"the Moose River ... northern Maine ... a large-scale conservation effort is aimed at protecting it...
The Nature Conservancy last week announced an agreement to pursue the purchase of 45,200 acres around the Moose River, including the 4,500-acre bog... It is part of a larger deal that would conserve nearly 345,000 acres in northern Maine... If completed, the deal would represent one of the largest land conservation projects in Maine history. The land deal also includes a 270,000-acre... in the Moosehead Lake region, and a 28,320-acre land purchase around the Roach Ponds... ... The Department of Conservation already owns 20,000 acres around Holeb Pond, and the Forest Society of Maine owns another 18,000 around Attean Pond. The Plum Creek deal would bring the total area of protected land around Jackman's Moose River Bow Trip to more than 83,000 acres. The purchase would not only help protect the land around the entire water loop, it would create an ecological reserve around the bog... "It's one of the larger, more pristine peat lands," said Margaret Pizer with The Nature Conservancy. "There are rare plants here. It is an extraordinary example of this kind of peat land." The massive bog is unusual in the Northeast, and for that reason has been listed as a National Natural Landmark. The designation focuses on areas that "exemplify the geological and ecological history of the United States." And there are just 587 such landmarks across the country, including 14 in Maine. Number 5 Bog earned the designation for the number of ponds and pools, and the unusual striated glacial features here, Pizer said. ... In 1984, the first protected area around the Moose River Bow Trip was preserved around Attean Pond by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, when it was a subsidiary of the New Hampshire Forest Society. ... In Number 5 Bog, there are rare plants, such as Weigland's sedge, or the white-fringed orchid, and arethusa orchid." article URL : http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/711640/wild_idea__if_paddling_the_moose_river_appeals_youre/index.html?source=r_science *********** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
