Less than a year after conserving 362 acres along the shoreline of Sebago Cove in Naples, Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) has obtained funding from the Land for Maine’s Future program for construction of a loop trail at Sebago Cove Forest.
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| Loon Echo Land Trust has obtained funding from the Land for Maine's Future program for construction of a loop trail at Sebago Cove Forest in Naples. COURTESY PHOTO |
“This 2-mile loop trail will improve public access to Sebago Cove Forest, guiding visitors right to the shore of Sebago Cove,” Markot said. “The trail will be accessible by car or boat. Our work goes beyond conserving land for wildlife and water quality. Supporting and directly providing access to the outdoors is at the center of our mission.”
This comes on the heels of LELT’s multi-year fundraising effort which allowed it to purchase a conservation easement from the landowner, Oani-SC LLC, enabling LELT to conserve the undeveloped forest land. While Sebago Cove Forest remains under private ownership, the easement permanently secured public access for hunting, fishing, hiking, and other recreational activities while prohibiting commercial and residential development and subdivision.
“The Lake Region has a long and proud tradition of public use on private land for hunting and fishing,” Markot said. “We’re proud to protect those traditional uses and enhance access for other recreational activities.”
Conservation easements limit future development and ensure that working forests, farmland, clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and scenic beauty remain an important part of the regional landscape for generations to come. LELT’s conservation easement for Sebago Cove Forest will run with the land regardless of future ownership.
Sebago Cove Forest is an important addition to the region’s network of conserved lands in the Lakes Region because of its 2,500 feet of frontage on Sebago Cove, part of Sebago Lake. It is part of a large network of undeveloped forest land near Sebago Lake and home to countless wetlands, vernal pools, wild brook trout habitat, and deer wintering areas.
It is also within the traditional and unceded territory of the Abenaki, a member tribe of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Abenaki First Nations of Odanak and Wôlinak maintain reservations along the St. Francis and St. Lawrence Rivers in the Canadian province of Quebec, where they sought refuge from colonial warfare in the Saco and Androscoggin River watersheds during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Markot said that protecting the Sebago Cove Forest also plays an important role in safeguarding the water quality of Sebago Lake, which is the source of drinking water for more than 200,000 Maine residents and many Cumberland County businesses. Sebago Lake is so clean, thanks in large part to its forested watershed, that it is just one of 50 surface water suppliers out of more than 13,000 nationally that is not required to be filtered.
The new loop trail will be funded with financial assistance from the Land for Maine’s Future Fund, part of the Land for Maine's Future Program, which is the State of Maine's primary funding source for conserving land for its natural, economic, and recreational value.
Loon Echo Land Trust was founded in 1987, and is a nonprofit organization that protects land, ensures public access to the outdoors, and builds and maintains recreational trails in Raymond, Casco, Naples, Harrison, Sebago, Bridgton, and Denmark. The organization currently conserves more than 8,500 acres of land and manages a 35-mile trail network across the Lake Region. LELT protects many important local landmarks like Pleasant Mountain, Bald Pate Mountain, Raymond Community Forest and Hacker’s Hill. <
“The Lake Region has a long and proud tradition of public use on private land for hunting and fishing,” Markot said. “We’re proud to protect those traditional uses and enhance access for other recreational activities.”
Conservation easements limit future development and ensure that working forests, farmland, clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and scenic beauty remain an important part of the regional landscape for generations to come. LELT’s conservation easement for Sebago Cove Forest will run with the land regardless of future ownership.
Sebago Cove Forest is an important addition to the region’s network of conserved lands in the Lakes Region because of its 2,500 feet of frontage on Sebago Cove, part of Sebago Lake. It is part of a large network of undeveloped forest land near Sebago Lake and home to countless wetlands, vernal pools, wild brook trout habitat, and deer wintering areas.
It is also within the traditional and unceded territory of the Abenaki, a member tribe of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Abenaki First Nations of Odanak and Wôlinak maintain reservations along the St. Francis and St. Lawrence Rivers in the Canadian province of Quebec, where they sought refuge from colonial warfare in the Saco and Androscoggin River watersheds during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Markot said that protecting the Sebago Cove Forest also plays an important role in safeguarding the water quality of Sebago Lake, which is the source of drinking water for more than 200,000 Maine residents and many Cumberland County businesses. Sebago Lake is so clean, thanks in large part to its forested watershed, that it is just one of 50 surface water suppliers out of more than 13,000 nationally that is not required to be filtered.
The new loop trail will be funded with financial assistance from the Land for Maine’s Future Fund, part of the Land for Maine's Future Program, which is the State of Maine's primary funding source for conserving land for its natural, economic, and recreational value.
Loon Echo Land Trust was founded in 1987, and is a nonprofit organization that protects land, ensures public access to the outdoors, and builds and maintains recreational trails in Raymond, Casco, Naples, Harrison, Sebago, Bridgton, and Denmark. The organization currently conserves more than 8,500 acres of land and manages a 35-mile trail network across the Lake Region. LELT protects many important local landmarks like Pleasant Mountain, Bald Pate Mountain, Raymond Community Forest and Hacker’s Hill. <
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