BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 3, 2025
I’ll never forget the first time I laid eyes on what would become my favorite trout fishing spot for years. I fished that stretch of the stream each spring over the years, and I even found a few more hidden gem spots farther upstream. But things changed when a local land trust purchased the property. I’ve only fished there a handful of times in the last few years because the steep muddy banks where I would occasionally see one or two other boot tracks are scarred by wide, manicured hiking paths. A gravel parking area with signs and maps guide hundreds of people to those old fishing holes. Ironically the land trust that manages the property around the stream pledges: “To lead in conserving land, water and wildlife habitat.” Are parking lots, trails, signs and trash what true conservation looks like these days? ~ Chris Sargent