Mount Katahdin from Katahdin Lake

Over the last 5 years,  I have photographed over 50 pieces of property in New England that were in the process of being protected from development.  These wild places have ranged in size from 4 acres to 170,000 acres, and all were beautiful and wild in their own way.  Still, last year, when I was asked by the Trust for Public Land to make a trip to Maine's Katahdin Lake to spend two days documenting the beauty of the place, I was in no way prepared to step out of the woods onto a sandy beach and see one of the most dramatic landscapes in all of New England.  During my two days there, I watched bald eagles, moose, loons, deer, and otters go about their routine undisturbed under the shadow of the most imposing mountain in the east, Mount Katahdin.  I was in awe of the scene and completely blown away that this place was privately owned by a timber management company and unprotected.


Mount Katahdin and South Turner Mountain from Katahdin Lake.

More than a year later, the Trust for Public Land is still working to complete a $14 million deal to make Katahdin Lake and 5000+ acres of surrounding forest a preserve that will remain forever wild as part of Maine's storied Baxter State Park.  I returned to Katahdin Lake earlier this week to make more pictures for TPL's magazine, Land and People.  In addition to looking for inspiring nature photos, I was also there to photograph a group of American Landscape painters who were spending the week working on paintings that would be donated to the TPL's fundraising efforts.  Katahdin Lake has been painted by some of the most important landscape artists in American history, most notably Frederic Church in the 1850's and Marsden Hartley in the 1940's.


Artist Chris Huntington on Katahdin Lake.


Painters on a beach at Katahdin Lake.

The artists donating their time and paintings to this conservation effort include some of the best painters in North America today: Chris Huntingon, David Little, Ian White, T. Allen Lawson, Carol Guzman, and Clyde Aspevig.  It was great fun to spend the day with this group of down to earth, talented individuals with a true passion for conserving the natural world.  We marvelled at the ever changing lake above Mount Katahdin, swapped stories during passing rain showers, and paddled around the lake in old canoes with some serious structural defects.


Clyde Aspevig and Carol Guzman at work on Katahdin Lake.


TPL's Sam Hodder and Chronicle's Peter Mehegen on Frederic Church's Beach.

On Tuesday, the lake saw plenty of activity as a film crew from Boston's Channel 5 visited the lake to film a story for their news magazine, Chronicle.  Long time Baxter State Park superintendent and Maine woods icon, Buzz Caverly, led the way for Chronicle's host Peter Mehegen and videographer Bob Oliver.  They were joined by TPL's Sam Hodder who was flown into the lake on a floatplane by Maine Department of Conservation Commissioner Patrick McGowan.  I won't scoop Chronicle's story, but look for it to air in early November.

To learn more about TPL's campaign to protect Katahdin Lake or to make a donation (they must raise the $14 million by December 15th,) visit their website at: http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=20559&folder_id=259.

Lastly, I want to say thank you to my friend John Muller for joining me on this trip and putting up with my barking orders at him like he were my paid assistant (he wasn't!)

Until next time...

-Jerry

 

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