Gilead residents and conservation community celebrate 978 acres protected in perpetuity. 

In October 2026, a five-year effort culminated in the permanent conservation of 978 acres of woodlands and wetlands in Gilead, Maine, as Mahoosuc Land Trust took ownership of Tumbledown Dick Mountain.  

The Northern Forest Center and Mahoosuc Land Trust worked with the community to plan how the property would be used and managed. As a final step, the Center oversaw development of a comprehensive stewardship plan that wove together recommendations from three separate reports — ecological assessment, recreation plan, and forest management plan — to guide future management of the property. 

The Tumbledown Dick Mountain property is part of a larger 27,000-acre project in western Maine that began in 2020 to conserve the Chadbourne Tree Farm lands. A coalition of land trusts, recreation organizations, state agencies, and the U.S. Forest Service worked to develop a conservation outcome for the properties. White Pine Forest LLC, a joint initiative of The Conservation Fund and Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation purchased the Chadbourne holdings to safeguard and manage while a permanent conservation solution and funding were secured. Tumbledown Dick Mountain’s combination of unique natural communities and superlative recreation potential was attractive to Mahoosuc Land Trust as an important property to protect.  

The Public Planning Process 

In April 2025, the Center and Mahoosuc Land Trust began a 10-month public planning process with the town of Gilead and other interested residents from the region to permanently protect the land as a public asset. The Center facilitated monthly community planning meetings with Gilead residents to learn about the property, consider use options, and develop community priorities for the forested parcel.   

The planning process included community surveys and other input opportunities, development of management and recreation priorities, creation of a vision and mission for the property, and establishment of the local Tumbledown Advisory Group. In October 2026, Center Program Director Julie Renaud Evans and Program Manager Kendall Gray completed the stewardship plan for Tumbledown Dick Mountain, fully integrating three professional plans into one cohesive document for future guidance on management decisions. 

On Oct. 7, 2026, Mahoosuc Land Trust officially took title to the property and will continue to manage the property with guidance from the advisory group. As with all the Chadbourne lands, Tumbledown Dick Mountain is permanently protected by a conservation easement held by the state of Maine.