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Northeast Regional Office
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Regional Activities in Maine
The Sierra Club has made the protection of the Maine Woods, the
largest expanse of contiguous northern forest east of the Mississippi
River, one of its highest national conservation priorities. The Maine
Woods Campaign seeks to protect Maine's wilderness heritage through
efforts to link existing public lands and unprotected areas, guarantee
public access, create new opportunities for wilderness recreation,
and allow forests to return to a mature and natural state. The centerpiece
of the Maine Woods Campaign is the 100 Mile Wilderness – the
northernmost section of the Appalachian Trail and the longest section
of the trail uninterrupted by paved roads. Maine Sierrans are also
working to protect the Allagash Wilderness Waterway – Maine’s
only designated “wild” river under the federal Wild and
Scenic Rivers Act. The wilderness values of the Allagash have been
under attack since the passage of State legislation in 2006 to undermine
our hard-won protections for the river – including recent state-sanctioned
plans to build an illegal permanent bridge at Henderson Brook. For
more information on the Maine Woods Campaign, contact Karen.Woodsum@sierraclub.org.
Recent Successes
Maine Chapter volunteers and Maine Woods Campaign staff were successful
in helping to protect the spectacular 6000 acres around Katahdin
Lake – over 4000 acres to be included in the “forever
wild” protective embrace of Baxter State Park. The building
blocks of the 100-Mile Wilderness continue to expand with over 85,000
acres conserved since we kicked off our vision in 2002 and another
60,000 acres in current negotiations.
To join the Maine Woods Action List please call Jenny Blodgett
at 207-761-5616 or visit
this website.
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