BANGOR – An environmental group is recommending that Plum Creek Timber Co. reduce by up to two-thirds the number of houses proposed around Moosehead Lake and eliminate plans for a resort near Lily Bay.

The Natural Resources Council of Maine unveiled an alternative development plan Tuesday proposing 300 to 450 house lots consolidated largely around Greenville, Rockwood and the Big Squaw Mountain Resort.

Plum Creek’s original plan, which company officials say is undergoing significant revision, called for 975 house lots scattered around Moosehead.

NRCM is also recommending that Plum Creek drop plans for resorts on Lily Bay and Brassua Lake and, instead, consider opening a four-season “Maine Woods Lodge” near the existing ski area. Such a facility, when combined with a revitalized Big Squaw Mountain Resort near Greenville, would draw tourists to Moosehead and serve as a regional hub for nature-based recreation, group members said.

The plan also calls on the Seattle-based timber and real estate investment company to conserve permanently 424,000 acres of forests around Moosehead through easements or acquisition.

NRCM representatives said they based their plan on comments made at last summer’s scoping sessions, state planning principles for Unorganized Territory, Greenville’s comprehensive plan and the work of several groups involved in the issue.

“Our vision for the Moosehead region would protect the working forest, conserve wildlife and scenic resources, enhance recreational opportunities and ensure public access,” NRCM’s executive director, Brownie Carson, said during a press conference Tuesday at Bangor City Hall.

“It would bring new vitality and much-needed resources to the communities of Greenville and Rockwood while sustaining the wild and remote character that could make Moosehead Lake the premier gateway to Maine’s ‘North Woods experience.'”

The largest development proposal in state history, Plum Creek’s 30-year plans for Moosehead have sparked intense debate about the future of Maine’s North Woods amid the changing landscape of forest ownership.

Jim Lehner, general manager of Plum Creek’s Northeast region, said Tuesday that major revisions to the original plan would not be complete for at least another three weeks. But Lehner welcomed NRCM’s comments and suggestions.

“We’re pretty happy to see that many of [NRCM’s] proposals are pretty close to what we’ve heard when we have been out in public during the last year and are very close to what we have included in our revised plan,” Lehner said.

While mum on the details of the revision, Lehner and other company officials have said the new plan will consolidate house lots closer to existing communities. The company also is looking at the Moose Mountain area for a resort and exploring more permanent conservation options for 400,000-plus acres.

Lehner said Plum Creek is developing plans for a “significantly scaled-back” resort near Lily Bay but has not changed its plans for nearly 1,000 house lots.

“We really didn’t hear too many people saying there were too many lots,” Lehner said. “What we are focusing on is lot location rather than the number of lots.”

In the end, Lehner added, the plan “won’t work if it doesn’t work for Plum Creek.”

Another group heavily involved in debate over Plum Creek’s proposal, the Moosehead Region Futures Committee, plans to release its own development recommendations next week.

Sandra Neily, coordinator of the citizens group, said the committee’s proposals likely will mirror much of NRCM’s because both were based on comments expressed at the scoping sessions. One difference is that the committee will identify larger “footprints” where members believe development is appropriate, as long as it is done responsibly, Neily said.

“We’re on the exact same page conceptually” with NRCM, Neily said.

Carson acknowledged that some in the environmental community may be surprised to see NRCM release a blueprint for development. After all, the organization formally opposed Plum Creek’s original plan, saying the proposal was too large and out of character for the region.

The plan is a reflection of NRCM’s acceptance, Carson said, that development is both inevitable and necessary to the Moosehead region’s economic future. The question is what kind of change is best for the region, its residents and the rest of the state, he said.

“This alternative vision is offered as a concept for interested parties to consider, evaluate, discuss and, we hope, adopt as a better way to move forward,” Carson said.