ALBANY — Two Maine families with deep ties to Western Maine have permanently conserved nearly 800 acres of forestland in Albany Township, protecting vital wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, and public recreational access in partnership with Mahoosuc Land Trust and a coalition of conservation partners.

The conserved lands include the 85-acre Ralph and Alice Kimball Songo Forest, acquired through a bargain sale from the Kimball family, and a 720-acre tract formerly owned by Penley and Mills, Inc., now held by The Conservation Fund with an eye to future transfer to the White Mountain National Forest.

The properties protect 3.5 miles of wild brook trout habitat, 61.5 acres of freshwater wetlands, 125 acres of rare species habitat, 387 acres of high-priority watershed land identified by Portland Water District, extensive pedestrian access, including hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, and part of an important snowmobile trail linkage between Maine to New Hampshire.

“These lands hold deep meaning for our family,” Norma Kimball said in a press release, who with her sisters Dottie, Sylvia, and their late sister, Ethel, conserved their family’s land. Their father, Ralph, was a hardworking farmer, sawmill owner, and logger from Albany Township. Norma said her mother, Alice, “immersed us in a life of self-sufficiency,” teaching the girls how to grow their food, sew their skirts for school, and entertain themselves.

The land they deeded to MLT is on Patte Brook Road between Songo Pond and the White Mountain National Forest. According to MLT, Penley and Mills, Inc., owned the 720-acre tract abutting the Kimball sisters, which included the “Sugar Camp” lot acquired from Ralph Kimball in 1971. Penley and Mills is a family-owned company based in Bryant Pond, Maine. For decades, the company provided long-term employment for many local families through its logging, construction, and forestland management and gave the public access to thousands of acres of land for recreation.

Recently the company looked to transition out of forestland management. The Conservation Fund, working with the Mills family and MLT, purchased the larger tract in April 2025, pulling it from a broader commercial sale to allow for its eventual inclusion in the White Mountain National Forest.

“This is a model of collaborative land conservation,” said Kirk Siegel, executive director of Mahoosuc Land Trust, in a press release. “Landowners brought a conservation ethic. Partners brought planning and funding. And the public gains clean water, healthy forests, and access to nature.” He noted that the lands are within the traditional and unceded territory of the Abenaki, one of the Wabanaki Confederacy tribes.

Funding was provided by the Portland Water District, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Maine Mountain Collaborative, and an anonymous funder, as well as the IDEXX Foundation and an anonymous foundation through Sebago Clean Waters. MLT and its partners used geographic analysis to prioritize lands that improve Sebago Lake water quality, a drinking water source for 200,000 Mainers, as well as biological diversity, and recreational potential. Siegel pointed to MLT’s goal to extend habitat and recreation connections between the group’s existing 12,300-acre Crooked River Headwaters conservation easement and the White Mountain National Forest.

Mahoosuc Land Trust conserves and stewards 25,000 acres of vital lands in the Mahoosuc region to benefit the environment, community, and future generations. Habitat for All, MLT’s flagship public engagement program, focuses on conservation in backyards, gardens, and schoolyards–the first places people learn to care for the animals and plants that share this planet with us.