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| New England Wildlands | |
|---|---|
| Name | New England Wildlands |
| Location | New England, United States |
| Area | ~? km2 |
| Governing body | Various federal, state, nonprofit agencies |
New England Wildlands is a descriptive term used to denote an interconnected network of protected forests, wetlands, mountains, and coastal reserves across the six-state New England region of the northeastern United States. The term evokes landscapes conserved and managed by a mix of federal, state, municipal, and nonprofit entities such as the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and state parks agencies in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The concept emphasizes large-scale connectivity linking units like the Appalachian Trail, White Mountain National Forest, Maine Woods, and coastal preserves to sustain ecological processes, recreational access, and cultural resources.
The New England Wildlands concept assembles diverse protected areas including Acadia National Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Green Mountain National Forest, and smaller preserves managed by organizations such as Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Massachusetts Audubon Society, and New England Forestry Foundation. Conservation goals prioritize habitat connectivity, watershed protection for rivers like the Merrimack River, Connecticut River, and Kennebec River, and resilience to threats addressed in strategies used by entities like the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, U.S. Forest Service, and state environmental agencies. Collaborative planning engages stakeholders ranging from the Appalachian Mountain Club to municipal land trusts like the Sierra Club chapters and regional commissions.
The Wildlands network spans physiographic provinces including the Appalachian Mountains, Green Mountains, White Mountains, and the Coastal Plain along the Atlantic Ocean. Elevational gradients from Mount Washington and Mount Katahdin to tidal marshes at the Cape Cod National Seashore support mosaic habitats mapped by the Northeast Regional Climate Center and inventory programs run by the U.S. Geological Survey. Ecoregions recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency and patterned in reports by the Natural Resources Conservation Service feature boreal and northern hardwood forests, Atlantic coastal pine barrens, freshwater wetlands, and alpine zones. Connectivity corridors link core areas such as Baxter State Park, Franconia Notch, and the Quabbin Reservoir watershed.
Conservation in New England traces roots to early efforts by figures and institutions such as Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Frederick Law Olmsted, and organizations including the New England Botanical Club and American Antiquarian Society. Federal protection milestones include the establishment of Acadia National Park and expansion of the White Mountain National Forest, while state-level initiatives produced systems like the Massachusetts State Parks and the Maine Land Use Planning Commission. The modern connectivity movement draws on landscape-scale programs such as the Wildlands Project, regional land trust collaborations like the Highstead Foundation, and funding mechanisms from programs tied to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and state conservation bonds.
The region supports species documented in inventories by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and academic institutions such as Yale University, University of New Hampshire, University of Vermont, and University of Maine. Iconic fauna include populations of black bear, moose, white-tailed deer, and bird species tracked by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology such as wood thrush, Bicknell's thrush, and Atlantic puffin colonies in Gulf of Maine waters. Rare plants appear in alpine and coastal communities, with conservation attention from the Native Plant Society of New England and inventories like the Biota of North America Program. Invasive species and disease vectors monitored by the U.S. Forest Service include emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, and pathogens affecting American chestnut restoration projects.
Public access elements include long-distance routes such as the Appalachian Trail, day-use areas in Myles Standish State Forest, ski areas within the Green Mountain National Forest, and water-based recreation along the CT River and the Kennebec River. Managed trail systems and facilities are maintained through partnerships among the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, local land trusts, volunteer trail crews affiliated with the Student Conservation Association, and municipal park departments. Interpretive programming and heritage tourism connect with sites like Plymouth Rock, Plimoth Patuxet, and historic landscapes curated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Management occurs through a patchwork of authorities including the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management in adjacent contexts, state park systems, municipal governments, and nonprofit land trusts such as the Nature Conservancy and Conservation Law Foundation. Collaborative governance structures take form in regional coalitions, interstate compacts, and watershed councils like the Merrimack River Watershed Council, employing science from institutions like the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and legal frameworks influenced by statutes such as the Endangered Species Act and state conservation easement statutes.
Threats include development pressures in metropolitan corridors around Boston and Providence, climate-driven shifts catalogued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and regional studies, invasive pests monitored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and fragmentation from infrastructure projects evaluated by the Federal Highway Administration. Preservation initiatives mobilize federal funding mechanisms like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, private philanthropy including support from the Luce Foundation and Heinz Family Foundation, and community-based programs coordinated by entities such as the New England Wild Flower Society, regional land trusts, and state conservation commissions. These efforts emphasize connectivity, climate resilience, and stewardship models tested in pilot projects at places like Quabbin Reservoir, Baxter State Park, and Adirondack Park collaborations.
Category:Protected areas of New England