There’s More Good News: Commitments to Meet 100% of the Fundraising Goal Secured!
October 9, 2026
Dear Friends of the Magalloway,
When we last wrote you, we announced the closing of the historic 78,000-acre Magalloway conservation project—but there was still a fundraising gap to close. Today, we’re thrilled to share more good news: thanks to the ongoing generosity of donors large and small, we have now secured commitments to meet 100% of our fundraising goal!
The Magalloway project is truly a story of collaboration and shared vision—and an inspiring example of what’s possible when people come together around conservation at this scale.
Donors, project partners, and staff from Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, Forest Society of Maine, Northeast Wilderness Trust, and TNC Maine gathered on September 30th in Rangeley to mark this incredible conservation win. If you were unable to attend the celebration, we invite you to read former Forest Society of Maine CEO Karin Tilberg’s beautiful poem, “Casting to Hope,” which she shared at the event.
Together, we’ve made history. Thank you!
Magalloway Collaborative staff from TNC Maine, FSM, NEWT & RLHT at the September 30th celebration in Rangeley | Matt Didisheim TNC
In the Rangeley Lakes region of western Maine, several conservation groups have permanently protected 78,000 acres around the Magalloway River watershed from development.
Heavily forested, with a cold water fishery, this is an ecologically important landscape that still feels remote and wild. It has one of the last sustaining brook trout populations in the country, so it’s a fly fishing haven. But it’s also a popular birding destination. And there’s a major snowmobile corridor that cuts through the woods linking Maine with New Hampshire.
Even more significant for wildlife facing climate change is that the Magalloway parcel connects with half a million acres that have previously been conserved.
On a sparkling early morning in June, Seth Laliberte and I settle into his canoe at the northern end of Aziscohos Lake not far from the Big Magalloway and Little Magalloway rivers. Laliberte says there’s a long history here of people coming in search of trophy brook trout, but he says the salmon fishing is not bad either.
A school principal, Laliberte also doubles as a registered Maine guide. He and his wife own an outdoor sporting goods store in Rangeley. And he’s a rabid paddling enthusiast. He thinks it’s one of the best ways to explore the North Woods.
Registered Maine Guide, Rangeley resident and local business owner, Seth Laliberte, solo paddles a canoe into the mouth of the Magalloway River
“It’s easy and it’s accessible for a lot of people,” he says. “It’s just a peaceful way to move around the land.”
Aziscohos Lake is narrow and and 20 miles long, surrounded by rolling mountains covered with trees. It’s still and quiet. The shoreline is almost entirely undeveloped. But there’s plenty of wildlife to be seen and heard. We paddle past a pair of loons, watch a kingfisher in a streak of blue nosedive into the lake to retrieve a fish, observe an eagle perched on a tall spruce and move quietly into a cove to record a chorus of green frogs that sound like someone is tuning a guitar. If we’re lucky we might get to see a moose.
“Even on a day when it’s not this perfect, it’s still amazing,” Laliberte says. “I always tell people … this is kind of what it looked like forever.”
Despite the picture perfect scene, Maine’s North Woods are under pressure, from forest fragmentation and development, including from 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 and what that means for plants and animals already confronting habitat loss.
Historic Magalloway Collaborative Conserves 78,000 Acres in Western Maine
July 27, 2026
Project Supports the Regional Timber Economy, Secures Recreational Opportunities, and Protects Important Wildlife Habitats
Oxford County, Maine — Four conservation organizations today announced the successful completion of a landmark project that has conserved more than 78,000 acres in the Magalloway River region of western Maine. Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, Forest Society of Maine, Northeast Wilderness Trust, and The Nature Conservancy — together, the Magalloway Collaborative — worked in close coordination on all aspects of the effort, from initial negotiations through fundraising and completion of the conservation transactions, to connect a corridor of more than half a million acres of contiguous conserved lands.
Parmachenee Lake in Maine’s northern forest.
This multifaceted land conservation project maintains existing recreational access to the property’s lands and waters, creates new public preserves, restricts future development, and sustains the regional economy through continued forest management opportunities while creating buffers around key waterbodies. The partners hope that the innovative collaboration between local, state, regional, and global conservation organizations, which prioritized community engagement alongside conservation goals, may serve as a model for future projects.
The Magalloway project’s balanced conservation approach was negotiated in partnership with Wagner Forest Management, representing Bayroot, LLC, the property owner. Most of the property (over 62,500 acres) will continue to be managed by Wagner. It was important to both Wagner and the project partners that a substantial portion of the project lands continue to support the regional forest economy.
A new permanent conservation easement held by Forest Society of Maine restricts future development while allowing continued timber harvest and forest management, securing substantial forested buffers around key streams, and continuing to allow public access for hunting, fishing, boating, and other recreational and cultural uses.
Northeast Wilderness Trust has acquired more than 11,200 acres of the land and is establishing a new wilderness preserve open to the public within the remote headwaters of the Magalloway River and the upland forests of Ledge Ridge and Rump Mountain — expanding upon adjacent ecological reserves in New Hampshire’s Connecticut Lakes Region. Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust now owns and manages over 4,400 acres for recreation and wildlife habitat, including corridors along the Little Magalloway and Magalloway Rivers and a forest tract southeast of Route 16 near Cupsuptic Lake. Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust will conduct river restoration throughout the project area to improve water quality and reconnect native brook trout habitat.
Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust Executive Director David Miller commented: “We have together accomplished something truly extraordinary with the Magalloway Lands and Waters project. Conservation at this scale takes trust, a shared commitment, and more work than we could have imagined. The benefits to local communities, wildlife, and the natural world that result from this work make all of us thankful to be part of it.”
A wild brook trout – Mat Trogner
Fish and Wildlife Habitat
The Magalloway region is home to world-renowned brook trout fishing, hunting, and other outdoor recreation opportunities which are now secured for the benefit of current and future generations. Biologists and fisheries scientists have identified the Magalloway River as one of the last strongholds in the country for self-sustaining native brook trout populations.
Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust is protecting corridors along the river and its largest tributary, while the conservation easement held by Forest Society of Maine provides additional 100-foot protective buffers along brook trout streams identified as High Priority by Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Allowing forests to grow old along these streams will help enhance habitat, add critical nutrients, regulate stream temperatures, and maintain and improve water quality. The project area hosts excellent habitat for wildlife, including Canada lynx, black bear, moose, white-tailed deer, and diverse bird life including Ruffed Grouse and more than 20 species of warbler.
Public Access
The project preserves a wide variety of existing remote recreation opportunities. The property is accessible from Route 16 and a network of privately owned forest roads. Vehicular access to the northern third of the project area remains limited. Boating access opportunities include a put-in on Aziscohos Lake and many hand-carry access points, including on the Magalloway River. Snowmobiling remains a welcomed activity on established trails throughout the property, including the ITS-84 which connects Maine and New Hampshire. Recreational users may still hire Registered Maine Guides for activities including hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing.
“The Magalloway project ensures that future generations can enjoy paddling, hunting, and fishing in this special place,” said Seth Laliberte, Registered Maine Guide and owner of Rangeley Adventure Company, a local outdoor sporting goods shop in Rangeley. “As a guide and business owner, access to wild places like the Magalloway is essential to our outdoor economy and the way of life that makes the Rangeley region so special.”
Cultural Significance
The partners acknowledge that the Magalloway Lands and Waters are part of the homeland of the Wabanaki Tribal Nations, the People of the Dawnland, and look forward to the opportunities this project creates for Wabanaki Peoples to strengthen and re-establish cultural and spiritual connections here.
Building Climate Resilience
Conservation of the Magalloway Lands and Waters bolsters connectivity of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitat in the Northern Appalachians, a major pathway for the movement of species in eastern North America in response to climate change. With 78,000 acres of forests and wetlands now certain to remain undeveloped, along with more than 11,000 acres of those forests growing old in a wilderness preserve and in corridors along rivers and streams, the project delivers significant increases in potential carbon sequestration and storage.
Funding The Project
The Collaborative partners express their appreciation to the foundations, federal grant sources, and hundreds of individuals for the support they provided to the Magalloway project. Generous lead grants were received from MathWorks, EJK Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through Walmart’s Acres for America Program, and North American Wetlands Conservation Act funds.
With 97 percent of the funds raised as of July 27th, the Collaborative continues to seek additional contributions to fully cover the $62 million project cost. As of today, an additional $1.9 million is needed. Donations can be made here.
“The collaboration our four organizations achieved here is an important model for how people can work together to accomplish big things,” said Mark Berry, forest program director for The Nature Conservancy in Maine. “Together, the Collaborative and our supporters are accomplishing something no one organization could do alone.”
There’s Still Time To Support The Magalloway—We’re Nearly There!
As we welcome June, the sun is shining, fish are rising, birds are returning, and we are more grateful than ever for the opportunity to conserve the lands and waters of the Magalloway. We’re also grateful to all who have supported the Magalloway project to date as we near the finish line in this historic effort. With just over a month left until the Magalloway project closes, we express our sincere appreciation to nearly 400 supporters who have already donated to conserve and keep these lands and waters accessible for generations to come.
We still have $2.3 million to raise by July 31, and we can’t do it without you.🙏
If you have not yet contributed or would like to make an additional contribution, don’t miss your chance to be a part of something bigger. If this work inspires you, consider making a gift and sharing the story with others who may be interested.
(Photo: paddlers on Upper Azisocohos Lake, August 2025. Courtesy of Seth Laliberte.)
Magalloway Conservation Story Featured on Maine Public, Borealis TV Show
April 24, 2026
Magalloway Featured on Episode Four | Borealis Season Three
Join host Aislinn Sarnacki as she explores places off the Old Canada Road and ventures to western Maine to meet the people behind the Magalloway lands and waters project. Borealis, produced by Maine Public, is an Emmy-award-winning outdoors show highlighting the nature of Maine. Hear from each project partner and learn about the significance of this project for climate, fish and wildlife, wilderness and Maine’s economy.
“The Magalloway project is that missing link in a big chain of conserved land, and so this project is hugely important for filling in that missing piece. We are working in an area that’s the largest intact mixed-temperate forest in North America. A big reason that connectivity is important is that wildlife need to be able to migrate across the landscape and count on that habitat as part of their range.” – Abby King, land conservation project manager, The Nature Conservancy in Maine.
Four conservation organizations have joined forces to purchase and permanently protect a massive tract of wild forestland in Maine’s north country, and some Trout Unlimited stream champions are doing their part to help seal the deal.
The Magalloway Collaborative is working to raise $62 million to conserve 78,000 acres in the Northern Appalachians, hard against the New Hampshire border just a short distance from Canada.
The gift can grow with additional support from TU members, chapters, councils and supporters.
A champion is leading the effort, but he can’t do it alone
Paul Doscher, a longtime TU volunteer leader and current member of the Board of Trustees, was inspired to spearhead TU’s support after talking with David Miller, the Executive Director of the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, which is a member of the collaborative of conservation organizations working to protect the Magalloway.
The property, Miller told Doscher, will provide additional opportunities for TU to expand restoration work that’s been ongoing elsewhere in Maine, for example in the Kennebago watershed.
TU crews have been strategically adding wood to streams in Maine, a restoration strategy that will continue on the Magalloway property. (Charlie Hildick-Smith photo)
Doscher said reaching TU’s ambitious fundraising goal would require reaching outside of Maine.
“Let’s open it up to anybody,” he said. “A lot of people from all over the country have been there and might be interested in participating and helping to preserve that amazing area.”Â
Read the full article. If you’re a TU member and want to make a matching contribution (up to $50,000), donate here and check the box “Contribute to a Trout Unlimited Matching Gift” and write in who you would like to recognize.
Magalloway Collaborative Project Featured on Outdoor Adventure Show—Explore New England
Watch Explore New England TV’s Ep. 48: Headwaters: Protecting Maine’s Upper Magalloway River Watershed. Produced and narrated by Tom Richardson, this episode examines the Magalloway Collaborative Project, a partnership of four conservation organizations seeking to conserve some 78,000 acres surrounding the Magalloway River in western Maine. From fishing on the lower Magalloway to hiking in the remote northern corner of the project area, the episode covers recreational access and each partner’s role in the larger conservation effort.
Dependent on cold, clear, well oxygenated waters, brookies [brook trout] are considered an indicator of healthy habitat—the kind still found in northwest Maine’s Rangeley Lakes Region.” – Tom Richardson, Explore New England producer and host.
Community Gathers at Saddleback to Celebrate Conservation Progress
March 11, 2026
The Magalloway Collaborative Partners Host Happy Hour for Nature
On February 28, community members, partners, and supporters gathered at Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley, Maine, for “A Happy Hour for Nature: Conserving the Magalloway.” Held in the Fireplace Room of the main ski lodge, the event brought together people who care deeply about the future of the Magalloway region and the remarkable conservation effort underway there.
Hosted by members of The Magalloway Collaborative, the evening offered an opportunity to connect with neighbors, learn more about the project, and celebrate the significant progress made toward protecting one of Maine’s most iconic landscapes.
David Miller of Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, addresses attendees at Saddleback Mountain. February 28, 2026.
During the event, speakers shared exciting news about the campaign’s fundraising progress. To date, the collaborative has raised 84% of the $62 million needed to complete this historic conservation project in the heart of Maine’s western mountains. The update energized the room and underscored the widespread support behind conserving forests, rivers, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities for future generations.
One attendee summed up the feeling of the evening with a powerful remark:
“If I had $10 million, I would give it to this project. That was inspiring.”
Beyond the presentations, the event was filled with meaningful conversations among people connected to the region in many different ways. Attendees included neighbors from the Saddleback area, longtime Rangeley residents, outdoor enthusiasts, and supporters of local conservation organizations. Conversations ranged from memories of the Magalloway River to stories about camping and paddling trips downstream of the project area. Moments like these reflected exactly what the project aims to protect: a place where future generations can continue to explore, learn, and connect with the outdoors.
Sun Journal: Conservation groups near $62M goal for 78,000 acres in western Maine
February 5, 2026
The Magalloway Collaborative has raised over $49 million to permanently conserve forest and wetlands for a variety of public uses
By Joe Charpentier, staff writer
The 78,000-acre parcel, about a 30-minute drive west of Rangeley, contains 170 miles of rivers and streams and 2,400 acres of wetlands and lakes. The parcel will connect about 500,000 acres of conserved land stretching from New Hampshire into Maine’s Franklin County, including along portions of the Canadian border.
The collaborative, which launched fundraising for the conservation project in March 2025, has a remaining goal of $12.4 million toward the purchase before its May deadline to close on the property.
“We are currently just over 80% of our fundraising goal,” said Molly Shaw, communications director for the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust. “If the potential donors we are now reaching out to respond as favorably as our early donors have, we should be on track to close that 20% gap in time to execute the option at the end of May.”
With just four months remaining to secure the final funds, we are truly within reach of a once-in-a-generation conservation achievement. 🎉Here’s how you can help us cross the finish line:
👉 Share this news with friends and family who care about land conservation.
👉 Learn more and educate: watch this webinar about the project.
👉 Join us in person. Connect with fellow supporters at an upcoming Magalloway happy hour at Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley, Maine. Learn more and RSVP.
Magalloway spotlight at the Maine Outdoor Economy Summit
January 23, 2026
Conservation, Elevating Outdoor Recreation are Shared Economic Priorities
This week, representatives from the Magalloway Collaborative team joined more than 400 leaders, policymakers, educators, business owners, other nonprofits, and outdoor advocates at the 2026 Maine Outdoor Economy Summit in Portland — a pivotal gathering focused on growing Maine’s outdoor recreation economy.
The summit, framed around the Maine Outdoor Recreation Economy Roadmap, highlights a shared state vision to expand Maine’s outdoor sector by 10% over the next decade and solidify its role as a meaningful economic driver.
Reps from Magalloway Collaborative organizations at the Maine Outdoor Economy Summit in Portland – January 2026. Left to right: Molly Shaw (RLHT), Becky Clough (NEWT), Mark Berry (TNC Maine), Rich Knox (NEWT), Jake Metzler (FSM), and David Miller (RLHT).
At the summit, presenters from across sectors showcased strategies and community-driven projects that align with the Roadmap’s goals, including workforce development, expanded access, inclusive recreation, and infrastructure investment.
Mark Berry, forest program director for TNC Maine, introduces the Magalloway project partners
Mark Berry, forest program director at the Nature Conservancy in Maine, touted the Magalloway Collaborative’s work over the past year to conserve 78,000 acres of lands and waters in western Maine. “This is an outstanding outdoor opportunity area that’s treasured and really important to its local communities, but it’s also easily accessible by a massive human population, and that leads to real pressure on the landscape and real urgency to the conservation approach,” Berry said.
As this Portland Press Herald article states, outdoor recreation, and the public access that conservation secures, helps contribute $3.4 billion to Maine’s economy, represented 3.7% of the state’s gross domestic product and that more than 30,000 jobs.
The main takeaway: collaborative, largescale conservation efforts can secure Maine’s outdoor recreation future.
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