USDA Forest
Service
Northeastern Area
Durham Field Office
271 Mast Road
Durham, NH 03824
(v) (603) 868-7600
(f) (603) 868-7604
(tdd) (603) 868-7603
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Northeastern Area Forest Legacy Program
FY2003,
Third Quarter Update
FLP Activities
- A Superior Meeting—The Northeastern Area Forest Legacy Program (FLP)
partners met in Superior, Wisconsin, June 12-13, 2003. USDA Forest Service
representatives and State program managers covered a wide range of topics,
including national direction, conservation easement language, appraisals,
budgets, FLIS, and grants. Fourteen of the Northeastern Area States were
represented at the meeting.
- The final June 30, 2003, version of the Forest Legacy Program Implementation
Guidelines has been released and is available on the Forest Service Web site
at http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/flp_guide.pdf.
This is the second revision to the Forest Legacy Program guidelines; the
original 1992 guidelines were previously revised on August 15, 1996.
- The House Committee for Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations marked
up the 2004 Appropriations Bill on June 25, 2003. The Forest Legacy Program
mark of $45,575,000 is $45,234,000 less than the amount proposed by the President
for 2004 ($90,809,000). The FLP mark in the House also is less than the previous
two year's FLP appropriations: $65 million in 2002 and $68.4 million in 2003.
The Senate has yet to mark up their version of the appropriations bill. Once
the Senate completes action, a conference committee resolves differences
for a final appropriations bill with a target enacting date of September
30, 2003.
- What do Rhode Island, Minnesota, and Indiana have in common? The Forest
Legacy Programs in these States were reviewed during the third quarter. The
reviews involve integral participants and consist of field trips and discussions.
The purpose of a program review is to cooperatively review a State's program
and develop recommendations for improved program implementation by both the
State and Federal partners.
- Two Northeastern Area States, Michigan and West Virginia, have submitted
Assessments of Need for the Forest Legacy Program. Once the Secretary of
Agriculture approves the Assessments of Need, the States are eligible to
receive Forest Legacy project funds for lands within approved Forest Legacy
Areas. When these two States are approved, 18 of the 20 Northeastern States
will be active in the FLP.
Recently Completed FLP Projects
The Northeastern Area (NA) is accelerating the rate of land protected
through the Forest Legacy Program in direct correlation to the rise in program
appropriations a few years ago. Accomplishments that were not reported in the
second quarter update and reported accomplishments for the third quarter amount
to 16,908 acres. Forest uses will continue on this land, which is important
for watershed, wildlife, recreation opportunities, and cultural values.
Critical Open Space Link Protected in Massachusetts
Wildlife can continue to roam in western Massachusetts now that the Forest
Service has acquired a conservation easement on a 467-acre forested property
in Petersham that provides a corridor between two pieces of protected land.
On March 8, 2003, the Forest Service paid Barbara and John Kenneth Maniha,
and son John C. Maniha, owners of 2-mile Landbridge property, $330,000 for
a conservation easement. The property connects Petersham State Forest and Harvard
Forest to the west with the Popple Camp State Wildlife Management Area and
the Phillipston Wildlife Management Area to the east.
Indiana's Jack's Defeat Creek to Remain a Legacy
Jack's Defeat Creek, once an excellent smallmouth bass and rock bass stream,
has recently seen declines in water quality associated with urban runoff. The
town of Ellettsville has begun the process of restoring the aquatic community,
and a Forest Legacy project provides permanent protection to nearly ¾ mile
of the stream. The Forest Legacy parcel includes 225 acres of central hardwood
forests, an abandoned railroad grade, and a 1-acre limestone block quarry hole
abandoned during the Great Depression. Its proximity to Ellettsville and Bloomington
make this area subject to increasing development pressure. The property is
in the heart of limestone and karst country, and is dotted with several small
sink holes and cave openings. On March 19, 2003, landowners Harmon Crone and
Jerry Kinser were paid $338,000 for the conservation easement, a bargain sale
at $59,500 below true value.
Largest Contiguous Managed Forest Ownership in Southern Maine Will Remain
Forested
The largest contiguous ownership of sustainably managed forest in southern
Maine was permanently protected by Forest Legacy on April 29, 2003. The 8,603-acre
Leavitt Plantation Forest covers 20 percent of the town of Parsonsfield, and
the conservation easement project was enthusiastically supported by local residents.
Maine worked closely with the town, The Nature Conservancy, and the landowner,
Renewable Resources, LLC, to ensure forest sustainability and provide for traditional
public recreational use on the property. The Forest Legacy grant of $596,000
was the capstone of the project, which also received funding from North American
Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), the Land for Maine's Future Program, the
Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, and a large number of private individuals and
foundations to make up the total $2,735,000 value.
Teddy Roosevelt's Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Area Protected
The Forest Legacy Program protected some of President Teddy Roosevelt's
favorite hunting and fishing grounds. On April 30, 2003, 3,338 acres of land
surrounding the southern end of Maine's Mattawamkeag Lake was protected by
a combination of a conservation easement and fee purchase from Wayne and Maxine
Farrar of Tavares, Florida. The $894,700 appraised value of both fee and conservation
easement was acquired by the State of Maine with a Forest Legacy grant of $500,000
and a Land For Maine's Future Program grant of $256,200. The remaining value
was covered through a bargain sale by the landowners. Over 7 miles of undeveloped
lake shoreline is included in the purchase, along with 3 miles of frontage
on the West Branch of the Mattawamkeag River.
Maine Continues Adding to Beloved State Park
In the Northeastern Area Forest Legacy FY2003 First Quarter Update it was
noted that Maine added protected area to the Mt. Blue State Park and Tumbledown
Mountain Forest Legacy Project. The addition of conservation easements to this
popular recreational area continues into the third quarter of FY2003. On May
16, 2003, Maine acquired conservation easements on 4,198 acres of land on three
different parcels. The goal of protecting over 30,000 acres in this project
area continues to be the objective of this Forest Legacy project.
Riparian Areas Protected by River's Edge in Indiana
The River's Edge property, a 77-acre hardwood forest with frontage along
the Little Calumet River, lies within the Lake Michigan watershed and is representative
of the ecosystems found in the moraine area of northwestern Indiana. Landowners
Keith and Mary Ellen Laken were paid $167,000 for the conservation easement
on June 23, 2003. The cost-share portion of the project will be made through
State purchases. Dotted with vernal and riverine wetland communities and mixed
hardwood forests, the parcel includes 18 acres of forest recently restored
from farmland. Protecting this land in rapidly developing Porter County adds
to the sustainability of the Little Calumet watershed.
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