Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: November 1, 2000

Contact: John Wright 202/208-6416

Interior Department Signs Purchase Agreement to Protect
Appalachian Trail at Saddleback Mountain in Maine

The Agreement Ends 16 Years of Negotiations by the
National Park Service

Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Policy, Management and Budget, John Berry today announced an agreement to purchase land located at Saddleback Mountain in Maine to protect the Appalachian National Scenic Trail from future development.

The Interior Department has agreed to pay private land owners in Rangeley, Maine $4 million for 1500 acres of land located along roughly three miles of the Appalachian Trail. The protected area is a mix of acquisition, donation and easements. The boundary of the protected area closely follows the National Park Service's preferred alternative, as identified in an Environmental Assessment document prepared last year.

Congress has released $3.5 million to purchase the land and the Interior Department will take the remaining $500 thousand from the unobligated balance in the Appalachian National Scenic Trail account to complete the transaction.

The agreement signed late yesterday is conditional pending authorization from Congress directing payment of the purchase price and acceptance of donation as part of the settlement and conveyance of a portion of the area to the State of Maine. Before the agreement is complete, the area must be in full compliance with environmental laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act.

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