This nearly 12,000-acre property near the popular Sugarloaf ski resort is important to the local recreation and forest economies. Encompassing three of the state’s highest peaks, it contains working forests, ten miles of the Appalachian Trail, a snowmobile trail, and an off-road vehicle trail, and it is popular for mountain biking, hunting, and cross-country skiing. The Trust for Public Land has been spearheading an effort to acquire the land from Plum Creek Timber—a forest products and real estate company—for transfer to the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, which will manage it for its forest and recreation resources. Based on strong support from Maine’s congressional delegation, the federal Forest Legacy Program recently awarded $7 million to the effort. Additional support will come from private donors and the state, including the Land for Maine’s Future funding program. The project should be completed later this year.