Known for its pristine waters and great fishing, East Grand Lake and 4 surrounding waterbodies in northeastern Maine are getting some additional public-access and environmental protection thanks to the completion of a major conservation effort involving more than a dozen public and private entities.

Nearly 12,000 acres of forest along the Canadian border and more than 21 miles of shoreline along five lakes are now protected from sale or development. This will allow for lasting access to hunting, fishing, camping, snowmobiling and ATV riding, and more.

Among the various entities involved in the initiative were The Conservation Fund (a national nonprofit dedicated to conserving land and building vibrant communities); the Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands; the town of Weston, Maine; the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program; and the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation.

The East Grand Watershed Initiative was the largest of five Land for Maine’s Future conservation projects announced by Gov. Janet Mills in January 2022. The projects, totaling more than $3 million, were the first to be selected by the Land for Maine’s Future Board since Mills and the legislature reinvigorated the program with $40 million in new state funding under the governor’s biennial budget. The four other projects announced in January 2022 were the Buck’s Ledge Community Forest, Kennebago Headwaters, Kennebec Highlands, and the Caribou Stream Deer Wintering Area.