By Avern Danforth, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed We need a serious conversation about jobs and how we can create more of them, particularly in northern Maine. The numbers speak for themselves. In communities such as East Millinocket, Millinocket, Medway and Stacyville, the unemployment rate is two or three times the state Read More
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
NRCM along with residents of the Katahdin region, and supporters around the state worked on the campaign to to ensure protection of 87,500 acres east of Baxter State Park as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (KWW). This land was gifted to the United States by the landowner, Elliotsville Plantation, a nonprofit foundation founded by Burt’s Bees entrepreneur Roxanne Quimby. EPI also donated $20 million in stewardship funds. On August 24, 2016, President Barack Obama designated this land as the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument. Read more about the National Monument in these media stories and blogs.
Wilderness Guides Endorse National Park and Recreation Area
By David Farmer Bangor Daily News news story The Maine Wilderness Guides Organization Board of Directors announces its endorsement of a proposal to create the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Park. “A new national park and national recreation area will provide an enormous benefit to Maine’s guides and the sporting lodge community by drawing visitors Read More
National Park Plan Merits Delegation’s Backing
The proposal takes a proven approach to packaging the Katahdin area’s natural assets. By The Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial Members of Maine’s congressional delegation will be watching closely later this month as residents of the Katahdin-area towns of East Millinocket and Medway vote on their support for a proposed north woods national park Read More
New Poll Shows ‘Strong’ Support for National Park
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ favorite pollster found in a survey of 500 respondents across the 2nd Congressional District last month that 67 percent favored a proposed 150,000-acre north woods national park and recreation area, officials said Tuesday. Commissioned by leading park proponent Lucas St. Read More
Another National Park Would Suit Everyone’s Interests
Our precious commodity of pristine forest is for everyone’s benefit. By Ken Allen Portland Press Herald op-ed In my early 20s, I spent two glorious summers camping near Ripogenus Dam on the Penobscot River’s West Branch, which included huge woodlands, myriad waters and Baxter State Park for recreation. Back then, the West Branch enjoyed a Read More
Why Baxter State Park’s Former Director Backs National Park Plan
By Buzz Caverly, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Fifty-five years ago, as a young man shortly out of high school, I was hired as a Baxter State Park ranger and assigned to the Russell Pond campground in the heart of the Wassataquoik Valley, at the eastern edge of the park. For years, Read More
LePage Pens Earth Day Letter to Obama Opposing New National Park
By Mario Moretto, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — While proponents continue their efforts to set aside 150,000 acres in northern Maine for a national park and recreation area, Gov. Paul LePage voiced his opposition to the plan in a letter addressed to President Barack Obama. A company called Elliotsville Plantation Read More
Public Opinion Survey Shows Broad Support for New Proposed National Park and National Recreation Area
NRCM news release The Natural Resources Council of Maine today released the results of two public opinion survey questions about a proposal to establish a new National Park and National Recreation Area on 150,000 acres of land east of Baxter State Park. The questions, included in the Spring Critical Insights of Maine Tracking Survey, show Read More
Medway Residents to Vote on National Park Plan
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story MEDWAY, Maine — Residents will decide whether they support a proposed 150,000-acre national park and recreation area in a nonbinding referendum on June 23, officials said Monday. The Board of Selectmen agreed informally last week to hold the referendum during the town’s annual election, Read More