KINGFIELD – The Appalachian Trail Conference has donated 4,033 acres on Mount Abraham to the state for preservation as part of its ecological reserve, the state Department of Conservation announced Thursday.

The gift, valued at more than $1.3 million, represents the largest land acquisition ever undertaken by the Appalachian Trail Conference, a private organization that manages the Maine to Georgia footpath.

The 4,049-foot Mount Abraham is one of 13 mountains in Maine that exceed 4,000 feet, 10 of which are already under public ownership.

The donated acreage comprises the eastern and southern portions of the mountain and includes most of the Firewarden’s Trail, a popular hiking path.

The Appalachian Trail Conference purchased the lands over the past three years with private funding. An easement on the property was conveyed to The Nature Conservancy, ensuring a ban on development and timber harvesting.

The Appalachian Trail Conference took on the project because of Mount Abraham’s proximity to the Appalachian Trail, which traverses surrounding peaks, including Saddleback and Spaulding mountains.

Tom Morrison, director of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, hailed the donation as “a spectacular addition to the state’s ecological reserve system and an outstanding recreational property.”

The ecological reserve program was established three years ago to preserve representative habitat for native plants and animals and to provide opportunities for ecological research.

Mount Abraham is home to eight rare plants, as well as known or potential habitat for four rare animal species.

In 2000, nearly 70,000 acres of public lands were designated as ecological reserves. The Mount Abraham acquisition is the first ecological reserve to be donated to the state.

Mount Abraham is known locally as Mount Abram. A different mountain by that name is home to a ski area in Oxford County.