Governor John Baldacci will join other dignitaries from state agencies, surrounding towns, and midcoast land trusts Thursday October 25 for the official unveiling of one of the most important conservation efforts the mid-coast region has seen. The event will be held at Dodge Point off the River Road in the town of Newcastle beginning at 10 a.m.

The River~Link project is a partnership among several entities including the Boothbay Region Land Trust, the Town of Edgecomb, the Schmid Preserve Committee, the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association, the Damariscotta River Association, and Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Working together, and with the essential funding support of the Land for Maine's Future with two grants totaling $700,000, River~Link is becoming a reality.

The total project when completed will protect 1,400 acres of land that will link several existing public and private protected lands and add to existing public access points to both land and water resources, creating a three town recreational and wildlife corridor straddling Route One between two of Maine's most heavily used rivers, the Sheepscot and Damariscotta.