Any plan to put a new national park in Maine has been halted by people who do not realize what has been going on or the ramifications of endless delays.

Mainers grew up having the freedom to use paper company land with no restrictions. Twenty-plus years ago, the state of Maine had the opportunity to purchase Sappi’s land at rock-bottom prices, but that did not happen.

Since then, the land has changed hands several times. The cost goes up each time it is sold, and to make matters worse, all of the best land has been sold to private owners. Due to the lack of effort to preserve land, or any understanding of the realities of the situation, land is now too costly and little of it remains.

We are still arguing about having a park for all to use, and in the meantime we do little to nothing and continue to see land being sold to private owners.

Roxanne Quimby is one of the very few with the foresight and the means to make a difference. She used her own money to preserve land for all of us. People in Maine should be extremely grateful to her for doing this and should not argue how best to use her land. She could easily sell it to homeowners or developers at a much higher rate – then no one would be able to use it.

I grew up in Costigan, beside a paper mill. I enjoyed the freedom that came with using paper company land. These lands are and have been rapidly disappearing. We should support anyone who is trying to set aside land for all of us to use.

Glenn Vaillancourt
Buxton