By Cathy Johnson, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed With few places in the world still relatively untouched by development, Maine’s 10.5 million acres of North Woods are a disappearing resource. These woods rejuvenate us: They provide opportunities for hunting, fishing and recreation, and serve as vital habitat for plants and animals. That Read More
North Woods Protection & LUPC
The 10.4-million-acre Maine North Woods, which makes up nearly half of the entire state, is the largest remaining undeveloped forest in the eastern United States. The region is at risk of being lost forever, as rapid changes in ownership have brought unprecedented pressures – from development to heavy logging.
Sprawling Development Would Hurt Towns, Wildlife & Wilderness
Bangor Daily News editorial We give the Land Use Planning Commission, which oversees zoning and development in the state’s more than 10 million acres of unorganized territories, credit for listening to public criticism of a plan to allow more scattered development in these areas. After public hearings and comments that were overwhelmingly negative, the commission Read More
State Panel Told to Protect Maine Woods from Development Sprawl
By Bill Trotter, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story A proposal to change how development is allowed in Maine’s Unorganized Territory still is being met with some vocal opposition, despite some minor changes that a state planning body has made to the draft policy. Many of the roughly three dozen people who spoke Thursday Read More
Testimony on LUPC’s Proposed Rule Revisions: Revised Application of the Adjacency Principle & Subdivision Standards
Public Hearing on LUPC’s Proposed Rule Revisions: Revised Application of the Adjacency Principle & Subdivision Standards Testimony of Catherine B. Johnson My name is Cathy Johnson and I am the Forests and Wildlife Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM has over 20,000 members and supporters including people who reside in Read More
LUPC Proposal Would Forever Scar Maine’s North Woods
NRCM calls on planning agency to drop proposed changes that would harm wildlife, recreation, and local economic development NRCM news release Augusta – People from across Maine, and the state’s leading environmental advocacy group are calling on the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) to drop a proposal that would allow widespread development on more than Read More
Maine’s North Woods Threatened by State Policy
The Land Use Planning Commission would open millions of acres of fragile ecosystems to development. by Rebecca Tripp, a resident of Searsport Portland Press Herald op-ed Maine’s North Woods is the largest undeveloped forest in the Eastern U.S., and it is being threatened by a proposal put forth by the Land Use Planning Commission, which Read More
Public is Right: There’s No Reason to Change Unorganized Territory Development Rule
Bangor Daily News editorial A website devoted to changes that would allow more scattered development throughout Maine’s Unorganized Territories begins with this statement: “Development that is farther away from public services can lead to difficulty providing those services, and scattered development may interfere with forestry, recreation, and habitat. Right now, new zones for subdivisions and Read More
Proposal Could Create “Retail Hubs,” Sprawl in Maine Woods
By Bill Trotter, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Officials who oversee development in the state’s Unorganized Territory were urged Wednesday to not make rule changes that critics say could create sprawl in the Maine woods and undermine development in northern municipalities. Approximately 100 people attended a public hearing Wednesday in Brewer by the Read More
LUPC’s Proposed Change of One-mile Rule Resisted
by Kate Cough Ellsworth American news story ELLSWORTH — Hancock County Commissioners heard passionate testimony from area residents on Monday evening, largely arguing against rule changes being proposed by the state Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) that would change where subdivisions and commercial developments could be located in Maine’s unorganized territories. “This is a major and Read More
