MONTVILLE $ The Sheepscot Wellspring Land Alliance has begun a capital campaign to purchase the 414-acre Whitten Hill property on the Sheepscot River in Montville.

Whitten Hill is one of the largest properties in single ownership on the Sheepscot River and has 2,600 feet of river frontage.

The Whitten Hill Project was one of 46 conservation projects in the state selected in July to receive funding from the Land for Maine's Future program.
The Sheepscot Wellspring Land Alliance was awarded $244,000, contingent upon the rest of the project money being raised. In addition to the cost of the land, a long-term stewardship endowment will be established and there are other hefty costs associated with the acquisition.

The total cost of the project is $705,000. Of this amount, more than half has already been raised.

The Whitten Hill property abuts lands already conserved by the alliance and this acquisition will create a protected block of land of more than 1,100 acres that is part of a larger 10,000-acre conservation vision. The land will be open to the public for recreation, hunting and fishing.