BANGOR – Two influential conservation groups pleaded Thursday with state regulators to alter Plum Creek Timber Co.’s ambitious plans for the Moosehead Lake region and keep the Lily Bay peninsula free from development.

The Natural Resources Council of Maine and Maine Audubon called on the Land Use Regulation Commission to block development of about 400 houses on the eastern and more wild side of Moosehead Lake. In return, the two groups said they would give back 33,500 acres on the lake’s western side that originally had been slated for conservation.

“It’s clear that the people of Maine don’t want 400 houses on Lily Bay,” NRCM Executive Director Brownie Carson said Thursday afternoon at an announcement in Bangor. The groups also held a similar event in Falmouth earlier in the day. “LURC holds the future of this region in their hands.”

Maine Audubon Executive Director Kevin Carley added, “The message is simple: Plum Creek does not belong on the Lily Bay peninsula.”

Both environmental leaders indicated they are not opposed to development on the western side of Moosehead Lake, but stressed that Lily Bay should be off limits.

Thursday’s announcement came as LURC nears the end of its three-year review of an ambitious project that hopes to revive the Moosehead Lake region through a combination of economic development and conservation. Seattle-based Plum Creek, the nation’s largest landowner, is seeking to rezone about 20,000 acres for the development of nearly 1,000 houses and two resorts. The plans also would permanently protect more than 400,000 acres through easements and land transfers.

Last month, LURC sent back recommendations to Plum Creek that called for a scaled-back version of its plans, but those recommendations did not include blocking development on Lily Bay. In reality, LURC does not have the authority to modify Plum Creek’s proposal, only to make suggestions, which means Thursday’s announcement was largely symbolic.

“It’s not up to the commission to eliminate or not eliminate development. That’s entirely up to Plum Creek,” said Catherine Carroll, LURC’s staff director. “The commission can only decide on what’s in front of them. We can only approve or reject the entire plan, not parts of it.”

Luke Muzzy, Plum Creek’s project manager, said Thursday that he hadn’t seen the latest proposal from NRCM and Maine Audubon. He said the only group the developer is dealing with now is LURC.

“It’s in their court. We’re not really responding to any other groups,” he said Thursday by telephone. “But Lily Bay has always been a critical piece of the development plan. Without it, it’s not viable.”

Muzzy also pointed out that Lily Bay, which is home to a state park and about 150 seasonal homes, has never been exempt from development.

In addition to representatives from NRCM and Maine Audubon, two Moosehead Lake region residents attended Thursday’s announcement in Bangor.

Sheila Kelley, who lives in Beaver Cove to the south of Lily Bay, spoke about preserving the natural habitat of the region, particularly for wildlife such as the endangered Canada lynx.

“I implore our state agency not to allow development on this habitat,” she said.

Ruth McLaughlin, who with her husband owns the Blair Hill Inn in Greenville, said Plum Creek’s proposal might provide an economic lift to the region, but “even they admit it’s short-term. Bigger is not always better.”

Once Lily Bay is developed, McLaughlin said, there’s no going back.

“I believe that modifying [Plum Creek’s] development is essential to preserving the Moosehead region,” she said.

Plum Creek and its opponents have until July 11 to submit comments to LURC, and Carroll said she expects a fair amount of public response. Those comments will then be reviewed by the staff in advance of a commission decision that’s likely to come sometime later this year.

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