The Christmas season and promise of a new year has a way of bringing hope and reflection. On occasion people even follow through on their new year’s resolutions.
I suspect Roxanne Quimby’s recent decision to withdraw her 70,000-acre national park proposal is not a change of heart but stems from the stark reality that with the crushing election year loss of pro-park Senate candidate Cynthia Dill and the victory of anti-park candidate Angus King, her hopes and dreams for the coming year have changed dramatically. As disappointing as this must be for Quimby, I see this as an incredible new opportunity to mend broken fences and, at the same time, change lives forever.
Through her son Lucas and Washington, D.C., public relations consultants, she has asked for ideas and potential uses for her vast property. I have 10 Christmas wishes for these lands, and if I had influence this is what I would tell Quimby:
1. Take down your gates.
2. Make all of your land-use agreements stand for 20 years or more as a gesture of goodwill and to assure skeptics you are seriously abandoning a national park plan.
3. Create a committee of in-state land-use leaders, and direct them to develop multiuse recreational opportunities on your land that do not exclude anyone based on their choice of recreation.
4. Inventory your lands for wildlife habitat. Once you have identified trout spawning habitat, deer yards, bird nesting sites, etc., protect and manage them forever using the appropriate state wildlife agency.
5. Open your land to all youth hunting days where appropriate and encourage families and the next generation to build lifelong memories.
6. Work with the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and our partners to expand our “Gift of a Lifetime” youth lifetime fishing license program by offering your wilderness camps for a once-in-a-lifetime weekend experience for children who might never have such an opportunity.
7. Join us in healing the broken bodies and broken spirits of our returning soldiers by opening your lands for the development of veteran outdoor opportunities of all kinds.
8. Reach out to youth groups dedicated to resource conservation and ask if there are ways your land can benefit the children they serve.
9. Ask the children who use your lands to help name this new recreational park.
10. Set up an ongoing endowment to pay for the above wishes.
Last year, I had the pleasure to share the outdoors with dozens of children and veterans through community organizing and volunteering. I worked side by side with volunteers from land trusts, watershed associations, veterans groups, Democrats, Republicans, union representatives and people across the income spectrum. Many of the children and volunteers who participated would never consider hunting, fishing or most of the outdoors activities I enjoy, but I consider many of them my new friends.
What I’ve learned is that sharing the outdoors with children and their families, friends and neighbors has a way of bringing people together.
Friendships and family bonds are reinforced when people work together to share outdoor experiences. People and organizations that typically don’t associate start talking, and, in time, they learn to trust each other.
Quimby has land and financial wealth unlike most of our society. She could decide to use this new year and fresh start to bring people together and design a plan that could change lives and families forever. Understanding that putting up gates and excluding people based on their choice of recreation insults them deeply is the first step in rebuilding relationships.
Now that is a wish and legacy I can get behind.
David Trahan is executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine.
Before Roxanne purchased these lands the people of Maine were able to hike,
bike, fish, hunt, snowmobile, ATV, and generally use the land respectfully as
it were their own. Why do we need a
federal agency to regulate the use of the land we have enjoyed for generations?
This does not make the people who enjoyed this land for generations entitled to anything.She paid for the land,pays taxes on the land,it’s her land to allow what ever she wants to do with it.
Gee Dave, it would be helpful if you knew your facts. Cynthia Dill was not a congressional candidate for the first district, she was a US senatorial candidate.
I’m confused… Is this private land or public land? Dave, would it be proper for a stranger to ask of Santa the keys for your house and car. After all they haven’t always been yours.
It would be public land if it was turned into a park. The point is, if she wants to build rapport with Maine citizens, these would be good gestures. No, she doesn’t have to do a thing if she chooses. Open wounds will not mend though. I do realize most of the wounds were created north of the Augusta line.
if it is her land (I won’t know until I’ve seen her birth certificate and deed), then does she not have the right to donate it or make it into a cranberry bog, blue berry plains, or potato fields if she so chooses? Or do her owner ship rights only exist at the mercy of the masses and not written law.
With that said I guess Plum Creek has the same right to do whatever they choose to do with their land, well what happened there, all the enviro people almost got their ideas stopped along with these environmental impact statements which cost big $$$$$ and stop lot’s of people from doing what they want to do with their land, how about the LURK folks, they tell people what they can and can not do with their property all the time. Just because it’s your land does not give you the right to do what you want look at what happened in Searsport the people do not want those tanks, I can not build a business on my land without permission form the town.
As I poorly stated in my last post, “… her owner ship rights only exist by written law and not at the mercy of the masses.” If anyone is unhappy with the law then lets work to change it and abandon the mob mentality and personal attacks.
The problem is she wants to “donate” it to the federal government. They in turn will be responsible for the property. Even though it would come with an endowment, the federal government work on behalf of the taxpayer, hense this is not an automatic “yes” decision. If it were as simple as donating the land to a good steward, why not donate it to the Baxter State Park? They have a great track record? I know why, it has nothing to do with her land alone. It has everything to do with a much larger project measuring 3.2 million acres, and she and the Feds know it.
Again, it is her land to donate as she pleases within the written law. Percival Baxter chose not to donate his land to the Maine Park System and instead created the Baxter State Park Authority. George Dorr, the “father of Acadia,” opted to donate his land in support of Maine’s Acadia National Park. Both of these great people opted differently with great success. Why should she not have the same right? Or is it not her right?
It’s not a matter of rights. No one said it was. If someone was to “donate” a million dollar house to you and some of the expenses would be paid for, would you think twice about taking up the offer if you questioned whether you could afford all the unpaid expenses?
First, I want to thank you for your civil dialog. Your reasonableness has forced me to learn more about Maine’s land use history than I would have otherwise. I am still seeing the anger and attacks levied against her as an issue about land use and access of private land. People who have used this land for years as their play ground are now being threatened with its loss. Am I a way off course? I appreciate their frustration but do not understand why they did not organize to purchase it from the pulp & paper companies before she acquired it. The paper companies allowed free access as a means of appeasing the people while they raped the land. It was a true case of prostitution of Maine’s natural resources. The people had a free ride on an abused lady (Maine’s Timber land) and the paper pimps ran off with her profits. Now Ms. Quimby has paid off the pimps and is trying to heel the wounds of the abused the best way she knows how. So I guess the folks will have to pile off the lady, pull up their pants, and realize their free ride is over. I guess I need to study how Maine native indians maintained free access to our natural resources with such minimal impact until they were driven off after centuries of responsible use, maintenance, and access.
Wow Sammy! Time to turn off the sinkspout. Sounds like I struck a nerve! Yes, the paper companies did own her land previously, and realistically, how many people can afford that amount of land. You make it sound like it is an easily obtainable solution. It’s the very capitalism that you socialists decry that made her rich. Have you ever traveled on her property? I bet not, unless you are a snowmobiler. Most of it is very remote and beautiful. Far from the raped carnage that you speak of. Yes, there have been questionable land practices in the past, but this land is far from the case. Her land has been declared under the tree growth act. That means “ducking taxation” to you Marxists. Yes even liberals know how to play the game. So as long as she is receiving this windfall from her land, the state has a say in her land use. So it’s not as cut and dry as you think it is. I invite you to go snowshoeing on her property this winter and take it in. Better bring a tent, you’ll need it. It will take you a couple of days to see what I used to in a couple of hours on a sled,,,,that is if you are even from the area.
However what type of stipulations would be attached to the land give away, like no motorized vech. allowed, she can put whatever she wants attached as an amendment before she makes the land deal. The public should know what is in the deal before our taxes have to pay for it.
You’re right Jed, we should let taxpayer in the COUNTRY know that they are going to have to pay an extra 25 cents per year so they can have the possibility of acessing this National Park. Hmm, that’s cheaper than an Little Debbie oatmeal cake; where do I sign up for that deal?
See paragrah 3 of the article “Through her son Lucas and Washington, D.C., public relations consultants, she has asked for ideas and potential uses for her vast property.”
Mr. Trahan appears to be responding to a request from the Quimby Family. The following article provides a telephone number to call if you care to make suggestions on usage.
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/12/12/news/penobscot/quimbys-son-no-specific-plan-in-place-after-park-plan-dropped/
Thanks. Yes, I have forwarded my “Christmas Wishes” to the board of directors for the Quimby Family Foundation. http://quimbyfamilyfoundation.org/foundation/
There are things about Roxanne that rub me the wrong way, but it’s her land to do with as she sees fit.
It looks like many of you will get what you want. To venture nothing and to gain nothing. And now good ole Dave wants to suggest to Roxanne how to use her land? How arrogant is that? Pretty pitiful stuff.
Another wish:
Please make all of your lands accessible by foot power only. Walk in – walk out. This would make them truly wild as only a hardy few will venture into the center areas. In the case of a river or stream crossing your land you should allow canoe or kayak travel also.
Dear David Trahan… As I was perusing this article I stopped on your #2 ….recommendation to Roxanne.. Are you kidding?.. Basically you suggest to her that she allow even more decimation of beautiful forest land.. #3..Ditto..#4.. How about afew State allowed Frankenfish..
And by the way… A great deal of Millinockets rejection of the Park seems to be the continuation of poor planning on the part of the Paper Mills in regulations and overlook of the run off and allowance of waste systems..The vote not to allow a Park depended on this little fact . There is way to much Cancer happening here and The Mills want it to remain in the name of “turn the other way alls right with the world”.. The New East Mill was all for Roxannes Park till someone nudged them and they renigged. Hmmm .. Wonder who might have reminded them that they would then be subjected to closer scrutiny on Systems and problems from all that smoke if a Park were to happen?..
Please while wishing your wishes…wish the Mills to pay for this dishonesty .. Roxanne ..God Bless..
Mr. Trahan I have to admit I am confused after reading your article. What gives you the right to tell anyone how they should use THEIR land?
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/12/12/news/penobscot/quimbys-son-no-specific-plan-in-place-after-park-plan-dropped/
Paragrah 3 of the article “Through her son Lucas and Washington, D.C., public relations
consultants, she has asked for ideas and potential uses for her vast
property.”
Mr. Trahan appears to be responding to a request from the Quimby Family.