Knight Land

The 86-acre Knight property consists of two land parcels (both owned by same owners) on each side of Josias Brook. The property abuts an approved subdivision to the southeast. To the west, it abuts conservation land owned by the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W) and York Land Trust and is proximal to thousands of acres of conservation land in the Mt. Agamenticus region. It is within a 5,541-acre unfragmented block of forest and the Mt. Agamenticus Beginning with Habitat Focus Area of Statewide Ecological Significance and near MDIF&W’s Mt. Agamenticus Management Area. The property is mostly forested but contains 31 acres of high value forested wetlands including some shrub-scrub, a perennial stream (Josias Brook), several ephemeral drainages and potential vernal pools. The wetlands are ranked High Value for production export, wildlife habitat, uniqueness/heritage and endangered species habitat. The forest is part of a rare Central Hardwoods Oak Forest Ecosystem, which has only one location in the state. The property supports rare plants including Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alifolia,S2), and Chestnut Oak (Quercus Montana, S1) and rare turtles. A Blanding’s turtle was observed on the property by Derek Yorks, a wildlife biologist from MDIF&W in 2016. MDIF&W Fisheries Biologist, Brian Lewis documented 23 brook trout in Josias Brook in July 2019 just downstream from the property. A selective timber harvest took place within the last ten years. No clear signs of erosion or long-term impact detected, however some trees were removed from edge of some wetlands.