Evolution of Maine West
Maine West has its roots in the Mahoosuc Initiative, a successful collaboration among conservation and community organizations to advance land conservation and related development efforts across the Maine-New Hampshire border. After 10 years of focused conservation work, in 2015 multiple Mahoosuc Initiative stakeholders agreed to launch a next phase with an expanded focus on multi-sector collaboration and a geographic focus on the Maine side of the border.
Conservation Projects of the Mahoosuc Initiative
Research by the Mahoosuc Initiative
The Mahoosucs
The Mahoosuc region is defined by the iconic Mahoosuc Mountain range that links northern New Hampshire with western Maine, and by the headwaters of the Androscoggin River that emerges from Lake Umbagog then wraps south and east around the base of those well-loved mountains. This area is a national treasure of woods, water, wildlife, and world- renowned outdoor recreation. It is also a home base treasured by local residents that still has an authentic connection to the land through its forest-based economy and culture.
Like many other parts of the Northern Forest, the Mahoosuc region is facing significant new challenges – from changes in land ownership and an evolving forest products industry to a shifting climate. The very beauty of the Mahoosuc region, and its wealth of recreation options, could threaten its special landscape character. Without careful planning and protection of key open space parcels, scattered development could fragment open space and make timber management more difficult. The “great recession” brought a pause in new construction, but the slow and steady economic recovery is sure to bring a revival in land sales.
Like many other parts of the Northern Forest, the Mahoosuc region is facing significant new challenges – from changes in land ownership and an evolving forest products industry to a shifting climate. The very beauty of the Mahoosuc region, and its wealth of recreation options, could threaten its special landscape character. Without careful planning and protection of key open space parcels, scattered development could fragment open space and make timber management more difficult. The “great recession” brought a pause in new construction, but the slow and steady economic recovery is sure to bring a revival in land sales.
The Mahoosuc Initiative
The partners in the Mahoosuc Initiative - representing diverse local, regional, and national partners committed to community prosperity and resource conservation - first came together in 2006 to consider how best to help this region sustain its special relationship with its rivers and mountains in the face of the stresses and opportunities of expanding development.
The history of the Mahoosuc region is intimately tied to the land – whether for timber (including Berlin, NH, “the city that trees built” and historic home of the Brown Paper Company) or tourism (including Newry and Bethel, hosts to the thriving Sunday River ski resort). Many residents choose to live here because of their close connection to their landscape. Early on, Mahoosuc Initiative partners documented this relationship using “participatory GIS” – meeting residents in living rooms and at public events and marking their special places on a map.
This composite map brings all those responses together to show the importance of the river and the mountains for local residents.
The history of the Mahoosuc region is intimately tied to the land – whether for timber (including Berlin, NH, “the city that trees built” and historic home of the Brown Paper Company) or tourism (including Newry and Bethel, hosts to the thriving Sunday River ski resort). Many residents choose to live here because of their close connection to their landscape. Early on, Mahoosuc Initiative partners documented this relationship using “participatory GIS” – meeting residents in living rooms and at public events and marking their special places on a map.
This composite map brings all those responses together to show the importance of the river and the mountains for local residents.
