Major land purchases

Long before I saw Mount Katadhin or visited Baxter State Park, I was uplifted by the awareness that both were there in public trust and to remain “forever wild.”

Sadly, we have among the least amount of public land of any state in the country at 5 percent. Vermont has 15 percent, New Hampshire has 19 percent and Massachusetts has 24 percent. However, thanks to the successful work of the Land for Maine’s Future program, a small amount of land has been acquired as it becomes available, and this provides a model for how to go about enhancing the situation. They work with private property owners and local communities, taking the concerns of both into account.

For this important work to continue a regular service of funding is needed. At the same time there is an acute need now to acquire large amounts of land and protect our north woods and many pristine places such as the Moosehead Lake area and the Penobscot River watershed which are vulnerable to development.

A BDN recommendation (Dec. 16, 1998) for a five-year, $120 million bond package to make possible major land purchases by our state is a bill before the Legislature this month. It deserves strong support. On behalf of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and our wildlife, this is the responsibility that needs to be taken for the future. It would benefit Percival Baxter’s legacy. Hope Brogunier Bangor