Parker Pond is a scenic and relatively undeveloped lake situated in Fayette, a growing community 18 miles northwest of Augusta. The town has experienced a population increase of 217 percent over the past four decades as more people have discovered its natural amenities. Despite the surrounding development, though, the shores of 1,600-acre Parker Pond have Read More
Land for Maine's Future Places
The Land for Maine’s Future program has conserved special places throughout the state that have exceptional natural or recreational value and should be permanently protected. LMF has played a vital role in the acquisition of more than 490,000 acres from willing sellers. These lands include more than 1,000 miles of shorefront and 158 miles of rail-trails, and habitat important for wildlife for breeding, wintering, and migration. LMF-protected lands also include entire islands as well as working forests and farms. NRCM continues to help lead efforts supporting the Land for Maine’s Future program to protect public access to Maine’s most beautiful and significant natural areas.
Patrick Lake Access
Anglers have long enjoyed access to Patrick Lake, a 275-acre water body north of Machias that supports brown trout, chain pickerel, and white perch. They reached the lake via a boat launching ramp that many people assumed was publicly held but was in fact private. The landowner decided to sell the site as part of Read More
Pettegrow Beach
Residents of Machiasport have long considered Pettegrow Beach, a cobble beach on Buck’s Harbor, to be a community resource. The gently sloping beach is ideal for launching small boats, serving the needs of commercial fishermen, anglers, fish farmers, clammers, and recreational boaters. It is the only beach in the area that has sufficiently deep water Read More
Pleasant Bay Wildlife Management Area
The Pleasant Bay Wildlife Management Area lies near the town of Addison along the Pleasant River’s east side. The area is known for its expansive, various wildlife habitats and for its tranquil character. The preserve includes more than seven miles of waterfront along Pleasant Bay, more than 1,900 acres of intertidal marshes and mudflats, islands, Read More
Coos Canyon, Swift River
Location: Byron, Oxford County Description: Coos Canyon is a roadside park carved out of the Swift River. Erosion has chiseled steep cliffs on both sides of the river. There are pools to swim in, flat rocks to sit on while you sift for gold, 15-foot cliffs to jump from, smooth rocks to slide down. The Read More
Crystal Spring Farm
Location: Brunswick, Cumberland County. From downtown Brunswick, take Maine St. past Bowdoin College and then right onto Pleasant Hill Rd. Parking for visitors to the farm is located on the left near the top of the rise about a mile out Pleasant Hill Rd. Description: The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust owns Crystal Spring Farm, which is Read More
Pocomoonshine Lake
A Land for Maine’s Future program grant helped the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife acquire land alongside the Town of Princeton’s boat launch on Pocomoonshine Lake. The increased lake frontage will allow for parking and a turnaround at this popular sport fishing site, and will create safer opportunities for swimming (situated farther from Read More
Presumpscot River Preserve and Walton Park Water Access Site
Before its waters were harnessed for dams and polluted with industrial waste, the Presumpscot was a clear and swift-moving river that plunged over 12 sets of falls in its 24-mile course from Sebago Lake to Casco Bay. Improvements in water quality have renewed recreational interest in the river, after decades in which people kept far Read More
Rangeley Lakes Region
The Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program has helped to conserve three recreational gems in the Rangeley Lakes region. An LMF grant enabled Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust to purchase Bald Mountain from International Paper. The Trust subsequently transferred this 1,873-acre tract to the Bureau of Parks and Lands for management as the Bald Mountain Public Reserve. A Read More
