Norton Heirs

The Norton Heirs project conserved approximately 46 acres of land, including approximately 11 acres of freshwater forested wetlands (with 1.5 acres mapped as Inland Waterfowl and Wading Bird Habitat), two vernal pools, and a series of ephemeral and perennial streams including a portion of Chicks Brook (approximately 2,800 linear feet total), with the balance consisting of upland buffer. Chicks Brook is mapped as Wild Brook Trout Habitat. The property is part of a rare Central Hardwoods Oak Forest Ecosystem, which has only one location in the state. The site also supports the rare plants Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alifolia), and Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana), and has potential habitat for rare turtles. The property is within a large undeveloped forest block within the Mount Agamenticus Focus Area of Statewide Ecological Significance. It is almost completely surrounded by conserved land owned by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, York Land Trust, and Great Works Regional Land Trust.