Plum Creek Timber Company Announces Their New Plan
Plum Creek Timber Company unveiled a scaled-back development outline for their lands in the Moosehead Lake region this week. The revised plan will work in conjunction with the Conservation framework announced last week that would set aside more than 400,000 acres to be permanently protected from development and kept open for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities.

The revised plan reduces the number of shorefront lots planned along Moosehead Lake, by 95 to 480, removing all housing lots from remote ponds and focusing most of the development south of Rockwood and north of Greenville at the southern end of Moosehead Lake.

After a series of issue-scoping sessions hosted by the Land Use Regulation Commission last fall, Plum Creek announced in December it was taking a fresh look at its proposal in response to what it heard from the public.

The scaled-back plan eliminates dozens of lots on remote ponds and along the Moose River, reduces a resort at Lily Bay along Moosehead from 3,000 to 500 acres and moves a resort that was planned at Brassua to Big Moose Mountain, where a ski resort is already located. Highlights of the new plan include:

• 480 shorefront lots on Moosehead and nearby lakes, ponds and streams plus 495 "backwoods" lots. The original proposal had 575 shorefront lots.
• A resort on Big Moose Mountain offering Nordic skiing, bicycling, golf and snowmobiling.
• A significantly scaled-back resort on the Lily Bay peninsula. Conservation easements on more than 400,000 acres in the region guaranteeing public access for hunting, hiking, fishing and other traditional activities.
• Permanent public access to 144 miles of hiking and snowmobile trails.

The Coalition released the following statement on the day of the Plum Creek announcement:

“The Coalition to Preserve and Grow Northern Maine - a group of organizations, businesses and individuals organized to promote activities that provide job opportunities for the residents of northern Maine, ensure a sustainable forest products industry and conserve Maine’s natural resources for traditional recreational uses - applauds the revisions made to the Plum Creek Timber Company plan for its lands around Moosehead Lake.

It is clear that Plum Creek listened to the people of northern Maine. Their revised plan that will be submitted to the Land Use Regulation Commission is a great opportunity for the residents of the area.

The Coalition also commends Plum Creek Timber Company, the Nature Conservancy in Maine, the Forest Society of Maine and the Appalachian Mountain Club for creating the Conservation Framework that will protect more than 400,000 acres around Moosehead Lake. It is heartening to see that responsible environmental groups in the state are willing to work with landowners to structure a conservation outcome that protects Maine’s forests while sustaining the values and traditions of northern Maine, keeping the land open to hunters, hikers and other traditional uses.

While the conservation aspects of the Plum Creek plan protect over 400,000 acres and allows access for traditional uses, the Coalition believes it is critical to the future economy of the region that the development envisioned in the plan is embraced and promoted. Locating development closer to existing residential areas and providing the opportunity for world-class resorts – especially around Moose Mountain in Greenville - will enhance the region’s recreational tourism. But this must be seen only as a first step in providing the type of responsible growth that will allow our communities to grow and thrive.

It is now up to the communities of Greenville, Rockwood, Jackman, Beaver Cove and Piscataquis and Somerset County officials to use this plan as a launching pad towards sustained development that will strengthen our infrastructure such as schools and hospitals. Plum Creek Timber Company has listened to the residents of the region and provided us that opportunity. It is up to the people of the region, with the support of the Coalition, to realize the development goals proposed by the Plum Creek plan.”

Plum Creek Hosting Public Meetings in Your Area
Officials from Plum Creek Timber Company will be hosting public meetings next week to present plan revisions to area residents. Come with questions. Leave with answers. Refreshments will be served and maps will be available for you to review.

Meeting times are as follows:

Tuesday, April 11th at 7:00 p.m. at the Community House (upstairs) in Greenville

Wednesday, April 12th at 7:00 p.m. at the Four Seasons Restaurant in Jackman.

Other public meetings are being planned throughout the state. A list of those meetings will be published in the next newsletter.

Television broadcast times are as follows:

Friday, April 7th at 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 9th at 6:30 p.m.

Orientation Meeting for the Maine Mountain Heritage Network
You are invited to a meeting to hear updates on Maine Mountain Heritage Network programs and to discuss the opportunity to gain national designation for the Maine Mountain Heritage Area. National designation could result in significant federal funding ($1 million dollars per year for 10 years) to support heritage-based development education and marketing projects.

The Maine Mountain Heritage Network is an open association of businesses, organizations, and government entities organized to bring new revenues into the mountain region through creative and sustainable use of our region's natural, cultural, and historical resources. Current projects of the Maine Mountain Heritage Area programs include: a traveling exhibit, forming a regional development corporation to support the building of new information centers, resource studies to support recreation tourism development, creating downtown walking tours and heritage tourism itineraries, and marketing "signature" Maine products.

In addition to you, town managers, landowners, chamber executives, small and large business operators, recreational enthusiasts, teachers, legislators, artists and artisans, economic development specialists, land conservation groups, representatives of cultural organizations, state agency representatives, and anyone else who is looking ahead to the future of the Maine mountain region has been invited.

This meeting is leading up to the Network's “Rally for the Maine Mountain Heritage Area” on May 19th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the University of Maine at Farmington. The Rally will focus on planning the next steps for the Heritage Area and discussing the possibility of applying for national heritage designation.

To learn more about the Network, please go to www.mainemountains.org. To learn more about nationally designated heritage areas, go to www.cr.nps.gov/heritageareas.

Please call Shaunacy Cobb, Mountain Counties Heritage, at (207)778-3885 for more information about this meeting.
Where: Skowhegan Municipal Building
When: Monday, April 10th at 10:00 a.m.
There is also an informational meeting about the Maine Mountain Heritage Area Rally on April 10th at 3:00 p.m. in Jackman at the Moose Point Tavern.

Weekend Events
The Presque Isle Fish and Game Sportsman’s Spring Show at the University of Maine at Presque Isle is this weekend. The Coalition will be hosting an informational booth at this Show. For more information, please visit the Presque Isle Fish and Game web site.

Upcoming Events of Interest
April 14th: The Advanced Engineered Wood Composites (AEWC) Center is hosting a presentation entitled, “Business Opportunities: Commercializing New Technology from the University of Maine’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites (AEWC) Center” on Friday April 14th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center on the University of Maine campus in Orono. The cost is $12.00 (payable the day of the seminar), $5.00 for students. Lunch is provided. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. To pre-register contact Cindy Hanscom at the Greenville Town Office at 207-695-2421 or Cindy@GreenvilleME.com.

May 19th: Rally for the Maine Mountain Heritage Area at the University of Maine at Farmington from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. To learn more about the Network, please go to www.mainemountains.org. To learn more about nationally designated heritage areas, go to www.cr.nps.gov/heritageareas.

May 26th: The Composite Technology Center is hosting a discussion by its Executive Director, Gordon Davis, entitled, “How the Composite Technology Centers Can Help You Grow Your New Technology or Wood Based Venture” on Friday May 26th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Greenville Business Incubator Building at 76 Spruce Street in Greenville. The cost is $12.00 (payable the day of the seminar), $5.00 for students. Lunch is provided. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. To pre-register contact Cindy Hanscom at the Greenville Town Office at 207-695-2421 or Cindy@GreenvilleME.com.

email: info@preservegrowme.org
phone: 888-702-7466
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