Gov. Janet Mills announced Monday 20 new conservation projects that will be added to the Land for Maine’s Future Program.

The program, which resurged in 2021 after Mills invested $40 million in new state funding, has approved a total of 25 new projects in the past year, according to a release.

“Maine people value the outdoors, and each of these projects represents an exceptional opportunity for us to get outdoors and to protect public access for the enjoyment of generations to come,” Mills said. “I am proud that the state of Maine, thanks to my administration and the legislature, is once again partnering with towns across Maine to preserve our cherished lands and waters for Maine people.”

The 20 projects totaling $5.06 million are expected to receive more than $8 million in matching federal funds. The projects include:

  • East Windham Conservation Project: A 661-acre parcel in Windham in Cumberland County
  • Jockey Cap: A 15.6-acre parcel in Fryeburg in Oxford County
  • North Deering Conservation & Recreation Land: A 16-acre parcel in Portland in Cumberland County 
  • Talking Brook Public Lands: A 156-acre parcel in New Gloucester in Cumberland County 
  • Plaisted Preserve Expansion: A 7.14-acre parcel in Owls Head in Knox County 
  • McLellan Property: A 63.9-acre parcel in Searsmont in Waldo County 
  • Staples Woodlands: An 83.5-acre parcel in Oxford in Oxford County 
  • Whitney Forest: A 370-acre parcel in Ellsworth in Hancock County 
  • Bittner: A 165-acre in West Bath in Sagadahoc County 
  • Camp Gustin: A 95-acre parcel in Sabattus in Androscoggin County 
  • Johnson Brook-Sisk: A 56-acre parcel in Kittery in York County 
  • Thayer Brook Preserve: A 147-acre parcel in Gray in Cumberland County 
  • Tondreau Project: A 57.2 parcel in Harpswell in Cumberland County 
  • Bauneg Beg Mountain Recreation Area: A 61-acre project in North Berwick in York County 
  • Kezar Corridor Lands-Patterson Hill: A 357-acre project in Lovell in Oxford County 
  • Muddy River Forests: A 1,357-acre project in Naples in Cumberland County 
  • Porter Hills: A 596-acre parcel in Porter in Oxford County 
  • Fort O’Brien Historic Site Addition: A 6-acre parcel in Machiasport in Washington County 
  • Great Pond Mountain Wildlands Expansion: A 501-acre parcel in Orland and Bucksport in Hancock County 
  • Wallamatogus Mountain Community Forest: A 336-acre parcel in Penobscot in Hancock County 

The Land for Maine's Future Program was established in 1987 when Maine citizens approved a bond to fund $35 million to purchase land and easements. Since then, the program has conserved nearly 604,000 acres of land, including 41 farms, 9,755 acres of farmlands, 26 commercial working waterfront properties, 1,272 miles of shorelines of rivers, lakes and ponds, 58 miles of coastline and 158 miles of former railroad corridors for recreational trails.