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Vienna residents Martha M. and James R. Floyd have pushed Kennebec Land Trust over the 5,000 acres conserved mark with their March 2015 donation of the 71-acre Vienna woods conservation easement. A trail and property dedication is scheduled for 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 3.
The easement off of the Trask Road in Vienna encompasses hayfields, mixed woodlands with trails, and wetlands with a significant vernal pool. A viewpoint called “The Pinnacle” along a ridge provides views of the village of Vienna and McGaffey Mountain to the east, according to a news release from the trust. Views to the northwest feature Mt. Blue, Mt. Abraham, and Sugarloaf and Bigelow mountains. KLT’s Vienna Woods Conservation Area shares a boundary with the 130-acre Ladd Forest, owned by the Small Woodlot Owners Association of Maine.
After the October property dedication, hikers can access the property by parking at a small (24-foot by 24-foot) parking area and following a discontinued portion of Trask Road to the trailhead. Parking is also available along the edge of Trask Road. Several wooded trails will be open to the public and maintained by the Floyds with assistance from KLT’s staff, summer interns and volunteers.
Since 1988, KLT has worked cooperatively with landowners and communities to conserve the forests, shorelands, fields and wildlife that define central Maine. The Trust’s conserved lands encompass over 5,000 acres in the Kennebec River and Lakes region. Most of KLT’s properties are open to the public for hiking, outdoor recreation, nature observation, and hunting.
For more information call 377-2848 or visit www.tklt.org.