Stephen J. Kushel Forest

A Gift of Forest for the Future

Rich and Gloria Kushel love the area around Kezar Lake at the foothills of the White Mountains at Maine’s western border. So much so that they’ve been buying hundreds of acres of undeveloped forest in recent years just to keep it that way. In 2025, the Kushels reached out to Greater Lovell Land Trust, offering to donate two adjacent properties located in the towns of Stow and Lovell, Maine, totaling 510 acres.

Tucked between Greater Lovell Land Trust’s 69-acre Bishop Cardinal Reserve and the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF), the generous donation was a welcome addition to this growing block of conserved wildlife habitat that includes a 900-acre conservation easement held by the land trust and the WMNF’s Speckled-Caribou Wilderness Area. As Rich noted on a walk through the forest last fall with GLLT’s executive director, Erika Rowland, "Gloria and I don’t need land for ourselves. We’d much rather have lots of people enjoying this beautiful forest." As part of the donation agreement, Greater Lovell Land Trust will begin planning and construction of recreational trails as early as 2027 to get others out there.

A Remarkable Conservation Gift

"Greater Lovell Land Trust is honored to receive this fabulous gift of forestland," says Erika. "It’s all the more amazing because the Kushels are giving us the land with an up-to-date boundary line survey, forest inventory, and management plan already in place...items whose costs can really add up."

Forests, Water, and Wildlife

In addition to a forest with a diverse mix of trees, the land hosts the headwaters of Bradley Brook and Howard Brook, which join and flow into Sucker Brook at the north end of Kezar Lake’s Lower Bay.

Forested lands are critical habitat but also important for ensuring clean waters for trout and salmon, loons and herons, and many other wildlife species. This forest is key to thriving human communities, as the conservation of this place secures access to land for hunting, foraging, hiking, and other low-impact activities that help people connect and foster a sense of place.

The Story Behind the Name

Rich and Gloria met in Maine over 40 years ago, working at Quisisana, a resort on Kezar Lake. Fast-forward some years, and they purchased a home here. Rich’s dad, Stephen, often visited and soon came to care as deeply about the waters and woods of Western Maine as they do. The forest carries his name and his memory.

Looking Ahead

While our formal recreational plans take shape, the Stephen J. Kushel Forest is open for traditional public use, accessible from its existing woods road network off the Mine Road. We will soon share information about how to get there and where to park.

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