I urge all Maine people who believe in another national park for Maine to write to U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King concerning their negative response to National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis’ letter (“Maine’s delegation displeased by response to concerns about North Woods national monument,” Feb. 11).

This gift of land is truly a wonderful gift, and all parties should work to see that this national park becomes a reality.

As stated in the Portland Press Herald’s Feb. 16 editorial (“Our View: National Park Service opens door to dialogue”), 60 percent of Mainers support this proposal.

I realize that the park support is split in the Katahdin area, but sometimes you have to do something for the good of the people even though they don’t know what is good for them.

I imagine that there were local people who did not support Acadia National Park when that was first proposed, but I am sure that residents of the Bar Harbor-Ellsworth area would now wonder what the fuss was all about.

Acadia has certainly been the lifeblood for that area. One has only to visit other national parks and monuments to see that they are indeed the lifeblood of those areas.

My husband and I would never have bothered to visit South Dakota several years ago had it not been for the national parks and monuments there.

While there, we ate, purchased gas for our rental car, visited both public and private attractions and bought souvenirs – all money helping out the local economy.

A new national park would be a great economic booster for the Katahdin area. Write now. It only takes a few minutes.

Gretchen Kamilewicz

Orr’s Island