At 3,200 acres, the protected sandplain grassland community found at the Kennebunk Plains is the largest intact example of this ecosystem in New England. Grassland habitat, never abundant in the Northeast, is declining rapidly due to development and changing agricultural practices. The sandy dry soils underlying the Plains made them a particular target for residential Read More
Wildlife Watching
Maine is home to many iconic species of wildlife—the Common Loon, black bears, Canada lynx, Osprey, and of course, moose! Exploring Maine's outdoors often offers you a glimpse of these beautiful creatures. Learn more about Maine wildlife in our Creature Feature. Explore these locations for a chance to see Maine's wildlife up close. Please remember to leave their nests, dens, and young offspring alone if you come across them while exploring.
Lake George Regional Park
In periodic surveys of recreational resources throughout Maine, the Department of Conservation (DOC) repeatedly identified a deficiency in west-central Maine where residents clearly needed more resources for water-based recreation. Seeking to fill this need, the Department searched for12 years before an ideal property came on the market–a former summer camp at the southern end of Read More
Lambert Lake
Lambert Lake, tucked amidst mountains near the New Brunswick border, is an attractive and largely undeveloped Great Pond. The steep wooded shores along this 605-acre water body are broken only by a few rustic camps, mostly concentrated at the southern end. Boaters and fishermen have traditionally enjoyed this scenic setting, rich in brook trout and Read More
Leavitt Plantation Forest
The fate of an 8,600-acre forest, which has supported generations of local families, came into question in 2000 when the land was slated for auction into more than a dozen parcels. Leavitt Plantation Forest in Parsonsfield represents York County’s largest contiguous block of sustainably managed forest in single ownership, and provides high-value forest products that Read More
Little Concord Pond Addition (Speckled Mountain Parcel)
The Speckled Mountain parcel was part of an early Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) project that included multiple parcels totaling 37,000 acres. This 64-acre tract, near state park land that the Bureau of Parks and Lands holds around Little Concord Pond in Woodstock, includes a portion of the Bald-Speckled Mountain trail on the west slope Read More
Lobster Cove Meadow and Penny Lake
The Boothbay Region Land Trust has created many popular preserves on the Boothbay peninsula, protecting valuable wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities for community residents. A Land for Maine’s Future Program grant and funds from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service helped to create two new preserves encompassing both Boothbay Harbor’s major freshwater wetlands. The properties are rich Read More
Long Reach Preserve
Funding from the Land for Maine’s Future program enabled Harpswell Heritage Land Trust (HHLT) to purchase 95 acres adjoining a town-owned recreational field and a previously protected 217-acre property. Long Reach consists of upland forests, the southern freshwater end of the largest, mostly salt, marsh in Harpswell, as well as fresh water wetlands and bogs. This Read More
Lower Kennebec River Estuary
The Lower Kennebec River Estuary (including Merrymeeting Bay) is the largest tidal estuary on the Eastern Seaboard north of Chesapeake Bay. The lower reaches of this large embayment have extensive salt marsh, a rare habitat in Maine that offers valuable foraging, nesting, and wintering habitat for thousands of wading birds, shorebirds and migrating waterfowl. Boaters Read More
Machias River Project
The Machias River ranks with the St. John, the Allagash, and the Penobscot as one of Maine’s most scenic and outstanding paddling rivers. Over the course of 76 miles, canoeists enjoy an array of water courses–from lakes and swamps to rapids and a waterfall. The river is rich in brook trout, bass, and pickerel, and each spring Read More