Alder Stream
The Alder Stream project consists of two separate parcels: the 1,200-acre Piscataquis Preserve and the 1,500-acre Alder Stream Preserve, both owned by the Northeast Wilderness Trust (NWT). The Sweet Water Trust (SWT) currently holds a conservation easement on the Alder Stream Preserve and no easement exists for the Piscataquis Preserve. At the request of NWT and SWT, FSM is acquiring a combined easement that will encompass the full 2,700 acres and, in the future, the entire parcel will be subject to FSM land stewardship and oversight.
The combined Piscataquis River Conservation Easement is designed to preserve this open space as “Forever Wild.” It protects significant natural and scenic values that reflect the rural character of the towns whose boundaries fall within the parcel (Atkinson, Dover-Foxcroft, and Milo), as well as to prevent habitat fragmentation and loss in this area. The property contains forest, meadow, and wetland habitat, including three miles of frontage along the Piscataquis River and its tributary, Alder Stream. These habitats support a variety of state-designated Species of Concern, such as the American chestnut, Rusty blackbird, Wood turtle, Olive-sided flycatcher, Creeper mussel, Bald eagle, and Lesser wintergreen. The Piscataquis River and Alder Stream provide rearing habitat for the federally endangered Atlantic salmon, and the Piscataquis River–Alder Stream wetland complex is recognized at both state and federal levels for its ecological significance to at-risk plant and animal species.
The Alder Stream Easement permits non-motorized and non-mechanized wilderness recreation uses that are consistent with the parcel’s “Forever Wild” management plan: hiking, paddling, hunting, and low-impact camping (that is, in compliance with Leave No Trace guidelines). Snowmobiling is also permitted on existing, documented trails.
