MORNING SENTINEL • May 22, 2025
A long-planned deal that would give the National Park Service 1,845 acres of forest next to the Appalachian Trail corridor in Somerset County hit a snag Wednesday when a majority of the county commissioners objected to it. The nonprofit land trust facilitating the transaction had asked the county to express its lack of objection, a requirement imposed at the last minute by the federal government before it would approve more than $2 million in funding for the conservation project. But three of the five Somerset County commissioners said at their regular meeting Wednesday in Skowhegan they would not support the county issuing a “no objection” letter, largely because the acquisition would close the area to hunting. Their decision, which could change in the coming days as the commissioners review more information, puts the chance to permanently conserve the land in jeopardy.