Northeastern Area Forest Legacy Program (FLP)

The Tract Record
Fourth Quarter FY 2006

Fiscal Year 2007 Begins but Budget Not Yet Finalized
The Fiscal Year 2007 budget was not finalized by the end of Fiscal Year 2006 (September 30, 2006). In fact, the conference committee in which the House and Senate resolve differences between their respective appropriations bills has not occurred. The conference bill gives the most reliable indication of which specific FLP projects will be funded for that fiscal year. The members of the House and Senate will return to Washington after the November 7 elections. Currently, the Forest Service and the Forest Legacy Program are operating under a continuing resolution.

FLP Legend Retires
Maine FLP Manager Ralph Knoll retired on September 30, 2006. Knoll, who is still a youngster in retirement circles, is moving to Georgia after 28 years with Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) to pursue a teaching career. Ralph officially began involvement with the FLP in 1993 as part of his duties with BPL. A few years later, Maine proposed the +300,000-acre West Branch FLP project, which subsequently has had a significant impact in the size of funding requests and the way the FLP is managed nationwide. Under Ralph’s leadership, Maine has submitted FLP projects that have a consistent top-10 showing on the President’s list, and has produced two award-winning projects as well. Knoll has served on the FLP Strategic Direction committee and the FLP project prioritization panel. Ralph says of the FLP, “The FLP is at the forefront of land conservation efforts in Maine, and without this shining example of a Federal/State/private partnership, the acquisition program in Maine would have suffered.” Ralph will work as a contractor for the State of Maine FLP indefinitely.

Recently Completed FLP Projects

Vermont Project Buffers State Forest Named For 30th President
Coolidge State Forest was buffered with a key, well-managed property through the FLP. The 1,175-acre Chateauguay/No Town property was protected with a conservation easement on July 21, 2006. The parcel’s location near a major ski area made it a likely target for conversion to nonforest uses. The State of Vermont paid landowner Meadowsend, Inc. $750,000, consisting of $550,000 in Forest Legacy funds and $200,000 raised locally by the Chateauguay/No Town protection fund. The project cost share was provided through a $200,000 bargain sale from the landowner. The Vermont Land Trust was instrumental in securing the cost share and facilitating negotiations to bring this project to completion.

Remnant of Historical Log-Staging Area Purchased in Michigan
The State of Michigan acquired 80 acres of private forest land in northern Wexford County that was thought to have been a log-staging area when the Manistee River was a major log-drive transport route. In April 2006, Michigan purchased the property, one of the last private parcel in-holdings in the Pere Marquette State Forest, from landowners John and Carrie Hanser for $200,000. The purchase moved the boundary of the State forest a full ½ mile to the north. The Forest Service transferred $150,000 to the State of Michigan on September 7, 2006, after FLP standards were met. The State of Michigan provided the remaining $50,000 in cost share.

Private Forested Inholding Acquisition Expands Michigan State Forest
A 120-acre parcel was acquired by the State of Michigan in May 2006 from the Forestland Group for $300,000. The purchase provides access to a portion of the Pere Marquette State Forest that had previously been landlocked and unavailable for public recreation and timber management. The property is in a highly productive northern hardwood forest, which has been well managed by the prior owner. The Forest Service transferred $225,000 in FLP funds to the State of Michigan on September 14, 2006, after FLP standards had been met. Michigan provided $75,000 for cost share.

“Yoopers” Yippee as Recreational Opportunities Expand Again in Michigan
In February 2006, the State of Michigan acquired an 80-acre fee purchase from the Holli Family Partnership and added it to the Manistique River State Forest. This acquisition was important because it secures access to a much larger area of existing State forest. Other benefits of the acquisition include preservation of a variety of wildlife habitat. On September 26, 2006, all FLP standards were met, allowing Michigan to be reimbursed $51,000 of the $88,000 purchase price. The remaining $37,000 was provided by the State of Michigan as cost share.

Vermont Completes Corridor for Bears

Vermont conserved the remaining critical parcel to protect a wildlife corridor intended for black bears, which also connects the two units of the Green Mountain National Forest. The final phase of the Mt. Holly Wildlife Corridor Forest Legacy project was completed on September 27, 2006, with the purchase of a conservation easement on 401 acres from P.K. Brown and Sons, Inc. using $388,000 in Forest Legacy funds. The cost share for the project was provided by a $55,000 bargain sale from the owner and $75,000 of tract acquisition costs by The Conservation Fund for a total cost share of $130,000. Other Forest Legacy tracts in the Mt. Holly corridor include the 2,086-acre Wilderness Corporation Tract and three other tracts totaling 1,089 acres. The Conservation Fund provided the vision and skill to bring this entire Wildlife Corridor project to a successful completion.