Alan Hutchinson, ‘champion’ Of Land Conservation In Maine, Dies At Age 70

Alan Hutchinson’s name may not be familiar to many Mainers. Yet the names of the places that Hutchinson quietly helped to protect – such as the West Branch of the Penobscot River, Big Spencer Mountain and the northern shorelines of Moosehead Lake – will be known to generations of people who hike, hunt, fish, paddle or work in the vast forestlands of Maine. A “champion” of land conservation, Hutchinson died this week in Orono at age 70. During his 20 years as executive director of the Forest Society of Maine, Hutchinson played a major role in conserving more than 1 million acres in Maine at a time when the state’s timber industry, land ownership and outdoor recreation trends were changing dramatically.