancy plans to discontinue use of logging roads on the property and hopes to formalize the trails that already have been established on the land. The group also plans to extend the leases for people who have been renting the 11 hunting and recreational camps located there, he said.