Land for Maine’s people

Financial analysts no doubt can explain with statements of profit and loss, with white papers on investment strategies, with graphs and flow charts exactly why so much of Maine has been bought and sold so quickly in the last year. But none of their analyses could begin to describe the importance of this land to the people of Maine.

So while the new owners of large blocks of this state seem as reasonable and well-intentioned as anyone else, they need to excuse Mainers’ concern about access and pardon the investment in Maine’s future. No offense, but the state needs to approve a large bond proposal to prevent it from remaining on the sidelines as some of its most beautiful regions are placed on the trading block. And the larger the bond the better.

The need for a large investment in preserving places the average Maine resident can visit and enjoy isn’t only about the recent land deals. The state has known for years that gaining some measure of control over some small fraction of land in Maine was essential, particularly along the coast and in the southern portion of the state, where development has been more intense.

For undeveloped spots to remain that way, for entry to lakefront and coastal areas, for the preservation of traditional outdoor activities in Maine, the public — through a land bond — must take action.

It has done it before with real success.

The 1987 Land for Maine’s Future bond of $35 million protected 90,000 acres in all parts of Maine: Grand Lake Stream, Nahmakanta Lake, the Kennebec Plains, Aroostook Trails and more than 50 other places have benefited from the program, which operates strictly on a willing-seller, willing-buyer basis. Traditional uses, such and hunting and fishing, have been respected and public input included all along the way.

What happens when Maine lacks the money to buy land or easements was illustrated well recently. The state’s negotiations with first Sappi and then Plum Creek to protect land around Moosehead Lake and the West Outlet of the Kennebec River — spots long favored by Maine’s outdoorsmen and women as well as choice places for development — were complicated by the fact that Maine had no money to negotiate with. Fortunately, a conservation group, the Trust for Public Land, was able to act as an intermediary to help finance the deal. It may not mean a thing that a state with a $4 billion budget has to turn to a small nonprofit for temporary financial assistance, but it sure would be simpler if Maine had the foresight to plan for these events.

That’s one more reason that the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee should think big when it comes to a land bond. A recent poll by strategic Marketing Services showed 73 percent of those polled supportive of a $75 million bond. That amount, spread out over five years and in addition to ongoing funding through the real-estate transfer tax, would provide Maine with the opportunity to make smart, targeted purchase and easement deals throughout the state.

Maine’s low general-obligation debt level, the current low interest rates and the new availablity of federal matching money make this an especially good time to borrow money for these long-term investments. More important, however, is the state’s ability to participate in changes within its own borders through something besides increased regulation.

A $75 million bond would do that, letting Maine continue with the valuable work of the Land for Maine’s Future Board and ensuring that it isn’t left behind when the next valued piece of property goes up for sale.