I would like to voice an opinion regarding the whole issue about the lynx and their habitats.

The first thing I would like to point out is that every time Plum Creek cuts a piece of land they are providing habitat for the lynx and many other animals. When a piece of property is cut it provides a source of food for rabbits for one, in turn the rabbits are a source of food for the lynx. There needs to be a balance maintained that nature can’t always do by itself.

The second thing I would like to mention is that years ago the land in question was developed. There were farms, houses, saw mills, woods camps, and a lot more people. If you take a look at the 1940 census, there were probably twice as many people in that area as there are now. Even though the land was developed and there were more people, there were enough lynx around so they had a bounty on them. My question is how is re-developing the land now going to hurt the lynx population?

It gets pretty tiring after a while when big companies keep getting attacked by environmentalists. What about the welfare of the people? If Plum Creek ceases to progress and profit, there goes a whole lot of jobs and the down fall of a lot of little companies. That would be a huge impact on the logging industry. How would that affect northern Maine? I personally think Plum Creek does a good job balancing nature and industry.

The next time someone wants to complain about reserving land for natural habitats, they should do further research and state all the facts, not just the ones that make them look good and industries look bad.

Harry H. Melcher

Bingham