In February 2026, the Francis Small Heritage Trust (FSHT) became the official holder of a conservation easement on a remarkable parcel of land in Parsonsfield, Maine: the Great Oaks Wilderness Sanctuary. Owned by the Northeast Wilderness Trust (NEWT), this 553.65-acre sanctuary represents “nature for nature’s sake” conservation in its purest form.
FSHT is honored to partner with Northeast Wilderness Trust to ensure that this extraordinary forest—and the vision of the family who protected it for generations—remains wild, vibrant, and undisturbed in perpetuity.
A Legacy of Stewardship
Known locally as Dearborn Mountain, the sanctuary extends from its scenic summit down across North Road to 1,600 feet of shoreline on West Pond. For over half a century, three generations of the Arthur and Laura Lougee family lovingly cared for this land.
- Artistic Inspiration: Arthur and Laura, both accomplished watercolor painters, captured the views and flora of Dearborn Mountain in hundreds of artworks. Laura sculpted local wildlife and even created art directly from nature using mushroom spores and spider webs.
- Natural History & Exploration: Their son, Jim Lougee, spent decades studying the geology, botany, and entomology of the sanctuary. Jim strongly advocated against commercial logging, preferring to let fallen trees return to the earth. He once introduced staff from the Maine Natural Areas Program to a cove of exceptional old-growth trees—including beech, sugar maple, basswood, white ash, and hemlock—many over 100 feet tall and well over a century old.
Through the heirs acting legally as the Lougee Conservancy, the family gifted the land to the Northeast Wilderness Trust. FSHT now holds the conservation easement to safeguard the property’s natural integrity forever.
“It’s a really special place, in part because my brother Jim insisted that it not be logged in any way. He’d say, if a tree falls, let it lay down to rest and rot—that’s the way nature works.”
— David Lougee
Ecological Significance & Wildlife Habitat
Thanks to decades of gentle stewardship, Great Oaks is well on its way to becoming a mature old-growth forest with complex canopy structures, standing dead snags, and rich forest debris.
- Rare & Threatened Flora: The sanctuary harbors exemplary Northern Hardwood Forest and towering stands of red oak, eastern hemlock, and eastern white pine. It hosts at least nine rare or threatened understory plant species, including Back’s sedge, blunt-lobed woodsia fern, and Fogg’s goosefoot.
- Vital Wildlife Refuge: Aquatic habitats on West Pond feature overhanging shade trees and underwater woody debris that shelter breeding fish and amphibians. On land, fallen trees and hollow logs provide essential denning, foraging, and nesting grounds for species such as songbirds, weasels, coyotes, and black bears.
- Landscape Connectivity: The property is embedded within the 64,542-acre Pine River Matrix Forest Block—a priority conservation target—and abuts 8,500 acres of conserved private timberlands. An adjacent 400-acre tract will soon join Great Oaks as forever-wild, expanding this core wild sanctuary to nearly 900 contiguous acres.
Visiting Great Oaks Wilderness Sanctuary
As a forever-wild sanctuary, Great Oaks is managed to prioritize ecological integrity:
- Public Access: The sanctuary remains open for pedestrian on-foot wilderness exploration.
- Management Guidelines: To preserve wildlife habitats, there are no maintained trails, hunting, motorized vehicles, or mechanized uses allowed on the land.
FSHT will regularly monitor the property to ensure the strong terms of the conservation easement are upheld for generations to come.
Video & Additional Resources
- 🎥 Watch the Short Video: Learn more about the land and take a visual tour via YouTube Video.
- 📄 Northeast Wilderness Trust Project Page: Discover full details at Northeast Wilderness Trust.
