The issue of transportation and its impact on the Moosehead Region needs to be addressed at length by Plum Creek in any plan put forward. The plan as presented so far would leave transportation to chance. What is most likely to happen is that motor vehicle traffic – along with the sprawl development that caters to motor vehicle traffic – will increase dramatically. Also increasing will be human and wildlife deaths and injuries as well as noise, pollution and fuel use.

Options to mitigate the impact include providing a network of pedestrian-bicycle paths that are safe and pleasant to use. A big step toward that option would be to have Plum Creek include permanent easements for these paths on their lands along direct routes from Kodadjo to Greenville to Rockwood and to Jackman. The paths should also connect to Plum Creek’s proposed developments and the proposed trail system to Bethel.

These paths could form the backbone of an ecotourism business that would allow for a development type that did not rely entirely on motor vehicles or fossil fuels. People could travel these routes, stopping at many of the existing businesses along the way.

Another option would be the development of a shuttle service that brought guests to resorts from collector points such as Bangor, Portland, Quebec and other hubs. This service could provide local transportation between the towns and businesses for guests, workers and the public.

People could arrive without their cars and not really need or want a car once they got here. The point is to make a place where cars are not needed: That is a healthy pleasant destination that retains what wild character the area still has.

A way to finance at least a portion of these ideas would be to assess fees each time one of the properties in Plum Creek’s plan changes ownership.

George Bakajza

Greenville Junction