OTISFIELD — The Otisfield Conservation Committee will host a public program by Portland Water District’s Paul Hunt on the relationship between the Crooked River and Sebago Lake, and the significant role the Crooked River plays in the lives of over one-sixth of Maine. The program will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, at Otisfield Town Office, Route 121.

Hunt has dedicated his career to understanding and protecting the natural systems which support Sebago Lake, the drinking water reservoir for the greater Portland area served by the PWD. Recently the district has developed and supported a grant program focused on forest conservation within the Sebago Lake watershed which includes the Crooked River watershed.

The timing of the presentation is aimed to inform Otisfield voters before they head to their town meeting on June 28. At that meeting there will be a warrant item submitted by the Otisfield Conservation Committee to “appropriate the sum of $5,000 to help the Western Foothills Land Trust acquire and protect the Twin Bridges Parcel (252 acres) in Otisfield as a working forest with public recreational benefits.” The forested Twin Bridges parcel enjoys over a mile on the river both north and south of Route 117. With easy access, level topography, stable soils and well maintained twitch trails it is a perfect candidate for a community forest.

Supportive of the protection of upstream forestlands, the board of the Portland Water District has voted to provide significant funding to the Crooked River Forests project, which includes the potential purchase of the Twin Bridges parcel. While the PWD will be contributing $269,000 to the project, support by upstream municipalities is seen as essential.

Related to the overall Crooked River Forests Project, grant awards have been recently announced in support of the $1.6 million project which includes the purchase of five working forests including two potential community forests, the 300-acre Thomes Intervale in Harrison and the 252-acre Twin Bridges parcel in Otisfield. The Elmina B. Sewell Foundation has provided $75,000 towards the effort, and the Open Space Institute’s Climate Change Resiliency program has announced a $200,000 contribution.

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