December 11, 2012

Quimby company buys 8,000 more acres in Maine

The land in Penobscot County is on the eastern boundary of Baxter State Park.

The Associated Press

TOWNSHIP 4, RANGE 8 — Conservationist Roxanne Quimby's land company has bought thousands more acres of land next to Baxter State Park, bridging the gap between other parcels she owns to create a contiguous tract tens of thousands of acres large that flanks most of the eastern border of the park.

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Quimby's nonprofit land foundation, Elliotsville Plantation Inc., completed the purchase this month of 8,315 acres in Township 4, Range 8 in Penobscot County from The Forestland Group LLC, a North Carolina-based timberland management company.

Elliotsville Plantation plans to allow snowmobilers to continue to use the property on a trail known as Lookout Trail that offers a spectacular view of Baxter State Park's Mount Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine and the northern end of the Appalachian Trail.

Additionally, the foundation plans to meet with local sportsmen's and snowmobile groups to devise a plan for the recreational use of the land, said Lucas St. Clair, Quimby's son and the president of the Elliotsville Plantation board of directors.

"We're speaking with hunters and anglers and snowmobilers and ATVers to come up with a plan that works for as many people as possible, and gathering input on the best uses for it," he said.

Quimby has bought large tracts of land in Maine since selling Burt's Bees personal care products company, which she co-founded in the 1980 and sold for hundreds of millions of dollars.

In all, Elliotsville Plantation now owns about 120,000 acres in the state.

Quimby has drawn attention in recent years with her proposal to donate 70,000 acres for the creation of a national park, an idea that has gained both support and fierce opposition within Maine.

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