Maine West is a partnership of local and regional organizations dedicated to addressing systemic rural challenges and enhancing community well-being in western Maine through increased collaboration across the economic, education, health, and conservation sectors.

Focused in the Oxford Hills, River Valley, and Bethel areas, Maine West advances its mission through network-based, collaborative approaches that:

• Build relationship and social capital across all elements of the community;
• Advance tangible, multi-sector projects to deliver near-term benefits to people, communities, and the environment; and
• Build the capacity of partners and other area stakeholders to attract resources and implement projects that address persistent challenges and enhance long-term community well-being.

Learn more about the work of the partnership:

Visit MaineWest.org

Maine West Guiding Beliefs

Maine West partners’ collaborative work is guided by the following core beliefs:

• Effective cross-sector collaboration will improve outcomes for people, communities and the environment;
• Strong relationships and collaboration among project area communities will generate new opportunities to address regional issues;
• Increased investment is needed to secure long-term community benefits;
• Local and sector-specific work is important for its implicit value and as a testing ground for regional learning and replication;
• Learning together, across sectors and across communities, will build local capacity;
• Engaging people of all backgrounds, incomes and education levels is necessary to ensure work that is grounded and relevant to community well-being;
• The health of people and of the land are interrelated and must be addressed together;
• Systemic change takes time and requires both patience and experimentation.

To learn more about Maine West, please contact one of the partner organizations listed on this page, or the project coordinator: Mike Wilson, Northern Forest Center, mwilson@northernforest.org, 207-767-9952.

Maine West Partners

• Northern Forest Center (coordinator)
• Androscoggin River Watershed Council 
• Appalachian Mountain Club
• Appalachian Trail Conservancy
• Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce
• Community Concepts Finance Corp. 
• Inland Woods + Trails
• Mahoosuc Land Trust
• Oxford County Mental Health Services  
• Oxford County Wellness Collaborative
• Region 9 Adult Education 
• River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition 
• The Trust for Public Land  
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension Bryant Pond 4-H Camp & Learning Center
• Western Foothills Land Trust