MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
In western Maine, a new conservation project has protected 78,000 acres around the Magalloway River from development. The river is a popular fly-fishing destination. It's known for its brook trout. It is also considered ecologically important for other wildlife. Susan Sharon of Maine Public takes us to a lake there.
(SOUNDBITE OF BIRDS CHIRPING)
SUSAN SHARON, BYLINE: It's a sparkling, early morning in June. In the dense woods, 15 miles from a main road, the birds are awake and Seth Laliberte and I have just settled into his canoe. Laliberte doubles as a school principal and a registered Maine guide. He's also a rabid paddling enthusiast.
SETH LALIBERTE: We are on northern Aziscohos Lake. And we're going to paddle up into - towards the Big Magalloway and Little Magalloway rivers.
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER TRICKLING)
SHARON: The narrow lake is 20 miles long, surrounded by rolling mountains covered with trees. It's still and quiet. The shoreline is almost entirely undeveloped, and there are few people, but there's plenty of wildlife to be seen and heard.
(Whispering) There's the loon. There's the loon.
LALIBERTE: (Whispering) Oh. There it is.
SHARON: (Whispering) Oh, my God.
We paddle past a pair of loons, an eagle perched atop a spruce and watch a kingfisher, in a streak of blue, nosedive into the lake for a fish. On this morning, we are not fortunate enough to see a moose but are treated instead to a jangly chorus of frogs.
(SOUNDBITE OF FROGS CROAKING)
SHARON: Despite the picture-perfect scene, Maine's North Woods are under pressure. They're being fragmented by development and by wealthy landowners looking to purchase their own slice of heaven and close it off for their personal enjoyment. And then there's the threat of climate change to animals already confronting habitat loss.
MARK BERRY: This is one of the largest conservation opportunities in New England in recent years.
SHARON: Mark Berry is with The Nature Conservancy in Maine, which helped raise $62 million to protect the cold, swift-moving Magalloway River, which is in the northern Appalachian mountain range. And this parcel connects to half a million previously conserved acres.
BERRY: Ultimately, we hope we have a pathway for species to move through the New England landscape and into adjacent parts of Canada and extending south throughout the Appalachians.
SHARON: Under the terms of the conservation deal, public access for fishing, hunting, paddling and snowmobiling will be allowed. Sustainable timber harvesting will also continue on much of the land. But more than 11,000 acres is also being set aside as a wilderness preserve. Bob Burr, who made his living in the wood products business, was inspired to donate money for the project.
BOB BURR: So you can do some good in this world that is lasting. Conservation easements are forever easements and forever is a long time.
LALIBERTE: Oh, look at the kingfishers chasing each other.
(SOUNDBITE OF FISHING LINE REELING)
SHARON: Back on Aziscohos Lake, guide Seth Laliberte demonstrates proper fly-casting technique. He says he's grateful that the Magalloway and the surrounding lands have been protected.
LALIBERTE: Projects like this ensure, you know, that we're going to have access to be able to enjoy this for years to come.
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER TRICKLING)
SHARON: For him, being on the water in a canoe offers a sense of freedom, something you can only find in wild places.
For NPR News, I'm Susan Sharon.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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