329,000 acres in Maine

This news is a little old (Jan 6 ) but there was a short article in the Union Leader stating that Maine annouced the completion of a $31 million deal protecting Maine's North Woods from development.
This is a huge accomplishment for the state of Maine... and a conservation easement on another 282,000 acres along the West Branch.
I don't think we're talking "parkland" but it is great to see Maine so active.
I hope this ties in with land around Baxter State Park making for a
very nice amount of protected land and easements.
Anybody have some more info about it??

Here's an article from Mainetoday.com.

Components include:
- purchase by the state of 47,000 acres in northwestern Maine, including the headwaters of the St. John River, the shores of Baker and Seboomook lakes, and Pittston Farm, a historic logging camp that serves as a home base for hikers, hunters and snowmobilers near the junction of the East and West branches of the Penobscot River

- a 282,000-acre conservation easement held by the Forest Society of Maine that will allow logging but prohibit development. The land, which surrounds the West Branch of the Penobscot, stretches from the north shore of Moosehead Lake west to the Canadian border and north to Baker Lake and the St. John River headwaters.

- Phase II, still in the planning, would be the acquisition of another 320,000 acres to the east of the West Branch project phase I

It may be better than parkland!

If you really want to read up on this, with emphasis on the unique collaborative process that led to consummation, follow this targeted Google search of MEEPI's resources.