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Partners Protect Machias River and Tributaries

Project conserves nearly 25,000 acres and more than 210 miles of shoreline, ensuring sustainable forestry, public access and habitat conservation

Augusta, ME—October 9, 2003—More than 210 miles of Machias River shoreline and portions of six key tributaries have been permanently conserved. A mix of conservation easement and outright purchase will conserve nearly 25,000 acres, Governor John Baldacci announced today. The $7.8 million effort – which runs from the outlet of Third Machias Lake east to Whitneyville - ensures sustainable forestry, guarantees public access for traditional backcountry outdoor experiences and protects important wildlife habitat. The partners in Phase I of the Machias River Project include International Paper, the Atlantic Salmon Commission, the Maine Department of Conservation, the Machias River Watershed Council, Maine’s Congressional delegation and The Nature Conservancy. At the same time, Governor Baldacci announced the partners – led by the Department of Conservation – will now turn to Phase II, which includes nearly 8,000 acres around 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th Machias Lakes – the river’s headwaters.

"From the beginning, this has been a shared vision with government, industry and community partners seeking the same ends," said Governor John Baldacci. "Together we have worked to balance and protect the ecological, recreational and economic values of an entire river system."

Under the terms of the agreement, the conservation easement encompasses some 18,443 acres and covers 1,000 feet on each side of the Machias and six major tributaries. New construction and development activities will be prohibited within the easement area. Public access for traditional backcountry recreational activities, such as hunting, fishing, canoeing, camping and hiking, as currently provided by International Paper, is guaranteed forever. Sustainable timber management designed to enhance wildlife habitat, will be managed under the guidelines pioneered by International Paper. The State’s Atlantic Salmon Commission will hold and monitor the easement. As the landowner, International Paper will continue to own and manage both the forestland and the lease lots under the conservation easement, which are unaffected by the deal.

"We have managed these river corridors with special forest practices for years," said Dave Lieser, IP's regional manager of Northern Operations for Forest Resources "We are pleased that we have been able to develop this conservation transaction and take great satisfaction in knowing that the State will continue to manage these unique habitats for their special conservation values."

Lieser said sale of these particular lands and easements is in line with International Paper’s long term strategy to divest some non-strategic assets while retaining about 1,000,000 acres of certified forestlands in Maine to support manufacturing facilities here.

Additionally, the Maine Department of Conservation will acquire several primitive campsites and water access sites within the easement area, and will manage recreational use. Sustainable forest management will be required of any future landowner.

"The Machias River project is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect an entire river corridor," said Kent Wommack, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy. "Ask any river guide to name Maine’s best wilderness rivers and the Machias River will always come up."

The outright purchase in this first phase encompasses some 6,400 additional acres along Route 9 north to the outlet of Third Machias Lake. These resources will be owned and managed by the Department of Conservation. The acreage includes portions of First and Second Machias Lakes, approximately 4,800 acres along the Machias River corridor, and several primitive backcountry sites embedded within the easement area. These lands will be open to the public for a wide variety of recreational pursuits, including hunting, hiking, canoeing, snowmobiling and fishing.

"The State appreciates the efforts of all partners," said George Lapointe, Commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources and member of the Atlantic Salmon Commission and Chairman of the Land for Maine’s Future Board. "Ensuring public access is a critical element for today and for future generations."

The project ensures habitat for a wide variety of land and water species, such as moose, black bear, bobcat and migratory songbirds. Moreover, the agreement permanently protects 86 percent of the Atlantic salmon habitat within the Machias river system, which represents a full 20 percent of the remaining wild Atlantic salmon – a federally recognized endangered species - spawning and nursery habitat in the entire country.

"The Machias River Project will protect important wildlife habitat and maintain the forest-based economy and traditional recreational uses of these lands," said Bill Cherry, Coordinator of the East Machias and Machias Watershed Councils, who helped manage woodlands for Champion and International Papers for 30 years. "This is an ecological and economic win."

Funding for the $7.8 million project will come from a variety of public and private sources, including a $2 million Recovery Land Acquisition Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and $400,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Atlantic Salmon Initiative. The Land for Maine’s Future Board provided a $2.8 million for the project – its largest grant since Maine voters approved $50 million Land for Maine’s Future program in 1998.

"Along with all of our conservation partners, we are delighted to have played an important role in completing the Machias River Corridor Project," said Richard O. Bennett, Ph.D., acting regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Northeast. "Two million dollars from our Recovery Land Acquisition Grant Program and $400,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Maine Atlantic Salmon Conservation Fund helped jumpstart the fundraising."

In addition, The Nature Conservancy will provide $2 million toward the initiative, which includes a $1 million endowment to help the state steward the property. The project is expected to close by December of 2003. Phase II of the project, scheduled for 2004, involves the outright purchase of the river corridor from Third Machias Lake to Fifth Machias Lake.

The Machias River Project continues a leading conservation trend taking shape across the Northern Forest. The trend blends sustainably managed working forests with ecological reserves. Beginning in 1998 with The Nature Conservancy’s St. John River project, some 14 separate conservation projects across the four-state Northern Forest region have contained these elements.