LURC Approves Concept for Plum Creek’s Lands
in the Moosehead Region (2009)
Stream at Moosehead Forest by Chris Ayers
Two million acres of conserved lands in Maine’s North Woods. That is what Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission created on September 23, 2009 when it approved an historic Concept Plan covering more than 400,000 acres of lands owned by Plum Creek in the Moosehead Lake region.
The Commission’s unanimous vote of approval culminates five years of public deliberations, public hearings and regulatory proceedings. Through its approval, the Commission permanently conserved 96% of those lands and permanently restricted future development to no more than 4%. The lands being conserved are comprised of a 363,000-acre conservation easement to be held and enforced by the Forest Society of Maine (FSM), 29,500 acres around the Roach Ponds acquired outright by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), and 15,000 acres (abutting the Moose River and FSM’s easement in Attean Township) acquired outright by The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
These newly conserved lands represent one of the largest blocks of land ever protected in Maine or the nation. In addition to the large size, its significance is heightened by its configuration––the now protected lands abut and connect many other existing conservation lands in Maine’s North Woods. The result is a network of conservation lands that exceed two million acres in size, reaching west from Mount Katahdin around Moosehead Lake and north to the St. John River and Canadian border.
The 363,000-acre easement, at the core of this remarkable conservation achievement, keeps the forests as forests, guarantees public access, protects wildlife habitats and ecological values, and assures sustainable forest practices.
To make its decision, the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) reviewed and analyzed thousands of pages of testimony and technical data, weighed it against their standards and criteria, and produced a plan that balances the many needs of the Moosehead region and protects the region’s natural resources and public values while promoting planned growth. LURC’s conclusion was that without the Concept Plan, the region would experience significant negative impacts from development over the next 30 years.
These concerns and conclusions parallel the thinking that led the FSM Board of Directors to the decision to be willing to become the holder of conservation easements LURC might approve for the Moosehead Lake region, and to commit to participate in the LURC proceedings toward the goal of helping develop an exemplary conservation outcome. That was four years ago, and we are pleased to see that goal now achieved.
The Moosehead Region Conservation Easement goes into effect, with FSM as easement holder, on October 8, 2009, even if an appeal is filed. The easement will stay in effect throughout any appeal processes.
back to Moosehead Forest project
