Land Protection Priority: Upper Union River

Goal: Conserve large, undeveloped landscapes along the Union River and its major tributaries.

The Union River watershed is 500 square miles in total, encompassing vast, unbroken forests that are critical to our fight against climate change. The intact ecosystems absorb greenhouse gases, filter and clean our water, prevent erosion, and protect habitat for rare, endemic species. Today, these uninterrupted forests are increasingly under threat of fragmentation. Conservation partnerships are vital to our land protection efforts in this region.

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FBC’s Mariaville Falls Preserve, one of our first land protection projects in the upper Union River watershed, offers a glimpse of the exceptional beauty of the river, while simultaneously protecting ecologically valuable and vulnerable shoreline.

Continued land conservation in the watershed will:

  • Protect healthy forests and mature trees that absorb planet-warming carbon;
  • Provide habitat for Maine’s unique biodiversity; and
  • Safeguard Hancock County’s healthy water quality.
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FBC Conserved Lands

Since 1987, FBC has conserved over 10,000 acres of land. Our land protection efforts focus on areas that are essential to maintaining the ecological, social, and economic health of our region, from the Union River and Frenchman Bay watersheds east to the Hancock County line.

Land trusts help local harvesters by protecting our watersheds and preserving public access. Harvesters aren’t looking for more access, but we need help protecting what we currently have.

- Joe Porada, Frenchman Bay Regional Shellfish Commission
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News from the Upper Union River Watershed

FBC Announces $10 Million Campaign to Protect Land, Sea, & Livelihoods FBC Announces $10 Million Campaign to Protect Land, Sea, & Livelihoods Frenchman Bay Conservancy is announcing a $10 million comprehensive capital campaign to protect land, sea, and livelihoods in Downeast Maine. The campaign will raise the... Read More
FBC Conserves Over 3,000 Acres in Upper Union River Watershed FBC Conserves Over 3,000 Acres in Upper Union River Watershed Frenchman Bay Conservancy closed on two conservation easements in Aurora, permanently protecting 3,223 forever-wild acres of forest and wetlands. Frenchman Bay Conservancy will hold conservation... Read More
Trail Improvements Planned at Mariaville Falls Preserve Trail Improvements Planned at Mariaville Falls Preserve Through a grant award from Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, Frenchman Bay Conservancy will hire a Maine Conservation Corps to work for three weeks to improve... Read More
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Get to know us a bit better!

People are our greatest strength. FBC’s passionate staff, board members, and volunteers are working behind the scenes to develop and implement effective land protection, stewardship, and community engagement projects. Your support makes it possible for us to do our work, and we encourage you to reach out and say hello!

Meet FBC Board & Staff

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