| Plum Creek Plan Newsletter |
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Coalition to Preserve and Grow Northern Maine Coalition Newsletter - Issue Number 70 Chair: Jim Batey, Somerset Economic Development Corporation Treasurer: Diane Bartley, DKB Catering, Greenville Secretary: Carolann Ouellette, Moose Point Tavern, Jackman Coalition Meeting Coalition Holiday Open House For more information, please contact the Coalition Information Center at 1-888-702-7466. Plum Creek Plan Application Complete Plum Creek submitted the details of the Conservation Framework - an agreement with The Nature Conservancy, Forest Society of Maine and Appalachian Mountain Club - to permanently protect more than 340,000 acres in the Moosehead Lake region. The Conservation Framework would be one of the largest land conservation projects in U.S. history. Plum Creek also has offered to donate approximately 72,000 acres of conservation land to offset the proposed development in the plan. Having now deemed Plum Creek’s application "acceptable for processing," LURC staff can move forward with their review. Public hearings are tentatively scheduled for the spring or summer of 2007. “Maine Outdoors” to Discuss Plum Creek Plan The show will air live this Sunday at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7). The show will be taking callers. Don’t forget to tune in. Plum Creek and CVA Teaming Up for Environmental Science The Plum Creek Foundation challenge match and grant will allow the program to teach CVA students about how to be environmentally conscious and informed. Students involved in the environmental science class will have the opportunity to use case studies and investigative projects to look more closely at a variety of environmental issues that impact their communities and the world. The mission of the Plum Creek Foundation is to provide philanthropic contributions to support and improve the general welfare of life in the communities that Plum Creek serves. The Foundation board meets quarterly to review applications submitted from organizations in the company’s operating communities. Editorial: Growth in the Unorganized Territory Needed Lawmakers must clear the path for unorganized growth With an increasing number of people building homes, seasonal and year-round, in the Maine woods, the demand for services in these remote parts of the state will continue to increase. A legislative study committee has come up with some good suggestions — first, educate newcomers about what is and is not provided, and second, increase funding for state and county agencies to provide fire protection, planning and other services. Lawmakers, who will soon receive the group’s report, should use the suggestions to change state policy to ensure that the costs of future development in the territories are fairly allocated. For Piscataquis County commissioners, concerns about development in the Unorganized Territory are immediate. Plum Creek Timber Co. has proposed to build nearly 1,000 house lots and two resorts around Moosehead Lake. The Land Use Regulation Commission, the agency that oversees the 10 million acres, mostly in northern Maine, is reviewing Plum Creek’s application. It has asked the county commissioners to develop a list of concerns that should be addressed by the Seattle-based company as part of the LURC review. Concerns raised at a commission meeting last week included fire and police protection and responsibility for road maintenance. Between 1990 and 2000, the population in the Unorganized Territory in Piscataquis County grew 20 percent, while the population of the county as a whole dropped 7 percent. The number of houses in the territory is also growing. In the 1970s, an average of 204 new houses were built yearly. In the 1990s, that grew to 298 homes per year. At the same time, the ratio of seasonal to permanent homes has dropped from 3.7 seasonal residences for every year-round home in the 1970s to 2.5 seasonal residences for every year-round home in the 1990s. That, too, means more demand for services as more people live in the territory all year. One attraction of the Unorganized Territory is its low tax rate, which averages about half that of organized towns largely because school costs are shared equally among all the taxpayers in the territory, including large landowners that own most of the North Woods and require few services. Growth in the Unorganized Territory is not unwelcome. New development means new taxes and customers, and in the case of a resort or manufacturing facility, new jobs and payroll. These benefits, however, bring with them additional traffic, trash, and demands for water, electricity and sewer services, as well as changing the distinct character of the region. To ensure that newcomers understand what living in the Unorganized Territory really means, the legislative task force recommends education materials that explain the limited services available there. It also called for three more forest service helicopters for fire suppression, a restoration of five positions eliminated from LURC, and giving counties the authority to charge fees for services they provide to the territories. Assessing new fees and creating new government positions will no doubt be contentious, but development in remote areas demands new ways to fairly pay for its consequences. Ktaadn Resort Proposal Before LURC The plan for Ktaadn Resorts calls for a community center, expanded Twin Pines camping ground and residential and mixed-use subdivision totaling 35 residential lots and 12 mixed-use town houses on 1,450 acres of Township 1 Range 8 along Millinocket Lake and Hammond Ridge. The project is estimated to spur at least 60,000 visitor-days in the Katahdin region or draw 17,000 tourists to the resort for about 3½ days each. The resort would enhance some existing regional features — snowmobile and ATV trails, and cross- country skiing — while removing some human-made eyesores, such as two heavy power lines and a repeater tower on Black Cat Mountain. The resort plan calls for creating funds for motorized and non- motorized trail development and wildlife enhancement and protection. ATV trails would be allowed on the property if other property owners agree and a trail is needed. A seaplane hangar, garage, several shops and sheds and a gasoline pump area for snowmobilers will be removed or relocated a mile from the lake area. Some aspects of the resort plan include agricultural centers, living and work space for artisans and other "creative economy" workers, and a traveler’s philanthropy program that encourages visitors to devote time, talent or money to the local economy. LURC staff could take six months or less to review the proposal if the zone-change application is in good order. The formal review begins when LURC declares the submission complete. LURC will hold public hearings on the rezoning request if enough requests are made. If LURC approves the proposal, construction could begin next fall. Total construction could take five to eight years. Allagash Wilderness Waterway Task Force Mulling “Board of Overseers” The task force, created by Governor Baldacci last spring, is winding down its effort to identify alternate management options for the 92-mile waterway. The group held four meetings this week simultaneously via video conferencing in Fort Kent, Orono, Augusta and Portland to hear public comment on the proposed board of overseers. The five-member board would be responsible for developing and implementing a strategic plan for the waterway, hiring a director, reporting to the Legislature and fundraising. The board would comprised of the commissioner of the Department of Conservation, the attorney general or his designee, the director of the State Planning Office and public representatives selected from each of Maine’s two congressional districts. Speakers from the Fort Kent location urged the group to drop the governing board idea, predicting the body would only exacerbate tensions between local residents and conservationists. Representatives of the forest products industry expressed alarm at what they perceived as an "escalation of authority" and questioned whether the board would be accountable to the public, noting that people currently can effect change in the waterway through the Legislature. Environmental groups saw value in the idea of a quasi- independent board insulated from the political process but suggested changes to the board’s composition, urging the elimination of the two public board members and instead the appointment a representative of the National Park System with knowledge of the federal "Wild and Scenic" river program. The task force may meet again to discuss the public comments and possible changes to the draft recommendation. If significant changes are made, the panel could hold another public hearing before presenting the recommendations to the governor. The public comment period on the current draft recommendations will remain open through December 12th. Written comments can be e-mailed to kelly.arata@maine.gov or sent to Kelly J. Arata, Legislative & Policy Coordinator, Governor’s Office, 1 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0001. Trees For Troops Families of those serving overseas also will receive freshly cut Christmas trees. Eighty-two soldiers from the Maine Army National Guard’s 240th Engineer Group of Augusta are serving in Afghanistan under 10th Mountain Division, and another 242 are serving in Iraq under the Brewer- based B Company, 3rd Battalion, of the 172nd Mountain Infantry and the 152nd Field Artillery Battalion, based mostly in Aroostook County but with a company in Waterville. Several soldiers from other units also are serving with the Army Guard. In addition to the Army Guard, there are Maine soldiers in active duty with other military branches, serving in numerous overseas locations. The international tree shipments began to leave the country in mid-November and are going to soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East and with the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in the Gulf. For information on the tree-giving program, go to www.christmasspiritfoundation.org. Read the Plum Creek Plan You should also be able to access the EMDC study as well as ITS trail maps from this website. Read the EMDC Study of the Plum Creek Plan Impacts [Caution: This is a very large file and may take a long time to download.] Upcoming Events email: info@preservegrowme.org |
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