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.
What if there was a large landscape in northern New England where animals could migrate in a warming climate? Where development was prohibited but sustainable forestry was still allowed? Where outdoor recreation could continue alongside land set aside for wilderness? That’s the goal of the Magalloway Conservation Initiative.
In the Rangeley Lakes region of western Maine, an ambitious effort is underway to conserve tens of thousands of acres in historic Wabanaki territory. For centuries, these have been prized hunting and fishing grounds, home to bear, lynx, deer and moose and one of the last strongholds of native brook trout in the country.
The woods bathed in moss on the Magalloway project lands.
But with a recent construction boom, forest fragmentation and rising temperatures, woods and wildlife are under threat. The Magalloway Conservation Initiative aims to safeguard both while also protecting public access to the region.
In mid-October, angler and fishing guide Alex Caisse navigates his pickup truck along logging roads in the woods of remote western Maine, not far from the northern New Hampshire border. He’s showing off highlights of the Magalloway project, nearly 80,000 acres of woods and waters that four organizations — The Nature Conservancy, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, Forest Society of Maine and Northeast Wilderness Trust — are working together to conserve.
“The area really speaks for itself,” Caisse says, setting off toward Aziscohos Lake. “It’s something that’s uniquely special in the way that it looks and the way that it feels.”
It’s moose hunting season. The leaves have turned orange and gold but Caisse still has fishing on his mind. For two decades he worked in the restaurant business and then, about 13 years ago, he became a fishing guide. He moved to Rangeley in part, he says, because of the cold, swift-moving waters of the Magalloway River. That’s how much he loves this place and why he’s passionate about keeping it intact.
Getting out of the truck, he takes a short walk through some dense woods to the edge of the upper Magalloway. It’s quiet and remote, one of Caisse’s favorite spots.
“When you come here, you lose sight of all the other things that are going on in the world and you focus more on the moment,” Caisse says. “You don’t focus on tomorrow. You don’t focus on yesterday. And so oftentimes, I think it is like church out here because it’s just so peaceful.”
A wooded trail leads to the Upper Magalloway River.
The groups have until the end of May 2026 to raise $62 million to conserve the property. Right now, they’re a little over halfway to the goal. But if they’re successful, they’ll have secured the final parcel on a remote and wild landscape of more than half a million connected acres that have previously been conserved.
Read the full post and listen to the Maine Public radio story.
Inside the Magalloway Project: 78,000 Acres of Maine Land and Water
November 19, 2025
Repost from All Points Fly Shop + Outfitter
Written by Josh Thelin
I recently attended a webinar that discussed a new and ongoing conservation collaboration between The Nature Conservancy in Maine(TNC), Forest Society of Maine (FSM), Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust (RLHT), and Northeast Wilderness Trust (NEWT). What drew me to learn more was not only understanding the importance of this area, but also the project’s historic size and effort. The Magalloway Project is an effort to conserve some of the most ecologically and environmentally important land in Maine. Not only that, but when conserved, it will connect roughly 500,000 acres of contiguous conserved land, a historic accomplishment for the region.
The project itself contains 78,000 acres in western Maine’s Rangeley Region. This includes 170 miltes of rivers and streams and over 2,400 acres of wetlands and lakes. If successful, it will permanently project this area. For us fly anglers in Maine, especially those of us that love to fish for native/wild brook trout and landlocked salmon, the Magalloway watershed is one of the last water systems in the country that is capable of sustaining these populations of fish with future climate issues in mind.
Magalloway Partners Take Flight To Protect Lands in Northwestern Maine
November 6, 2025
From LightHawk’s Conservation FLYer Featured Mission – October 2025
Flying above the forests of northwestern Maine in the fall provides a glorious view of the landscape, painted in the reds, yellows and oranges of Autumn. From the air, the aerial perspective captures not just the beauty and majesty of these lands, but why they matter – illustrating the importance of preserving them for future generations. In addition to their beauty, the Magalloway lands offer countless recreational opportunities while providing critical forested buffers around rivers, lakes and streams.
Volunteer pilot Scott Cianchette took passengers on a two-hour flight above northwestern Maine’s forests to capture stunning imagery that will educate and inspire potential donors about the importance of protecting these lands. From above, the group toured the entire project area, and experienced firsthand the vastness and connectivity of the landscape.
The flight took passengers along the shores of Aziscohos Lake in Northwestern Maine. Photo by Jake Metzler.The flight revealed the beauty of the forests decorated in fall colors. Photo by Jake Metzler.
After the flight, The Nature Conservancy’s Abigail King shared her appreciation, “Thank you for this opportunity! It was very useful for me to be at this altitude in order to truly understand the landscape context and scale of our conservation project.”
Learn more and see more aerial photos of the Magalloway on LightHawk’s Featured Mission post.
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