Alder Stream Wilderness Preserve
Atkinson, ME
In remote central Maine, a roughly 20,000-acre complex of protected lands is being assembled by various conservation groups including the Northeast Wilderness Trust. These protected lands border Alder Stream and the Piscataquis River, and contain mature American chestnut trees, expansive wetlands, and Atlantic salmon habitat. The Trust is working actively with local partners to expand and further connect this network of protected lands, which includes partner holdings devoted to sustainable forestry, and organic farming. As of fall 2015, Northeast Wilderness Trust owns more than 6,800 acres under forever-wild protection. Learn more about the Alder Stream Wilderness Preserve here.
(photograph courtesy of Northeast Wilderness Trust)
Read “Alder Stream” by David Crews
Binney Hill Wilderness Preserve
New Ipswich, NH
The Binney Hill property was purchased by Northeast Wilderness Trust in October 2016, protecting 488 acres across four parcels in southern New Hampshire that preserve connectivity for wildlife and people in this region. This land abuts the Binney Pond Natural Area to the north and Ashburnham State Forest to the south, and connects our own Wapack Wilderness easement with the protected areas surrounding Mount Watatic in Massachusetts. This land is a key connector in a major forest block, tying together a total of 6,000 acres straddling the New Hampshire–Massachusetts border. This land is home to moose, bobcat, black bear, and deer. In addition, more than a mile of the historic Wapack Trail traverses the Binney Hill parcels. This project ensures ongoing access for hikers, runners, and nature lovers alike. Learn more about the Binney Hill Wilderness Preserve here.
(photograph courtesy of Northeast Wilderness Trust)
Read Three Poems for Binney Hill Preserve by Rachelle Parker
Eagle Mountain Wilderness Preserve
Chesterfield, NY
The Eagle Mountain Wilderness Preserve, northwest of Essex, New York, encompasses 2,434 acres of glacial-carved topography and unique water features in the foothills of the Northeastern Adirondacks, in a landscape that is underrepresented in protected areas in the Adirondack Park and across the Northeast. This densely forested property consists of northern hardwood and conifer forests, with patches of cliffs and talus, pristine undeveloped ponds, miles of clear running brooks, vernal pools, and wetlands. Peregrine Falcons (a New York State endangered species) have been consistently nesting on the property for at least five years. It was preserved as forever-wild in 2019 by Northeast Wilderness Trust.
(photograph courtesy of Brendan Wiltse)
Read Three Poems for Eagle Mountain Preserve by Sylvia Karman
Muddy Pond Wilderness Preserve
Kingston, MA
The Northeast Wilderness Trust established the Preserve in 2018, and has been working to re-wild the land and connect students and residents with wilderness. The Muddy Pond Wilderness Preserve sits in Kingston, MA at the northern reaches of the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens. This forest type is globally rare, and found only in New Jersey, Long Island, and Southeastern Massachusetts and its islands. The Pine Barrens are dominated by pitch pine and black, white, and red oak trees. While Massachusetts’ Pine Barrens survived European settlement because their nutrient-poor soils were not suitable for agriculture, they are now very rare due to suburban development. Several species live only in the unique Coastal Plain Ponds of Southeast Massachusetts, and are critically endangered or threatened.
(photograph courtesy of Northeast Wilderness Trust)