Whalesback conservation easements

The Whalesback conservation easements get their name from the shape of the imposing esker that runs alongside the conserved lands. This large deposit of sand and gravel, marking the path once taken by glacial meltwater thousands of years ago, rises above the landscape like the back of a whale emerging above the surface of the ocean. Large boulders strewn about— called glacial erratics—are further evidence that this place sat beneath miles of ice long ago. These now forever-wild lands protect some of the Union River’s headwaters including its Middle Branch, Beaver Brook, and Seven Mile Brook. The expansive ribbons of water, forest, and wetlands unfurl beneath a pull-off on Maine’s Route 9, affording people an easily accessible panorama of the wild beauty below. With an abundance of water, a diverse array of inland waterfowl, wading birds, brook trout, and the endangered Atlantic salmon find shelter here. The properties are close to other conserved land, such as the Amherst Mountain Community Forest, providing further safe passage for wildlife on the move. Northeast Wilderness Trust collaborated with four landowners and Frenchman Bay Conservancy through the Wildlands Partnership to secure these forever-wild conservation easements. The Whalesback easements mark the Wilderness Trust’s second and third projects, respectively, in collaboration with Frenchman Bay Conservancy.

The Wildlands Partnership offers partner land trusts funding to protect land as forever-wild. Since its inception in 2020, the initiative has protected 8,954 acres.

Aurora, Maine

3,307 acres

910 acres of wetlands

6 miles of Union River’s Middle Branch