Residents favor Dennys status quo Meetings sought local views on new owner’s use of salmon habitat

MEDDYBEMPS – The new owner of more than 4,700 acres on the Dennys River shouldn’t make changes to the property, according to area residents who attended public meetings on the purchase.

Thursday’s sessions at the Meddybemps Community Center were sponsored by the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission, which purchased the property habitat for wild Atlantic salmon.

The Dennys is one of eight Maine rivers where wild Atlantic salmon are classified as an endangered species by the federal government, and the salmon commission property includes almost all the frontage on the Dennys and Cathance Stream. The commission is asking area residents to help develop a land use plan for the acreage.

“I’m against keeping people out of the river, but I’m also against building roads so more people can get there,” said Raymond Robinson. “People like to come here because not many people come here.”

Robinson and his son, James – who operate housekeeping cottages on the river – said they did not want to market the area or attempt to attract ecotourists.

“Ecotourists don’t drop money in Washington County,” James Robinson said.

The salmon commission purchased the property – which includes 1,000-foot setbacks on more than 32 miles of frontage – from International Paper Co. and The Nature Conservancy.

The Nature Conservancy piece was the 1,100 acres the conservancy purchased from Georgia-Pacific Corp. in 1999 for $380,000, according to Tom Abello of the conservancy.

The total purchase price for both the IP and conservancy lands was $1,092,540. The money came from a number of sources, including the Land for Maine’s Future board and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Salmon commission Executive Director Fred Kircheis told those who attended the first of two meetings Thursday that, in addition to preserving habitat, the commission intends to preserve historical uses of the property.

“We have no intention to restrict use,” Kircheis said. “ATVs will be allowed although we may need new ways for them to get across the river.”

Several people expressed concern regarding continued access to the property for local snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle riders.

Kircheis said the salmon commission wants to know what kind of access local people want to the property.

Kircheis said IP is in the midst of selling most of its land Down East, and H.C. Haines of Winn is buying it for timber and then selling it. New owners may post their property, he said.

The salmon commission has hired Kleinschmidt Energy & Water Resource Consultants to develop the management plan. Torrey Sheafe, Kleinschmidt’s technical coordinator for the project, said those who attended the second public meeting Thursday night expressed much the same view as those who spoke during the afternoon meeting.

“They basically said the land was bought for the salmon and we should leave it alone,” Sheafe said.

Kleinschmidt has developed an advisory committee to assist in drafting the land use plan and will conduct more public meetings once a draft is prepared, Sheafe said.