Imagine an Alaskan-scale national park just a couple of hours north of Acadia. Imagine a spectacular expanse of forest and lakes that is home to moose, lynx, and black bear. Imagine a place with world-class wildland recreational opportunities. These are the natural treasures of the future Maine Woods National Park & Preserve. And they are threatened now more than ever by unsustainable logging and inappropriate development.  In less than one year, in late 1998 and early 1999, more than half of the lands within the proposed Maine Woods National Park were sold by giant corporations - more a million and a half acres! Many of these lands will be sold again and thousands more acres in the Maine Woods are already on the market. This highlights the urgent need to kick-start the process of permanently protecting the heart of the Maine Woods. Now is a critical time to let the governor and your elected officials in Congress know that the people of Maine and this country want full and fair consideration for the proposed Maine Woods National Park & Preserve (MWNP). To make this happen they need to hear from you. The people of Maine deserve the right to know all the facts about the concept of establishing a Maine Woods National Park & Preserve. A feasibility study would take an in-depth look at the ecological, economic, and social costs and benefits of establishing a new national park in northern Maine. Supporting this study is the least our government officials can do. The study will show how a new 3.2-million-acre Maine Woods National Park & Preserve in the Moosehead-Allagash-Katahdin region could help: a) protect wildlife habitat, water quality, and public recreational access to large areas of wilderness in northern Maine, b) restore lands that have endured years of clearcutting, herbiciding, and road building, and c) nurture a healthier, more diverse economy to supplement the struggling forest and paper industry. Please take five minutes to write a personal letter to your elected representatives- it could make all the difference. Your children and grandchildren will thank you for helping to protect and restore the heart of the Maine Woods. See the sample letter and addresses of Maine officials below. February __ , 2000 Dear Governor King, The Maine Woods is a national treasure with vast expanses of forest and lakes, habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife, and incredible recreational opportunities. I urge you to support a full public study of the proposed Maine Woods National Park & Preserve. Such a study will take an in-depth look at the economic and ecological costs and benefits of establishing the proposed park. There is nothing to lose with a study. We can only gain by understanding our options to protect this region. Maine could benefit from a new national park in the northern part of the state. Communities such as Greenville and Millinocket, as well as many other towns and cities, would see new jobs to supplement the struggling forest and paper industry. And a Maine Woods National Park & Preserve would protect habitat for wildlife, the headwaters of our major rivers, and public recreational access. The idea of creating a new Maine Woods National Park & Preserve deserves a full study. Thank you. Sincerely, Your name and address
SEND YOUR LETTERS TO... Governor Angus King Representative Thomas Allen Representative John Baldacci Senator Susan Collins Senator Olympia Snowe |
