Maine Wilderness Watershed Trust Inc

Education/Outreach: Building on MWWTs initial 2022 efforts at educational programming, which is intended to attract new, younger outdoor enthusiasts to the watershed to support its conservation, 2024 educational programming was as follows: A Memorial Weekend Birding Program Eight half-day skill and naturalist programs offered in July and August at Cobbs Camps. A fly fishing program with Maine IF&W at Cobbs Camps The transitional biome of the area creates enhanced biodiversity for the bird-watching program. Participants observed 35 species of birds and identified calls from 11 more. Half-day sessions included a flora and fauna tour, a naturalist program, campfire building and cooking, and learning to fly-cast. Participants learned outdoor skills and twenty-two new people were exposed to the watershed for the first time. In addition, contact was made with potential educational programming partners at Chewonki, Bowdoin College, and Maine Audubon.MWWT's Annual Members Meeting and Banquet was held on April 24. Presentations at the Members Meeting and during the evening educated members about issues in the Pierce Pond watershed and MWWTs initiatives to address them. The evenings activities also serve to build engagement and interest in conservation of the Pierce Pond watershed.The annual MWWT newsletter is one of the Trusts main vehicles for educating supporters about the watershed and about Trust stewardship and protection activities. The 2024 edition was published in October, with a lead article explaining what stewardship is, why it is important, and how MWWT is fulfilling its stewardship responsibilities in the watershed. Other articles explained how the donations MWWT receives are spent/allocated, and what the activities of the Stewardship Coordinator and Intern consisted of in 2024. Another article explored the history of an iconic Pierce Pond location. The newsletter is mailed to all members and also published online.

Land Protection: MWWT works cooperatively with other watershed landowners to conserve the wildlife, water quality, and other natural resources of the Pierce Pond watershed. MWWT has conserved 10,500 acres and over 30 miles of shoreline through the purchase of conservation easements and land. MWWT has established agreements with two sporting camps to ensure the continued traditional operation of these historic camps.In 2024, MWWT continued its efforts in support of acquisition of the 6,800 acres of watershed lands that are currently under commercial timber management. After learning that the landowner, Weyerhaeuser, had a new national director of conservation, two MWWT leaders arranged a meeting with the new conservation director to explain MWWTs goals and learn about Weyerhaeuser's changing priorities. In addition, MWWT representatives continued the search for appropriate swap parcels that would allow for Weyerhaeusers continued fulfillment of their SAPPI contract in the event of a land sale to MWWT.