RANGELEY – The Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust is pleased to announce the acquisition of a 70 acre property on Rangeley Lake. Located on the eastern shoreline of Hunter Cove, the property abuts 100-acre “Hunter Cove Wildlife Sanctuary,” which was donated to RLHT in 2004 by Maine Audubon Society, and directly across the Cove from 180 acre “Hunter Cove Uplands.”
The Estate of Carl W. Lewin and the Janet H Lewin Living Trust offered the property for sale for several years before approaching the Heritage Trust to negotiate terms that would ensure this property remain undeveloped in perpetuity. To honor the generations of Lewin’s that treasured this land; playing in the forest and catching crayfish on the shoreline, the Trust has dedicated it as “Lewin Woods.”
The Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust will maintain and monitor the ecological integrity of Lewin Woods while providing access to the public for recreation and education. Featuring 44 acres of forested uplands with mature stands of balsam fir, white spruce, and quaking aspen the remaining acreage is in wetlands. The entire property is within the Rangeley Game Sanctuary, a protection zone which provides critical winter habitat to deer and a slew of song birds, nesting loons, amphibians, snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, lynx and other large mammals.
The purchase of this property is due in large by the securement of a grant from the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program. The remainder was donated by RLHT Board members and membership. With this purchase Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust has conserved over 1650 acres on Rangeley Lake.
The Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust maintains traditional public access and uses of its land for recreation, education, and scientific study. They also offer a summer youth program, maintain a water quality program, and offer remote and traditional camping through their social enterprise, Cupsuptic Lake Park & Campground.
Another 70 acres off the tax rolls. Where will our great grandchildren live when all this land is sucked up by Trusts?
Sounds like “Wondering’s” concern is as much with the Lewins re what they could/should do with their property as the RLHT’s “sucking it up”
@Chuck Davis Wondering has a point if the land trust keeps aquiring land where will people be able to build a camp or home ? Does the RLHT pay property taxes on all these acres of land ?
Point taken notwithstanding it appears that the Lewins had the property on the market for several years with no takers and then approached the RLHT who bought the property
I may well be missing the point but it seems like you two are trying to make the RLHT the “bad guy” in this
deal
Also could you answer my second question does RLHT pay property taxes ??
Jesse
As a former JR HS classroom teacher I tended to suggest that my students might try and find the answers to their questions on their own and point them a direction where the answers might be found
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/36/title36sec652.html
……………….I’d be happy to assist you further i f you need need help
Jesse, what are you throwing stones for? Just make a call and find out about tax status for the land trust. RLHT DOES pay taxes on their property. In fact, they pay for taxes AND let the general public use the resource! WOW, imagine that? Even YOU can use the property! Also, re-read the article, if you think that the RLHT takes opportunity away from future home or campowners, I’d beg to differ. Much of this land is forested wetland and also within areas zoned for non-residential due to the natural resources. I seriously wish invited responses to articles were more informational and less opinionated.
I was asking a simple question so sorry