Governor Baldacci Announces Completion of Seboeis Lake Project

Press Release

Governor Baldacci Announces Completion of Seboeis Lake Project

Land for Maine's Future funds used to purchase more than 2,400 acres

Governor John E. Baldacci today announced the completion of Seboeis Lake conservation project. The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national nonprofit conservation organization with an office in Portland, has completed the transfer of 2,434 acres at Seboeis Lake from Bayroot LLC to the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. The Governor joined Legislators, conservation groups and local and federal officials at the State House ceremony to celebrate the major step forward in permanently protecting the prime recreational landscape between Milo and Millinocket.

"Seboeis Lake is a shining example of how protecting Maine's special places is linked to our economic vitality," said Governor Baldacci. "With the help of our Land for Maine's Future program, we are guaranteeing permanent public access for all traditional outdoor activities, we're bolstering the tourist economy in the Millinocket region, and we're preserving a treasured resource."

The new acquisition includes 12 miles of frontage on Seboeis Lake and Northwest Pond and another 4.8 miles of island shoreline. The 2,434 acres will be added to the existing Seboeis Unit, building on an earlier Land for Maine's Future-funded acquisition at the south end of Seboeis Lake. With this addition, 95 percent of the Seboeis Lake shoreline now is permanently protected for public access and closed to private development.

The new acquisition includes guaranteed public access to approximately five miles of Interconnected Trail System (ITS) Connector Trail 111, which links two major north-south snowmobile routes between the Brownville area and Millinocket.

Patrick McGowan, Commissioner of the Department of Conservation, said, "Seboeis is a great piece of land cherished by the local community and ideal for camping, snowmobiling, fishing, hunting and ATV riding. This is one of the reasons why Land for Maine's Future has been so successful in all 16 of Maine's counties, because it conserves great land that people love and treasure. This acquisition is tied very tightly to the local community. It is a wonderful addition to the public ownership in this region of Maine."

"Today we have come very close to the goal of making the entire Seboeis Lake area a public asset, a place that can never be closed off," Sam Hodder, TPL's outgoing Maine director, said. "Once again, Governor Baldacci and the Legislature have shown their commitment, through their support of the Land for Maine's Future program, to investing in our natural resources. It will pay dividends today in spectacular opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, and opportunities for the local communities to earn tourism dollars, but it is also a legacy for future generations."

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