Great news! Nearly 1,000 acres are now permanently conserved in Milford and Greenfield, Maine! Wells Forest abuts Sunkhaze National Wildlife Refuge and adds to a corridor of more than 40,000 acres of conserved lands from Milford to Amherst (northeast of Bangor).
Sunkhaze Stream runs through the property, creating wet meadows, small gorges, and excellent habitat for brook trout, inland waterfowl, and many other species. The forest will continue to be managed sustainably by the landowner, Bryan Wells.
Also adjacent to the easement is Bryan’s dark sky observatory where he photographs distant galaxies and nebulae. In a recent article with Bangor Daily News, Bryan said: “The goal is always to keep forests intact and from being fragmented, to protect them from development and to prevent sprawl,” he said. “It also has the added bonus of protecting the dark skies we have in Maine, which helps everyone — including wildlife. And, well, it’s great for astrophotography too, though that’s just a nice bonus for me personally.”
A tremendous thank you to everyone who helped make this project a success, including the Land for Maine’s Future program.
Read more about the landowner’s history with the land here: Old Town man carries on his late wife’s legacy through their woodlot and observatory or on Bryan’s website: https://wellsforest.com/
Photos by Bryan and Pamela Wells.
