MADRID TOWNSHIP – The High Peaks Alliance announced Wednesday that its members and volunteers have removed signs prohibiting public access to the now-conserved Keystone Project lands, according to an alliance news release.

High Peaks Alliance Ranger Matt Kusper recently removes a posted sign prohibiting public access to the High Peaks Orbeton Keystones project in Madrid, Mt. Abram and Salem townships. The 2,666 acres acquired by the Bureau of Parks and Lands in May are now open to the public for recreation, including fishing and hunting. Photo submitted

The 2,666 acres, acquired by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands in May, are now open to the public for recreation, including fishing and hunting.

The High Peaks Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to access and conservation of the High Peaks region. Through various initiatives and partnerships, the High Peaks Alliance works to protect the area’s natural beauty, promote outdoor recreation, and educate the community on the importance of conservation.

The property was acquired to provide access to existing office lands adjacent to the Appalachian Trail and includes snowmobile and hiking trails, as well as scenic sections of Orbeton and Perham Creeks in Franklin County, according to the release.

“This is a great day,” Strong’s Roger Lambert, co-founder of the High Peaks Alliance, said in the release about the achievement. “Now I guess we’re extending, I don’t know, 40,000 acres between here and Quill Hill that are open for business. We own the State of Maine.

The property is connected to the High Peaks Orbeton Keystones project in Madrid, Mt. Abram and Salem townships.

“The Keystones Project creates improved road access to Mount Abraham public reserve lands, opportunities for new access points along Perham and Orbeton Creeks for fishing, swimming and handboat use, a connection by footpath to Orbeton Falls – a series of magnificent waterfalls. — and permanent access for hunting and other recreational activities. It also protects local ATV trails, nearly five miles of the ITS-84 snowmobile trail, and the scenic basin along the Appalachian Trail, located less than a half-mile to the north,” according to a release.

“Now that the state owns it, the High Peaks Alliance is working with the State of Maine to help clean it up. One of the key tasks was removing posted signs to ensure people could use these public lands. It’s open to use, it’s accessible and we encourage everyone to take advantage of it this hunting season and get out in the woods,” Brent West, executive director of High Peaks Alliance, said in the release.

The collaborative efforts of the High Peaks Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust, and various partners made this conservation project possible.

“Located in the heart of the High Peaks, this region is home to 10 of Maine’s 14 highest mountains, offering a wealth of recreational opportunities. … Mountain biking and snow sledding, hunting, fishing, hiking – there are panoramas here that recall the Western atmosphere. It’s a very special place for people to explore,” according to Lambert.

To find more information about the alliance, visit highpeaksalliance.org.

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