A Conservation and Recreation Corridor Connecting Bangor, Veazie, Orono, Old Town, Alton and Hudson

A VISION AND A PLAN

The Corridor Map

The vision is to provide a corridor extending from the Penjajawoc Marsh adjacent to the Bangor Mall, through Veazie and Orono, to the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge in Old Town, Hudson and Alton. The corridor will be within easy driving, walking or bicycling distance for the 50,000 residents in the Greater Bangor Area. It will conserve and connect large unbroken blocks of land to provide for recreational trail networks, wildlife habitat, sustainable forestry, water access, traditional outdoor sports, and environmental education and research.

The plan to accomplish this vision was devised and is being carried out by a collaborative effort between Bangor Land Trust (BLT) and the Orono Land Trust(OLT) When complete it will connect about 6,000-9,600 acres of conserved land within an 18,000-acre focus area shown on the map in light yellow.

The vision was conceived in the late 1990’s and put into action at that time with grant-writing and collaboration among the Orono Land Trust, the Department of Conservation, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Forest Society of Maine.

This collaboration laid the groundwork for the CB-P Project Committee, which has received funding though three Land for Maine’s Future grants, the first in 2003. Using this major funding source coupled with funds and land gifts from the donors listed below, the Project has acquired about 2179 acres land valued at a little over $1.25 million within the 18,000-acre focus area.

Those who have visited the Orono Bog Boardwalk and hiked or biked the trails of Newman Hill, the IF&W Land, Walden Parke Preserve and the Bangor Forest, have gotten a close-up view of the natural treasures we have right in “our back yard,” the Caribou Bog-Penjajawoc Corridor.

The Corridor is home to the ~6,000-acre Caribou Bog Complex, the third most important peat bog in Maine and the only one of the three that was not protected at the outset of this project. The area is home to endangered and rare species including mussels, dragonflies, and sedges. University of Maine faculty and students in cooperation with researchers from all over the United States carry out research on the bog itself and its plant and animal inhabitants.

Management Plan: Maintain habitat for the bobcats, eagles, moose, bears, deer, porcupines, beavers and many other native animals and plants, large and small. Fishing and hunting, where local ordinances and landowners allow. Trails for snowmobiles, hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing. Sustainable forestry. Research. Educational programs.

Twenty-four organizations plus private donors have contributed to the Caribou Bog-Penjajawoc Project (CB-P Project) .

Orono Land Trust, Bangor Land Trust, The City of Bangor, Towns of Veazie, Orono, Old Town, Hudson, and Alton, Land for Maine’s Future Program, Outdoor Heritage Fund, North American Wildlife Conservation Act, Maine Community Foundation, Greater Pushaw Lake Association, Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Maine Department of Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, Maine Audubon, Maine Community Foundation Belvedere Fund, University of Maine, University of Maine Foundation, Sage Foundation, New England Grass roots, Davis Conservation Fund, Eastern Maine Development Corporation, and many private donors.

For more information visit www.bangorlandtrust.org