AUGUSTA -- The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, under the Maine Department of Conservation, has acquired more than one half-mile of shoreline on Rangeley Lake as part of a recent acquisition of land for Rangeley Lake State Park.

The 29-acre parcel, acquired at a price of $595,000, previously had been surrounded by the state park land and now is a part of a continuously protected shoreline, according to bureau officials.

Funding for the acquisition came through the Land for Maine's Future Program and the purchase was made possible by the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust.

After years of negotiations, the parcel was first acquired in early 2009 by the Trust at the urging of the Bureau of Parks and Lands. The agency acquired the parcel last Friday at its appraised value and the sale was completed last week, according to Alan Stearns, the Bureau's deputy director.

The parcel -- including portions of Black Point and South Bog on the shores of Rangeley Lake -- includes sensitive wildlife habitat and is 200 feet from an eagle's nest where chicks fledged in 2004, Stearns said. The site also abuts key protected deer wintering areas.

"Rangeley Lake State Park is an important tourism asset that helps sustain Rangeley's economy," he said. "Four miles of uninterrupted shoreline protection will keep Rangeley attractive for visitors, paddlers, campers, hunters, and fishermen for generations to come. This acquisition is part of western Maine's tourism future."

Nancy Perlson, head of the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, said the successful completion of the acquisition demonstrates the value of public/private partnerships in achieving shared conservation goals.