Remembering Dale C. Wheaton, Registered Maine Guide & Conservationist
The outdoors was Dale’s playground from an early age, his heaven on earth. As a guide, his active mind cataloged every shoreline for potential conservation and preservation opportunities, looking for one more tree to save and one more pristine view to maintain. He liked things to be orderly, as witnessed by the tidiness of his workshop, a well-organized office, and his bike trips out of town to collect roadside waste. Dale took a deep interest in the area and community. It was his idea and energy that resulted in re-beautifying the roadway leading into Forest City.
Residents, directors and members of the land trust pitched in to plant 44 maple saplings, replacing those 120-year-old sentinels that had fulfilled their duty. It was his plan and efforts that built the picnic table and fireplace at Jake’s Landing (adjacent to the gurgling outlet stream of East Grand Lake) for guides and sports to enjoy. He forged a trail to the old tannery site, gave a lecture on its history, organized a trek to Monument 1, helped clean up the Dri-Ki Point site, and spearheaded the drive to build the WWLT Center in the midst of adverse economic times.
For 60 years this Registered Maine Guide warmed the stern seat of a Grand Laker Canoe, 27 of them in his own meticulous build. Paddling along shorelines, investigating every nook and cranny on area lakes, Dale amassed a vast and intimate knowledge of our pristine wilderness; he developed a fond appreciation for the unspoiled. Driven by simple details that make for a guide’s excellence—be it a well prepared and orchestrated shore lunch, the use of a seasoned “cold-hand” fry pan or a thinly tied streamer fly—he held himself and his colleagues to the highest standards.
Above all, we will remember Dale’s monumental conservation legacy. This journey began during a pivotal moment at Wheaton’s Lodge where, at a meeting with representatives from the New England Forest Foundation (NEFF), Land for Maine’s Future Board (LMF), Wagner Forest Management (Typhoon LLC), Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW), the Maine Audubon Society, Woodie Wheaton Land Trust (WWLT), et.al., Maine’s Audubon attorney urged him to “think big.” Well, think big he did! Dale conceived a conservation easement that would protect Spednic Lake’s unique, largely untouched, natural landscape and its rocky shores. He understood that preserving this pristine environment was crucial for the region’s outdoor economy, supporting fishing lodges, guides, and the many canoeists who paddle the St. Croix headwaters. To garner broader support, Dale drove to Boston to be interviewed by New England Cable News, passionately articulating the importance of this ambitious conservation project. He then took a steadfast position that WWLT would withdraw unless kept in the line of title. Finally, the state acquiesced. These efforts led to the establishment of a 500-foot corridor in 2004, encompassing 51 miles of unspoiled waterfront, 16 miles along Spednic Lake’s Maine shoreline and 35 miles down the St. Croix River. This project totaled 2,773 acres, secured public rights of way at Castle Road and the St. Croix River at Loon Bay, and preserved traditional guide lunch grounds along Spednic. These were designated as overnight campsites or day use sites that respected a century of reliance upon them by the local sporting economy. It was the first of a long list of Dale-inspired conservation efforts.
In May of 1995, shortly after the formation of WWLT, a float plane landed on Spednic and taxied up to Birch Island carrying a “For Sale” sign. It was a loud alarm bell! Directors of the land trust immediately reacted, “We have to buy Birch Island.” Engaging IF&W and anteing up $16,000 of land trust money, Dale was able to get the Maine Coast Heritage Trust to lend the balance to be secured by real estate only. He and Jana mortgaged property of their own to secure the loan. Complex negotiations led to the conveyance of Birch Island to the State of Maine with deed covenants to keep it natural and with limited primitive outdoor recreation. Little Birch Island nearby was quitclaimed to WWLT soon after.
In 2008, Dale led the effort to secure 6.1 acres (3,000 waterfront footage) on Greenland Island with its rugged, undeveloped shoreline designated as a natural place for public benefit. The mortgage was retired in 2009. The lunch site and fireplace, a pearl amidst Greenland Cove, still casts a memory to old timers of Billy Springer, known as “The Hermit of Greenland Island.”
Dale’s continued dedication to conservation led to the permanent protection of significant lands on Spednic. Collaborating for over a year with Dick and Lucy Packert, a permanent conservation legacy of 12 acres on their family-owned Hathaway Island was established. As a result, shore frontage of 4307 feet will remain forever wild across from the Castle Road landing on Spednic. The purchase of Dri-Ki Point from Baskahegan Company followed in 2014. This spectacular 1,041 foot frontage and lunch site was made possible by Dale’s leadership and the generosity of the Sam Shine Foundation, Sarina Gwirtzman, and other WWLT members.
One of Dale’s major conservation achievements was the complex, five-parcel Headwaters Land Acquisition. Beginning in 2018 with the 3,050-acre Glendenning and Greenleaf parcels along Monument Brook (supported by the Sam & Betty Shine Foundation), the project focused on critical ecological protection for the St. Croix Watershed. Over the next five years, three additional parcels were added: the 906-acre Headwaters Forest, with vital deer wintering habitat and brook trout spawning streams, a 421-acre Clark Brook parcel, and a 203-acre Williams Brook parcel. Finally, the acquisition of 4,600 acres of ecologically important land in the headwaters encompassing the entire western shore of Monument Brook brought assurances of clean water sources for the Chiputneticook Lakes. A crowning touch was secured by Dale shortly after this by working with a private land owner to purchase a 5-acre piece that provided the Trust with access to Monument One.
After years of sporadic contact with the owners, Dale completed the purchase of Muncy Point in 2024, eliminating further development on this shoreline of Spednic Lake. It was his last effort. For 27 years he was the driving force of our conservation initiatives; the very heartbeat of the Woodie Wheaton Land Trust. He cared deeply for the future of the wilderness that he loved. With a steady hand and moral compass, he left a legacy that will live on. May sportsmen, our children, and our grandchildren look back someday with appreciation for his good work.
Dale’s vision for the future of this special place extended beyond his lifetime. His dreams and goals are to be carried on through the Dale & Jana Wheaton Family Endowment, which will support staffing and ensure the continuation of WWLT’s valuable conservation work. You are invited to help.
Dale’s Celebration of Life will be held at the Woodie Wheaton Land Trust Center on July 21st at 7:00 pm.