PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Environmentalists and town officials in Greenville are celebrating a massive conservation easement that will protect a huge swath of forest land for wildlife, recreation and forestry.

"Just yesterday, we finally closed on the 2nd largest conservation easement ever done in the United States' history," Mike Tetreault, executive director of The Nature Conservancy, announced to the crowd gathered at the Maine Historical Society. 

The 363,000 acres of land in the Moosehead region will be protected from future development, while still being harvested for timber and open to the public for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities.

 Maine’s first annual Equestrian Open Barn Day will be held on May 27th and barns all over the State are participating!  The list of barns participating has been published in The Horse’s Maine, Maine’s equestrian newspaper, for the past several months, and the list has been steadily growing. 

Each participating equestrian barn has determined its own program for the day.  Possibilities include demo lessons, riding demos, pony (and horse!) petting, refreshments, meeting the equine residents, and other original ideas.  It is a day for families who would enjoy visiting with the horses to get out and meet them, or individuals who are interested in riding lessons, boarding or training to check out the different stables in their area.

The 80th Anniversary Season at the Ogunquit Playhouse kicks off with Always, Patsy Cline, on stage from May 23 through June 16. This show is told through the letters of star-struck fan Louise Seger, portrayed by Emmy Award winning actress, Sally Struthers. This popular musical, which has enjoyed great success both off-Broadway and across the nation, is based on the true story of Cline’s friendship with Seger, who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk in l961 and continued a correspondence with Cline until her death. Featuring the unforgettable hits of the Country Music mega-star, this funny and touching tribute celebrates the career and life of the singer who died tragically in a plane crash in 1963.