In 1962, The Nature Conservancy acquired the 24-acre preserve, its first Maine preserve. In October, the conservancy transferred ownership of it to the Mahoosuc LandTtrust.

More than 80 percent of the funds needed for work on the property and stewardship resources were raised due to a gift, 100 percent board participation and foundation grants, Jim Mitchell, executive director of the trust, said in an April 1 news report.

The western Maine preserve features an easy walk to the base of the falls and a longer climb to the top, where the view of the surrounding mountains is breathtaking, according to the conservancy’s website about Step Falls Preserve.

At the end of the last Ice Age, glacial melt water carved Wight Brook, the www.nature.org site states. The falls flows over granite crisscrossed with veins of milky quartz.

“For more than a hundred years, residents and visitors to western Maine have visited Step Falls to enjoy its stunning scenery, to swim in one of its many pools, and to enjoy a family outing in this beautiful place,” Mitchell said.

The Mahoosuc Land Trust plans to improve the parking area, update trail signs, rebuild the heavily-used trail to the falls, and delineate the boundary. The trust also will establish a stewardship fund to provide the necessary financial security to maintain the preserve well into the future, he said.

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