In what will be one of the largest nonprofit land purchases in New England history, the federal and New Hampshire governments, the Trust for Public Land, and the Nature Conservancy are poised to buy 171,500 acres of land along the New Hampshire-Canada border from the International Paper Company. The estimated $44 million purchase will protect important habitat for coyotes, moose, loons, and bears. The sale represents the latest sally in an ongoing battle between conservationists and developers to determine the fate of the 26 million-acre Great North Woods, the last significant stretch of wilderness in the Northeast. Not all environmentalists are happy about the terms of the deal; only 25,000 acres will be set aside as untouchable wilderness, and some logging and herbicide use will be allowed in other areas.
