MILFORD – A document passed hands Tuesday that marked a milestone in a project to provide Maine youth with the opportunity to learn about and enjoy the outdoors.

International Paper Co. presented Gov. John Baldacci with the deed to nearly 16 acres of land around Pickerel Pond on behalf of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

“This is prime acreage,” Baldacci said, noting the waterfront property’s potential for development and monetary value. “I’m very pleased to be able to accept [the] deed.”

Pickerel Pond is an ideal site for the Maine Youth Fish and Game Association headquarters because the pond was designated as a youth-only fishery in 1996, allowing only children under age 16 to fish there.

International Paper signed a long-term lease with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife several years ago, allowing the state to lease Pickerel Pond and the surrounding land for $1. The state held the lease and authorized the association to manage the property.

Over the last five years, several donations have led to the creation of an association cabin, complete with a well, generator and electricity.

“All of a sudden a lot of things started to fall out of the sky,” Matt Dunlap, Maine’s secretary of state and club co-founder, said Tuesday. “You couldn’t even enumerate all the donors to this program.”

The club offers children a chance to learn about a variety of outdoor activities and topics, such as hunting, fishing, canoeing, entomology and astronomy.

The club has about 600 members, all of whom pay $1 a year.

“We wanted it to be kind of symbolic that it was their dollar,” Dunlap said.

He said the pond has special meaning for him, too.

“My daughter caught her first trout out here,” the state official said, bragging about the 13-inch fish.

Later he explained what it’s like to look into a child’s eyes when she catches her first fish.

“It’s just absolutely magical,” he said.

It’s the hope of Baldacci, association officials, and representatives from International Paper that the organization will continue to grow with the passing of the deed.

“Frankly, this effort exceeded all our expectations,” Gary Donovan, wildlife ecologist for International Paper said.