WABI-TV5 • January x, 2026
The Frenchman Bay Conservancy based out of Hancock has been conserving Maine lands for 38 years. They’ve worked to conserve more than 25,000 acres to ensure beautiful parts of our state stay that way. Now, they’ve expanded that conservancy with a historic move. Austin Schuver, the director of land protection at the Frenchman Bay Conservancy, has seen firsthand what protecting the lands, waters, and ecosystems of Maine can do. Leaders in the organization have worked for over 10 years to acquire Headwater Bluffs, and now, the 5,793 acre property is permanently protected.It’s the largest single conservation effort in the conservancy’s history. “It’s in between the Amherst community mountain forest and Sunkhaze National Wildlife Refuge, so there’s a huge block of over 40,000 acres of conserved lands that this property is now a part of,” said Schuver.