On May 16, Sen. Angus King and National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis held public meetings in East Millinocket and Orono to provide Mainers an opportunity to ask questions and voice opinions on the proposal to designate 87,500 acres of privately owned land to the east of Baxter State Park as a national monument.

Jarvis put to rest the notion that this land is not worthy of designation, saying that the historic and cultural values alone make it worthy, never mind its impressive natural resource values.

According to Jarvis, the donation of the acreage, which was assembled by Roxanne Quimby and her family through their nonprofit land conservation organization, Elliotsville Plantation, Inc., together with a commitment to fund a $40 million endowment to fund its operation as a national monument – in perpetuity – is unprecedented.

Maine and the nation have been fortunate to have visionaries and philanthropists dedicated to preserving special places in Maine, including among other places, Baxter State Park and Acadia National Park. As one speaker noted at the meeting, the Brookings Institute concluded in 2006 that Maine “stands within reach of a new prosperity – if it takes bold action and focuses its limited resources on a few critical investments.”

Central to Brookings’ recommendations is that we invest in our outstanding quality of place and brand it. EPI’s gift is a $100 million charitable investment in quality of place with a recession-proof, gold standard national designation that will most assuredly present economic development opportunities for the Katahdin area – indeed, for the entire state.

Please join me and countless other Mainers in supporting the designation of a new Maine Woods National Monument by urging our congressional delegation to work with the president to make this happen. Future generations will be forever thankful.

Liz Armstrong

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