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Coalition to Preserve and Grow Northern Maine Coalition Newsletter - Issue Number 30 Mark Scarano, Piscataquis County Economic Development Council Jim Batey, Somerset Economic Development Corporation Treasurer Diane K. Bartley, DKB Catering, Greenville New Look for Coalition Newsletter! Legislative Public Hearing for Katahdin Lake Project The proposed bill would authorize the Department of Conservation to give a scattering of public lands in four counties to the Gardner Logging Company, as part of a deal to acquire 6,000 acres surrounding Katahdin Lake. As part of the deal, the Katahdin Lake parcel will go to Baxter Park, and hunting, trapping, snowmobiling, and other traditional activities on this land will be banned. SAM - the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine - and the Maine Snowmobile Association oppose the bill and are advocating for continued hunting, snowmobiling and other traditional uses on this land. The fight to restore those activities on the parcel has won support at the State House and in the Governor’s office to make sure traditional activities continue in an area where Maine’s hunting heritage is still strong. The Katahdin Lake parcel was in Governor Percival Baxter’s plan for the park that he purchased and gave to the people of Maine, but he was unable to purchase this parcel before his death in 1969. Governor Baxter himself accommodated the wishes of local hunters, guides and outfitters, and today 25% - 51,000 acres - of Baxter Park is open to hunting. The Baxter Park Authority has already voted to accept the parcel and to ban hunting, snowmobiling, and other activities in the new portion of the park. The land deal is complex, involving a private logging company, The Trust for Public Land, the Baxter Park Authority, the Department of Conservation, and the Maine Legislature. Because public lands are involved, the project requires a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate. About 6,000 acres surrounding Katahdin Lake will be purchased by the Department of Conservation for $14 million from Gardner Land Company. At $2,111 per acre, this is the most expensive land purchase in the history of the north woods. About $7.5 million will be used to purchase other forest lands for Gardner Land Company. Gardner will also receive a scattered group of public lands totaling 7,400 acres in four northern and western Maine counties. The Department of Conservation will receive $5.5 million which must be used to purchase public lands in the counties where Gardner Land Company is getting public lands. The final $1 million covers the costs of the complex deal. All of the funding will be raised from private donors by the Trust for Public Lands. Commissioner Pat McGowan of the Department of Conservation has pledged to follow a new policy of “no net loss” of hunting area, attempting to replace the 6,000 acres closed to hunting with lands that are now closed or threatened to be closed, so that those lands can be opened to hunting and other outdoor activities. Businesses Concerned by Cut in the BETR Program Business leaders say the governor promised to propose restoring the 10% BETR cut in the supplemental budget submitted to the Legislature last month. The promised 10% restoration proposal was not included the supplemental budget. The governor has said there was miscommunication on the issue and that his commitment is to propose the elimination of the personal property tax on business equipment. Under the state constitution, the Legislature would have to pay municipalities for half the cost of any new property tax exemptions. Dana Connors from the Maine State Chamber of Commerce said he understands the governor's political strategy of making the repeal of the personal property tax on business equipment his top priority, but that strategy will not offset the problems businesses will face in the short-term with the loss of expected reimbursements. Maine's largest industries are concerned about the stability and predictability of this program. Companies - particularly the large multinational companies doing business in Maine - plan their investments and base them on an expectation they will get the BETR reimbursement. The move could lead to large international companies, like those in the paper industry, making investments elsewhere, in states that do not tax business equipment. The ripple effect of large companies not investing is very real to small businesses that often rely on the big companies for their work. Maine’s Natural Resource-Based Industries Maine's fish and food producers are well-placed to capture part of the growing national and international market for natural and healthful food products. Within the state, producers have just started to tap the economic potential offered by local markets. As local foods become more available to citizens through farmers markets, farm stands, pick-your-own, community supported agriculture, and wholesale and retail outlets that feature local foods, income to producers will increase as well. It is clear that these sectors of our natural resource economy have potential to produce enormous returns. Following the recommendations of Blaine House Conference in 2003 and based on the findings of two recent working groups, the Maine Department of Agriculture has proposed a three-fold strategy to advance Maine agriculture, including:
Upcoming Events of Interest March 18th: The 2nd annual Greenville-to-Brownville 100-mile Wilderness Dog Sled Race has been rescheduled and will begin on Moosehead Lake at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 18th. Over twenty teams of mushers will travel through the “100-mile wilderness” on an “out and back” trail. Volunteers are needed to handle the dog teams before the race! For more information, contact Amy Dugan at info@mtnridge.com or Terry Knowles at mawtrk@midmaine.com, or contact the Towns of Brownville or Greenville, or the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce. For race rules and more information, go to the Three Rivers Community web site. March 31st through April 2nd: The Coalition will host a booth all weekend at the 26th annual State of Maine Sportsman's Show at the Augusta Civic Center. March 31st and April 1st: The Southern Piscataquis County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the annual Penquis Valley Regional Expo at Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford. Expo hours will be Friday, March 31st from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 1st from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, please visit the SPCCC web site at: www.spccc.org PCEDC Tourism Task Force Members Named The PCEDC Tourism Task Force includes the following members:
email: info@preservegrowme.org |
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