To indirectly quote Oliver Cromwell, “Gentlemen, I beseech you, to think it possible that you might be wrong.” That was the first thought that came to my mind after reading the Bangor Daily News editor’s article “Progress on the Allagash”, printed on Tuesday, the 31st of October; Halloween. Trick or treat indeed, depending on what side of the Allagash River controversy you stand.

More than once, the BDN editors have made the River Driver’s Agreement sound as if it were law. It was merely what its name implies: an agreement. Nothing in the RDA was statutory law; it never went through the legislative process, and regardless of events that have occurred since, it would still not be law today.

Incidentally, the actions of Sen. John Martin and Rep. Troy Jackson were not illegal, since they had been given permission, by Irving Woodlands, the actual owner of the road. In fact, from the northern Maine people’s point of view, those actions were only fair: the Department of Conservation asked and was granted permission to block the road with ditches, and did. The public was not informed of that, and if it meant anything to you, you lost the right to use it. Equally as legal, the two legislators asked for Irving’s permission and reopened the road. I stated this in a July letter to the BDN, however it seems the editors failed to read it.

In addition to others, this editorial was frustrating to read because it often seems that the editors are misinformed or don’t have all the facts on the Allagash issue; certainly not enough to print their opinions. Ironically, while they wrote of how difficult it was for opponents on the Allagash to agree, the editorial itself was reviving controversy that had quieted down since its initial eruption in July. This editorial would go on to become the impetus for two letters-to-the-editor.

The first, printed on Wednesday, the 8th, was from a Mr. Rollin Thurlow, President of the Allagash Alliance. He opens his letter with anger over the road work of Sen. Martin and Rep. Jackson. Most people that Mr. Thurlow claims, ” expressed outrage at this act of betray of trust and childish arrogance”, have probably never seen the Michaud Farm Road, let alone know where it is.

Anybody following Maine news last July would have thought that the Michaud Farm Road work was equivalent to the construction of a new road. One newspaper’s webpage even featured a picture of a skidder with a twitch of wood. Moreover, most family-sized vehicles are larger than the bulldozer that was used to fill in the ditch; it was not the D-9 many made it out to be. Only trees that had fallen in the road, or were in the way, were cut.

Mr. Thurlow should go look at it.

In mid-August, when the governor’s taskforce visited Michaud Farm, myself and several others accompanied them to a few historic locations along the river. We walked past the spot where the road work had taken place, and John Martin, who was present, said,” Okay, everyone, that was it!” The taskforce members just looked around, and I was actually embarrassed for the ones who had been negatively vocal about the bulldozing. Quite frankly, if anyone left still upset about the “damage to the beauty of the waterway”, they should seek the help of a good optometrist.

Mr. Thurlow then goes on to express frustration that, “After a complete investigation, the state has decided not to do anything.” Well of course they aren’t going to do anything, nothing illegal happened. That road belongs to Irving, not the State of Maine. He then says, “Obviously it appears these legislators believe they are protected by their elected status.” I can assure you, Mr. Thurlow, they do not think that; if it had not been them, some other local would have done it. It would have been perfectly legal for them, too.

Mr. Thurlow signs his letter as President of the Allagash Alliance, and places his residence as Atkinson. After locating Atkinson, in southern Penobscot county, I thought it would be equally as bizarre to start an Atkinson Alliance and base it out of Allagash, dedicated to protecting the Piscataquis River.

Finally, on Friday, the 10th, Tim Caverly sent a letter to the BDN, once again lamenting the Michaud Farm Road fiasco. If people would just accept that the River Driver’s Agreement meant nothing in 2003, means nothing now, and is just a deterrent to ever accomplishing anything, we might be able to move on.

I feel the way I do about the Allagash River because my ancestors settled it; I’m the sixth generation to be here. My grandparents, back to the late 1800’s, took care of the river for generations like my own, and I plan to do it for my descendants. When Mr. Thurlow, Mr. Caverly, and the BDN editors are able to tell me who Joe McKiel, Billy Jack Noble, and Henry Taylor are, as well as the stories of the Moir, O’Leary, and McKinnon families that once lived there, it’ll be easier to recognize them as legitimate, fully informed, and respectful of the true story of the Allagash River.

Chace Jackson, 15, of Allagash is a sophomore at Community High School in Fort Kent.