Ragged Mountain conservation effort wins $500K Land for Maine's Future grant
The Coastal Mountains Land Trust’s Round the Mountain Collaboration has won a Land for Maine’s Future grant of $500,000 to support the conservation of Ragged Mountain in Rockport, Camden and Hope.
The PenBay Pilot reported the money will go toward one of the three components of the Round the Mountain Collaboration: the 790-acre Mirror Lake Conservation Easement project, which received LMF’s highest score.
All together, the collaboration has raised $3 million of the $4.2 million needed to fulfill its goals. The project includes construction of a proposed nine-mile Round the Mountain Trail and the purchase of two conservation easements to protect more than 1,400 acres of land.
According to the trust’s website, the project “will permanently conserve open space and critical wildlife habitat on and around Ragged Mountain, while also securing and expanding two benefits essential to the community: pure drinking water and opportunities for healthy outdoor recreation.” The nine-mile trail system will be designed to allow hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing.
The Ragged Mountain Recreation Area, which includes the Camden Snow Bowl, has also been undergoing redevelopment, including improvements to the ski area, transforming the overall recreation area into a four-season enterprise and helping stimulate the region's outdoor economy. The redevelopment was undertaken with the expectation of bringing more traffic and revenue, with the four-season recreation area expected to generate more than $5 million annually in the area.
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