A portion of the parcel will incorporated in Round the Mountain trail

Wed, 12/06/2017 - 3:45pm

Geraldine and Arthur O'Connor sold 37 acres to Coastal Mountains Land Trust so that it will be protected forever. (Photo courtesy Coastal Mountains Land Trust)

CAMDEN — Coastal Mountains Land Trust, in Camden, has purchased an additional 37 acres on Ragged Mountain that will be added to the Ragged Mountain Preserve. This property is immediately adjacent to Ragged Mountain Preserve and across Barnestown Road from Bald Mountain Preserve.

The land includes the upper reaches of Hosmer Brook, mature stands of white pine and red oak, and historically was part of a farm that extended along Barnestown Road to what is now the Camden Snow Bowl, according to a Dec. 6 news release from the land trust.

The land includes a stretch of the planned corridor for the Round the Mountain Trail.

"Conservation of this property further protects Hosmer Brook and important wildlife habitat and will provide a scenic setting for hikers, runners, skiers, and other Round the Mountain Trail visitors as they approach the Camden Snow Bowl," said Ian Stewart, executive director of the Land Trust, in the release. "More than 14 years after determining that conservation of this property would help to fulfill the conservation goals for Ragged Mountain, Geraldine and Arthur O'Connor sold the land to the land trust so that it will be protected forever. We are very grateful."

Efforts to conserve property on Ragged Mountain began in 2003, when Coastal Mountains Land Trust began working to fulfill a vision of permanently conserving and providing four-season recreational opportunities on both Ragged Mountain and Bald Mountain. To date, Coastal Mountains Land Trust has conserved 1,632 acres on and around these iconic coastal mountains that are so important to the region's sense of place, economy, and ecology.

Conservation of this property is part of the Land Trust's Round the Mountain Collaboration, which is a community-based effort which will conserve an additional 1,400 acres on Ragged Mountain and to develop the Round the Mountain Trail system. The Round the Mountain trail, expected to be built in stages beginning in 2018, will travel directly through this property.

The Round the Mountain Collaboration is a community-based effort led by Coastal Mountains Land Trust, in partnership with Maine Coast Heritage Trust and a range of local community organizations, with goals of permanently conserving our community's water supply and open space on Ragged Mountain, and developing the Round the Mountain Trail system. The Collaboration's goal is to raise $4.2 million in support of the purchase of two easements protecting 1,400 acres of land, build and care for the nine-mile Round the Mountain Trail and conserve two additional Ragged Mountain parcels that are needed to secure the full Round the Mountain Trail corridor. In addition to being the largest project in the Land Trust's 31 year history, this project represents one of the most important long-term investments we can make to promote a healthy community through outdoor recreation and to maintain the quality of place which is so fundamental to the economic well-being of our community.

Coastal Mountains Land Trust has worked since 1986 to permanently conserve land to benefit the natural and human communities of the western Penobscot Bay. The Land Trust has protected over 10,000 acres to date, offering 40 miles of trails for public access.