Maine people have an unprecedented opportunity to permanently protect more than 650,000 acres of some of the most fabled country in the Maine woods: the region wrapping around the north end of Moosehead Lake and including the West Branch of the Penobscot River and the Upper Saint John River. The state of Maine, in cooperation with the Forest Society of Maine and others, is seeking to purchase lands and conservation easements that will conserve the area’s abundant natural resources and preserve the traditional uses of this region, which many consider to be the “heart and soul” of the Maine woods.

The West Branch Project represents the first very large-scale easement on forestland in Maine funded primarily with public money, and is modeled after the 20,000-acre Nicatous Lake easement, until recently Maine’s largest. (This month marked the completion of a largely privately funded easement on 750,000 acres of Pingree family lands.) As the first to seek a rather substantial level of public funding, the West Branch effort has been subject to a high level of scrutiny, as well it should be.

In recent weeks, there have been op-ed pieces from Ray Campbell of the Millinocket Fin and Feather Club and forest activist Mitch Lansky, expressing criticism of the project and offering alternative visions for the region.

On one point there seems to be little disagreement: The West Branch region is one of Maine’s most outstanding natural treasures, one that we should cherish and protect. The issue is how best to preserve the area’s abundant natural resources, traditional uses, and unique character.

In his letter, Lansky states that the West Branch easement is designed primarily to limit development, leaving other important aspects at risk. That is not true. The West Branch Project, through a combination of strategically targeted outright purchases and a conservation easement over the bulk of the property, is designed to assure the public’s use of these lands and bring lasting conservation to ecological resources and recreational areas, all while keeping these lands undeveloped and allowing them to sustain a flow of valuable forest products to benefit state and local economies.

The West Branch project is proposed for completion in two phases. Phase I includes about 70,000 acres at the northern end of Moosehead Lake. Extensive ecological and recreational inventories identified about 5,000 acres in three locations as being of such high importance as to warrant full fee purchase by the state. These are Big Spencer Mountain, undeveloped shore frontage on Moosehead Lake and shorelands along the West Branch of the Penobscot River.

A conservation easement over the remaining 65,000 acres of Phase I will guarantee public use of the property for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and other traditional recreational uses; protect ecological, recreational, and scenic resources; and establish long-term forest management goals. As part of these protections, the state assumes a new role in working with the landowners to develop appropriate forest management plans for the property.

This is much more than just a “no-development” easement. For example, the easement requires that mature forest habitat for deer and other wildlife be maintained over a 9,000-acre area; that riparian areas, including the smallest streams, be sensitively managed (beyond current state regulations); and that scenic views from Canada Falls Lake be preserved.

Mitch Lansky suggests that a better use of the funds allocated to the West Branch conservation easement would be to purchase land for an ecological reserve where no timber harvesting would be permitted. We agree that ecological reserves are important. Indeed, the Big Spencer Mountain purchase is being made with that in mind, and additional areas are being contemplated for Phase II.

Proponents of a national park have recommended that 3.2 million acres of land be acquired by the federal government for that purpose. Whereas this proposal seeks to eliminate timber harvesting over a large area, the West Branch Project seeks to maintain a viable forest products industry and the jobs it provides, while ensuring that the forests are managed well and in a manner that fulfills the needs of wildlife and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Forest products remain an important cornerstone of the Maine economy, particularly in the northern half of the state where viable economic alternatives are more difficult to come by.

The Fin and Feather Club argues that Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission “does not allow development in the unorganized territories on any large scale, period,” and that there is no need to spend public funds to “buy something that we already control.” LURC’s most recent Comprehensive Plan (1997) cites statistics showing that more than 190,000 acres of land were subdivided between 1971-1991, and that an estimated 3,000 seasonal dwellings were constructed in the unorganized territories in the 1990s, a 25 percent increase over the 1980s. If development activities continue at this level (or increase), there is little doubt that special places will be lost one by one and that over time the unique undeveloped character of the Maine Woods will become just a memory.

While LURC plays an important planning and regulatory role, it is not realistic to expect that zoning itself can preserve the future of the Maine woods. One has only to consider the development pressures on Moosehead Lake to get a sense of what is likely in store for the remainder of the Maine woods over time.

Furthermore, Maine’s land use regulations and tax laws do not guarantee public recreational use of these lands. While Maine landowners have traditionally allowed the public to recreate on their lands, such use is not guaranteed, particularly with so many lands being sold to new owners. Through its land and easement acquisitions, the West Branch Project will ensure that future generations can hunt, fish, hike, camp, canoe, and snowmobile on these lands. The state will be given the ability to manage recreational use to provide a diversity of high-quality recreational experiences.

Conservation easements are far less expensive than acquiring the full fee interest in land, allowing scarce public and private conservation dollars to be stretched over much larger areas of the Maine Woods. However, the real rationale for purchasing conservation easements is not simply that they are less expensive than buying land, but rather that easements seek to reinforce the traditions and benefits of private land stewardship, while protecting public values in a meaningful way. The land remains on the tax rolls and continues to attract private investment and provide economic benefits.

It is important to look at the West Branch Project in the context of all of the other positive developments that are occurring in the Maine woods. A growing number of large private landowners have voluntarily agreed to have their lands certified as being managed in a sustainable manner. The Nature Conservancy has mounted a major preservation effort on the St. John River. The 750,000-acre Pingree easement has just been brought to completion. The state has established its first ecological reserves on public ownerships.

The West Branch Project complements these and other conservation initiatives, providing a sense of great optimism about the future. Today, when describing the Maine woods, people are fond of boasting that Maine has the largest stretch of undeveloped forestland east of the Mississippi River and that these private lands are open for the public to enjoy.

Simply put, the West Branch Project strives to ensure that that same claim can be made a generation from now and 10 generations after that.

Bucky Owen and Henry Whittemore are members of the Forest Society of Maine Board of Directors.