President Barack Obama turned a vast stretch of ME woods into the nation’s newest federal parkland on Wednesday, siding with conservationists who want the wild lands protected, over residents and officials who oppose intrusion from Washington and restrictions on use of the land.
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Today, President Obama announced the designation of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument as America’s 413th unit of the National Park System. ME has a national park farther south on its coast – Acadia National Park, mostly located on Mount Desert Island near Bar Harbor.
Then the gambit got truly serious in 2010, when Quimby was appointed to the National Park Foundation board of directors.
But creating a national park requires Congressional approval, so advocates urged President Obama to designate this section as a national monument before he leaves office.
Quimby’s gift has been debated for years among residents of ME, where the paper industry once dominated the economy. The designation “started with my mom’s vision back in the 1990s, when she was thinking how she could give back to the state of Maine” for being the birthplace of Burt’s Bees. Other activities such as hunting and snowmobiling will also be allowed on a portion of the monument. Marts most recently served as deputy superintendent of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Historical Park and Saint Gaudens National Historic Site in Vermont.
Her son, Lucas St. Clair, took over the campaign, allowing hunters and snowmobilers to return to part of the area. The $60 million worth of land, plus the $20 million endowment and pledge to raise another $20 million, raises her gift total to $100 million. National Park Service staff will be on site to assist with the first steps to open the park.
St. Clair won over some former opponents, but resistance has remained strong.
St. Clair, who runs the family’s Elliotsville Plantation nonprofit, said in an interview that he may resume the push for legislation to change Katahdin Woods and Waters to a national park after the 2016 elections. Governor Paul LePage called the effort to establish the monument an “ego play” by out-of-state officials. This spring, the state’s legislature passed an unenforceable ban against its creation.
The president’s action drew sharply differing statements from the state’s USA senators, who joined forces a year ago to express concern about the idea.
The monument designation was widely praised by national conservation and sportsmen groups.
King’s position evolved, however, and he said Wednesday that the federal designation “will provide much-needed diversity to the region’s economy”. Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-Maine).
The brochures for the monument are printed and signs are going up, and the National Park Passport Stamp beloved by park visitors is now available.
“We are not expecting a national monument to be a silver bullet for our economy, but we certainly look forward to enjoying the economic benefits that similar monuments have brought communities across our nation”, Fanjoy states.
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When it comes to the national monument debate, though, it appears as if we southern Mainers may be the ones who lack understanding..
