Public hearings will be held at four locations throughout Maine on Tuesday to gather feedback on a proposal to allow a board of overseers to manage the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

After five months of work, members of a state commission have proposed creating the five-member governing board as a way to possibly improve management of the waterway while reducing the political and cultural fighting that has raged behind the scenes for much of the past 40 years.

Commission members are now seeking public comment on the proposal before finalizing their recommendations to Gov. John Baldacci.

The hearings will begin at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, and will be held at four sites connected via video conferencing. The locations are:

. Augusta: Bennett Katz Library, Room 40, on the University of Maine at Augusta campus.

. Orono: Chadbourne Hall, Room 5A, on the University of Maine campus.

. Fort Kent: Nadeau Hall, Room 114B, on the University of Maine at Fort Kent campus.

. Portland: Payson Smith Hall, Room 304E, on the University of Southern Maine campus.

The proposal calls for creation of a board to develop and oversee implementation of strategic and long-range management plans for the protected recreational waterway, which runs for 92 miles through northwestern Maine’s commercial forests.

The board would also establish rules for the Allagash, hire and evaluate a waterway director, make regular reports to the Legislature, conduct public meetings and help raise money for a proposed endowment.

The board could also establish an advisory council as well as technical committees for guidance on issues. Commission members are recommending the waterway remain under the auspices of the Department of Conservation for administrative, personnel, budgeting and support purposes.

Three of the board seats would be held by Maine officials: The state conservation commissioner, the attorney general or a designee from his office, and the director of the State Planning Office.

The two remaining “public” members would be selected by the governor, one from each of Maine’s two congressional districts.

Commission members said in comments accompanying the proposal that they hope to create a body that will be responsive to the different groups with interests in the waterway, including local residents, conservationists and the timber companies that own much of the surrounding land.

Conservation groups have consistently pushed for limited access points to the federally designated “wild and scenic” river in attempts to protect the “wilderness character” of the waterway and to encourage multi-day canoe or kayaking trips.

Local residents view the limited access, as well as decisions to destroy or neglect historic buildings, as a slap in the face.

“Our recommendations are designed to establish a structure of leadership that can enlist support from the different waterway constituencies in rebuilding a vision for the jewel in our northern crown and setting the strategic direction for its enhancement as a natural area offering a variety of recreational opportunities and a monument to those who braved the wilderness and built communities,” the commission wrote.

The commission members are also offering a few suggestions on a possible mission statement to help shape a long-term vision for the waterway.

Don Nicoll, the commission’s chairman and chief of staff to the late Sen. Edmund Muskie, forecast that developing a mission statement agreeable to the different groups will be the biggest challenge facing any future management body.

Nicoll said the commission may meet again to review the public comments and make any changes to their final report before submitting it to the governor.

For a complete copy of the draft recommendations, contact Kelly Arata in the governor’s office at 287-3531 or go to www.bangordailynews.com and visit the online version of this article.