The Caribou Bog-Penjajawoc Lands Project, a very synergistic and productive collaboration between local Land Trusts and the U. of Maine nearly doubles land preserved to date in the Bangor, Maine region to 7500 contiguous acres. Future plans project core open space of over 16,000 acres............This is the type of habitat preservation project that in conjunction with RESTORE THE NORTH WOODS vision for a Maine Woods National Park.........Large open space acquisitions by The Open Space Institute, former Bert Bees owner Roxanne Quimby and Liberty Media's Bob Malone............When they are all finally laced up and stitched together, an optimum impact for the re-wilding of Northern New England will be realized......We root for the "patchwork quilt" land buying to synergize quickly with THE WILDLANDS PROJECT, ALGONQUINS TO ADIRONDACKS INITIATIVE AND HARVARD FORESTS WILDLANDS AND WOODLANDS PARADIGM to form an expansive and connective CORRIDOR OF GREEN from Canada on down through New England, Mid Atlantic and Southern Appalachians!

Nearly 3,000 acres added to conservation project

The Orono and Bangor land trusts have added nearly 3,000 acres to the land conserved through the Caribou Bog-Penjajawoc Lands Project. A sprawling swath of woodland in the Bangor area large enough to house four University of Maine campuses will be preserved through the Caribou Bog-Penjajawoc Lands Project. The project, also known as the Corridor Project, was established in 2001 by the Bangor and Orono land trusts and is aided by the University of Maine and state programs. The addition of 2,738 acres swells the total area of the Corridor Project to 7,508 acres.

"We are proud to be part of this nationally significant project," Elaine Clark, associate vice president for administration and finance, was quoted as saying in a UMaine press release Feb. 8. "It preserves critical wildlife and migratory bird habitats while allowing the university to continue to use the land for activities related to sustainable forestry."
The Corridor Project protects forests and wetlands in the Bangor and Alton areas. The most recognizable area encompassed by the Corridor Project is the Orono Bog Boardwalk.
Most of the land in the corridor will be open to the public. Trails, such as the Caribou Bog Cross Country Ski Trail, will be open for hikers, bikers, skiers and snowshoers. Hunting, fishing and trapping will be legal in certain areas, and snowmobilers will be permitted in certain areas as well. Sally Jacobs, spokesperson for the Corridor Project, thanked UMaine personnel in the press release for their involvement through "thousands of hours in planning, working with land-owners, writing grant proposals, lending professional skills, and providing funds.
"Prof. Ray Hintz of the UMaine School of Engineering Technology deserves special recognition for his extraordinary efforts in surveying the Caribou Bog," Jacobs said in the press release. "We are lucky he isn't permanently mired up to his neck somewhere out there." Jacobs described the level of involvement from UMaine as "unprecedented and noteworthy collaboration."
In September 2010, the Bangor and Orono land trusts were selected as a joint entity for the Maine Land Trust Excellence Program. The land trusts agreed to work together to garner funds for both agencies while bringing them closer to national accreditation, which lends credibility to a land trust. In an article published in The Maine Campus on Sept. 26, Bangor Land Trust board President Lucy Quimby expressed her excitement to work with the Orono Land Trust on the Corridor Project. "We do share policies back and forth," she said. "We have had wonderful collaboration with the Orono Land Trust." Warren Whitney, program director for the Excellence Program, referred to the pairing of the Bangor and Orono land trusts as "a good group."="They're an interesting pair," he said. "They seem to collaborate exceptionally well, which is something that's great to see. They've got competent, energetic, enthusiastic people."Enthusiasm evident in September has resulted in the expansion of the corridor and statewide acclaim for the group's efforts.
"Conserving working forests is our business," Alan Hutchinson, executive director of the Forest Society of Maine, said in the press release. "This project will provide a continuing supply of forest products, jobs, wildlife habitat, and traditional recreation in our immediate area." John Pratte, wildlife section supervisor for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, lauded the land trusts' efforts. "This project conserves exceptional habitat values and we are pleased to accept the … addition to our Caribou Bog Wildlife Management Area which will continue to provide opportunities to folks in the Bangor region," he said in the press release. Despite the acquisition of nearly 3,000 acres of land, the Corridor Project is far from complete. A project description at bangorlandtrust.org invites corridor visitors to imagine an area of more than 16,000 acres where "trails weave among tall pines, oaks and spruce, near wetlands and uplands where wildlife is free to roam."