The Downeast Lakes Forestry Partnership conservation project is not about creating a huge wilderness reserve or park, as a few suspicious voices have been suggesting. It is rather about maintaining a forest- and recreation-based local economy and quality of life while ensuring wildlife habitat and respectful access to undeveloped woods, waters and backlands in eastern Maine. It is a grand vision, and I hope it succeeds.

The Downeast Lakes conservation easement proposes to maintain traditional uses of some 342,000 acres of working forestlands owned formerly by Georgia-Pacific and currently by Wagner, a proponent of the project. These traditional uses include forest management and harvesting, and access to the many undeveloped lakes, ponds and streams in the easement area for fishing, boating, hunting and other recreation. The easement is also about maintaining one of the Northeast’s last remaining large areas of unfragmented wildlife habitat, including deer yards, moose pastures, and lakes and wetlands harboring a diversity of bird, plant and animal life. The entire Downeast Lakes project will preserve more than 445 miles of shoreline on more than 60 lakes, ponds and rivers, a total of 78,800 acres of surface water and 54,000 acres of productive wetlands.

It’s all too easy to take such places for granted, and assume that the unbroken habitat and multi-use access will never change. But with paper companies increasingly forced by market conditions to sell land, and the insatiable demand for Maine lakefront lots, these large tracts of working forestland with undeveloped shores are truly an endangered resource. Once these tracts are broken up and sold, it’s only a matter of time before a forest liquidator or real estate speculator sells off the most valuable shorefront and survey tapes and real estate signs go up. Camps are built, and more camps, and the remote pond isn’t remote anymore. Or, gates and “No Trespassing” signs appear, closing off traditional access once it becomes part of someone’s private retreat. This has happened across much of Maine, from western Maine to Rangeley and Moosehead lakes, throughout the mid-coast and inland valleys and across Hancock County.

Except for lands under tree growth or conservation, almost every lake of any quality within a reasonable drive of Maine’s population areas has been built up, even lakes on paper company land with leased lots. Northern Maine’s wilderness lands and watersheds are a long drive from Down East Maine. Washington County is fortunate to have this wealth of “remote” lake country right nearby, and a local land trust with the foresight and determination to take action to keep it that way.

Some Washington County voices have questioned the value of conservation easements, saying they won’t create opportunities for jobs. Can’t we be a little more optimistic? Keeping these lands undeveloped may not bring immediate growth to the area’s economy – the easement would essentially maintain the status quo in terms of land use and tax base – but the environmental value of the protected lands is bound to bring people to the area to enjoy its recreation opportunities. This in turn will provide business for retailers, lodgings and other support services in Calais, Machias and surrounding towns. With the easement forests managed sustainably, forestry jobs will continue, and the steady supply of locally available wood will keep local mills running. We’ll also see some new value-added forest products enterprises. Guides, outfitters, crafts … conservation brings a variety of other opportunities for natural resource-based livelihoods.

Ecotourism means different things to different people. To some it apparently requires new infrastructure. I’d venture to say that many of us can enjoy the outdoors just fine without the amenities new infrastructure could provide. We just want access to the unimproved outdoors, where we can get away from civilization and unwind, get up close to wildlife and rediscover our essentials. We don’t want a park, and under the easement there won’t be one.

It is a great thing that some Maine timberland owners have been willing to work out conservation partnerships so their land can remain working forest while preserving undeveloped shorefront and the privilege of access. We’re fortunate to have such a project in the works here in Down East Maine. Don’t take for granted that it will just happen, though – it’s a big project, and needs our support.

For more information about the Downeast Lakes-New England Forestry Foundation conservation project call 796-2100, or visit www.downeastlakes.org.

Jane Crosen Washburn is an author, mapmaker and freelance editor from Penobscot, and is on the advisory board of the Downeast Lakes Land Trust. She is also a member of the Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust in Orland.