Riverlands project aims to protect 853 acres, 22 islands

SHELBURNE — The Mahoosuc Land Trust and other partners have been working closely with the Shelburne Conservation Commission in this small town of less than 400 people to permanently protect 853 acres from development, along with 14 miles of scenic river frontage on a quiet section of the mighty Androscoggin River.

The non-profit land trust, that works in western Maine and northern New Hampshire out of Bethel, Maine, seeks to raise approximately $1 million to acquire a series of 22 islands and a dozen mainland parcels along an 8.7-mile stretch of river, ending in Gilead at the Maine state line.