“Vacationland” or “A Natural Treasure.” These phrases which adorn the license plates of the vehicles we drive far and wide announce to all that Maine is some kind of special place.

For the above reason it surprises me when intelligent leaders like Leon Favreau, president of Multiple Land Use Association, characterizes the staff of Restore — The North Woods as “… ridiculous people asking for ridiculous things.”

My casual association with the staff at Restore has found them to be bright young advocates that have put together clearly thought out plans to preserve our environment from the degradation of some uncontrolled technologies. As presented to federal agencies, their petition to protect the Atlantic salmon under the Endangered Species Act was well documented and accepted as having merit for further study by the feds. As yet the full text of their proposed national park for Maine hasn’t crossed my desk, but knowing how thorough and concerned they are for accuracy, I suspect it’s an artful presentation.

So there’s no misunderstanding; I don’t agree with Restore on most of their proposals. But to label them as “ridiculous people” doesn’t do honor to fair play and undermines the laws of our land that entitle anyone to express their opinions. If Restore’s proposals are to serve any purpose, they should remind us that our environment is fragile, to be cared for, respected and guarded from abuse by those who only embrace the profit motive. Rather than criticizing Restore we should salute them for keeping us on our toes and reminding us “how sweet it is.” Louis Horvath Holden