Maine’s wake-up call

Your editorial, “The Cost of Green” (BDN, June 29), regarding investment in state-owned parks, was enlightening and thought-provoking. The provoking part was the realization that Maine is trading full-time employment for part-time seasonal work. The lead-in of your editorial, outlining the loss of once-prominent employment, should be the real wake-up call, not the plight of our parks.

The thought that was provoked has to do with recent events involving development and land use in Maine. The Allagash River access controversy, the Katahdin Lake land swap details and the Plum Creek development proposal were all ones that essentially pitted the interests of the “locals” in those areas against the interests of what are best described as “tourists.”

When those “tourists” are also citizens of this state, and their interest is preserving something they perceive as unique and special, and they outnumber the “locals,” the outcome is pre-ordained. When the average income in the southernmost portions of this state is nearly double that of those more remote areas, and the “locals” in those areas continually see opposition to opportunities that would better their lot, the issues are evident.

They are seeing economic opportunities shrink, young people move away and an absence of government policies or programs that would reverse the trend.

No economic activity is to be slighted, including that related to parks, but if we are to embark on an investment strategy for improving the economy, one focused on creating sustainable year-round business activity and full-time employment should have first call on public funding.

William Sutter

Wiscasset