Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust

10/22/2026

Another season of successful river restoration! This summer, RLHT completed two more open-bottom bridge crossings as part of our Kennebago Headwaters restoration efforts, taking another step towards a fully reconnected watershed.

Here’s a quick recap of our progress to date:
🐟 13.6 miles of upstream habitat reconnected, allowing fish and other aquatic species to move more freely.

🪵 8.5 miles of strategic wood additions, creating more complex, natural stream habitat and improving conditions for aquatic life.

✅ 10 of 13 priority stream crossings restored, including two new bridges completed this summer!

Did you know that our partners at The Nature Conservancy in Maine, recognize the upper Androscoggin River, as one of five global priority watersheds? It contains 675 miles of connected streams and rivers, including the Kennebago River, that join a network of deep-water lakes and ponds. The Kennebago supports a resilient, intact population of self-sustaining wild brook trout, one of the last in the United States.

One of the barriers to a healthy river ecosystem is habitat fragmentation, typically in the form of culverts or dams. A priority for this restoration approach is to reconnect miles of critical upstream habitat through the replacement of culverts, many of which are undersized, perched, or in otherwise poor condition. Scroll to see the before, during, and afters of this work.

We could not have done this work without the support from our amazing partners at USFWS Gulf of Maine Costal program, NRCS, MDIFW, TU, M&H Construction, RLHT members, and supporters.

10/14/2026

It's the fall observance of ! 🐦

Did you know the Rangeley Lakes Region provides globally important habitat for migratory birds? Most migrate south for the winter, with many spending the colder months in the southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean. Some fly an incredible 3,000-5,000 miles one way to wintering grounds!

RLHT and our partners have helped conserve thousands of acres of forests, wetlands, and waterways that migratory birds depend on. From spring nesting grounds to important stopover habitat, these conserved landscapes help all kinds of species thrive. 🌎💚

In celebration, here are some favorite bird captures from Nick Leadley Nature Photography.

📸 1 - Cape May Warbler
📸 2 - Canada Warbler
📸 3 - Common Yellowthroat

10/13/2026

Dirt, sweat, and NEW KIOSKS! We’ve spent these last few warm fall days putting the final touches on your favorite local gems, preparing them for winter❄️. Big thanks to our volunteers, Brian Holmes and Spencer Drake; this team showed up rain or shine to get the job done. 🌦️💪

10/07/2026

What has RLHT been up to this fall? 🍂 Conserving land and restoring rivers! Quentin Blais // Rangeley Highlander joined Jason Latham, RLHT's conservation biologist, in the field to see work already underway in the Kennebago. From reconnecting cold-water habitat for native brook trout to improving water quality and resilience for communities downstream, learn what this means for Rangeley and beyond.

Read more: https://www.sunjournal.com/2026/10/07/work-to-restore-waterways-in-the-magalloway-reaches-far-downstream/

10/06/2026

Summer reflections from the Ming Springs Bird Walk 🐦‍⬛🪻 Have you visited this trail? Outlining the Mingo Springs Golf Course is a 100-acre conservation area with a 3.4 mi loop trail and a short connector trail, holding some of the best birdwatching (and berries!) in Rangeley.

Designed to enhance wildlife viewing, this trail takes you through hardwood and softwood forests, open fields, and wetlands to showcase the diverse habitat this land holds. With over 100 acres for wildlife to flourish, Mingo Springs has become a safe haven for the true locals of Rangeley. Supporting over 80 acres of critical deer wintering habitat, and over 90 species of migratory and boreal birds observed here, we’re confident this is something worth holding onto.

Where do I go? 🥾From the kiosk by the trail parking at the corner of Alpine Way and Mingo Loop Road– follow the blazes taking you through the first section of trail, which will lead back out to Mingo Loop Road. Take a right and walk along the course, getting back onto the marked trail just after the white farmhouse. From here, the trail will take you around the rest of the course and back to Mingo Loop Road one last time. You can also explore the new connector trail to see the Hunter Cove Wildlife Sanctuary. Ending your hike on Mingo Loop Road. From here, you can follow the road back to parking, or you can venture across the street to the front nine section of the trail.

Happy hiking and wildlife watching! 🦌🌿🦅

09/28/2026

Thank you to those who celebrated this years Harvest Moon 🌕 with our Outdoor Recreation Council at Bonney Point! What a great turnout, the rain held off and let the moon take the stage while we all enjoyed this special local gem and ended the evening talking with new friends over the fire! We love seeing our community come together like this, keep an eye out this winter for more of our fresh tracks series and come join us on the trails! 🌲

Big thank-yous to our Outdoor Recreation Council member, Lisa Kinsman, and Ken Beaulieu, RLHT’s trail steward, for organizing this outing and helping us find new ways to connect people to the outdoors!

09/24/2026

It's almost peak foliage in the Rangeley Lakes Region! 🍂 🍁

Morning fog working its way across the valley. West Kennebago Mountain lurking in the rear

09/23/2026

Each day looks a little different for our Headwaters coordinator, Jenna. Her role is to steward lakes and ponds in the Rangeley Region, by collecting important data to monitor these treasured resources. One day, you might catch her launching her kayak in Rangeley Lake—the next, she might be exploring Little Kennebago Lake. Her travels take her all over this region, kayak in tow. One day could be smooth sailing, and the next she could be fighting that western Maine mountain wind.

What does water quality stewardship mean? What does it take to protect our headwater lakes and ponds? 💧

The cold, clean headwaters in the Rangeley Lakes Region feed many downstream water bodies and drinking water sources. By logging key water-quality metrics such as temperature, transparency, dissolved oxygen, and phosphorus over time, we're able to establish a baseline. Using tools like dissolved oxygen meters, Secchi discs, and collecting water and plant samples, we can track even the slightest environmental changes. We can tell if waters are warming over time and if there's clean, well-oxygenated water that supports native species like brook trout. 🎣

Stay tuned for more from Jenna and the team! Coming soon, we plan to post updated water-quality reports for area lakes and ponds and an interactive story map to help you explore our findings 🔍

09/22/2026

Buh-bye blowdowns! 👋🌲RLHT's trail steward, Ken Beaulieu, and volunteer, Jen Atwood, cleared lots of blowdowns on the Mingo Springs Birding Trail and Hunter Cove Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday. Let's give them a hand!

09/21/2026

Take a hike with us under the full moon 🌕 this Saturday! Join RLHT’s Outdoor Recreation Council (ORC) at the Bonney Point Conservation Area & Trail on Saturday, September 26th for a Harvest Moon Hike. Experience the trail in a whole new way as dusk settles over the forest 🌳 and stick around to end your hike with hot c***r and s’mores by a campfire in the lot!

⌚️ Hikes at two time slots. 2 p.m. - if you would prefer to go during daylight, or 7 p.m. under the moonlight.
📍 Bonney Point Conservation Area, parking lot on the left on Bonney Point Road.
🥾 Difficulty - relatively easy 1.2 mile loop
🔦 Hikers are encouraged to bring a headlamp or flashlight, wear seasonably warm clothing and bring a water bottle.
This is a free, community event. If you have questions, please email 📧 [email protected].
🔗 Sign up using the link in our bio or rlht.org/events