Moosehead Lake Development Update

[Jim_ME]

After Frank posted a report and photos from his trip to Moosehead Lake last summer there was some discussion about the planned development for the lake.

Here is a recent article on the subject - Maine Judge Throws Out LURC's Approval of Plum Creek Development.

As I understand the article, one possible outcome is that at least part of the process may have to be done again, including a public hearing for the revised development plans. If that happens I would like to think that those who have enjoyed the lake for recreation (such as you Frank) would have standing to comment on the development plans at a public hearing, possibly by mail or email.

The National Resources Council of Maine also has an article on the subject, and anyone interested may be able to get involved through them.

As Frank's photos show, it is such a unspoiled natural area and it is important to encourage and support the efforts of those working to keep it that way for everyone--including as a destination for future SailFar trailer-sailers.

[tomwatt]

Unspoiled and fragile... if you compare the common summer plight of "nearby" Lake Sebago, which sometimes includes swimming bans and all sorts of water quality issues due to a heavily developed tourist industry, there seem to be good reasons to go slowly in developing Lake Moosehead.
I suspect that being a part of the Northern forest ecosystem, with a short, intense growing season best illustrated by the ferocious tenacity of blackflies, means that the lake is a lot more vulnerable to damage than many of its more southerly kin.
Please keep us posted... while I doubt I'll trailer up there anytime soon, you just never know!

[Jim_ME]

We often hear about how we have to balance the rights of sailors and homeowners...

It is a beautiful thing to see Frank's photos of anchoring off wild wooded shores.

Imagine what 900 new camps/houses and a major resort hotel complex will do to the character of that lake...to the experience of being there...

There is a Great Northern Woods National Park being proposed for another area near Baxter State Park and Mount Katahdin.

If only this National Park could include this land around Moosehead Lake...

[Captain Smollett]

We often hear about how we have to balance the rights of sailors and homeowners...

It is a beautiful thing to see Frank's photos of anchoring off wild wooded shores.

It's worth fighting for.

I was once a member of a sailing club that began in the early 1960's on a lake in central South Carolina.  The club leased 23 acres of mostly wooden land on a point - prime property.  The club was open (for members) to camping, sailing/boating and had an active social program in its club house.

In 2002 or so, the company that owned the property announced they no longer wanted to lease it out, but put the property up for sale.  The price was out of the club's reach, but we were in negotiations with some conservation groups to help purchase the property.  Before we could secure it, however, a developer bought it.

That developer had a commitment to the local region and seemed to want development to be "reasonable." However, after a year, they sold it to another developer, from quite a ways away who only seemed to see dollar signs.

They proceeded to produce the ugliest, most god-awful set of houses I think I've ever seen.  It was truly horrible.

The club's property went from a wooded 23 acres to bulldozed 2 acres that did not even touch.

:'(

Fight the good fight, guys.  These lakes need "protection."  That's my POV, at least.

[Frank]

Moosehead is simply a beautiful wilderness lake that is worth saving...period! Hard to be on it an not often feel time has stood still.

[Oldrig]

Moosehead is simply a beautiful wilderness lake that is worth saving...period! Hard to be on it an not often feel time has stood still.

I've never sailed on Moosehead, but I did canoe there years ago. I'm sure it hasn't changed.

It's hard to tell whether there's a chance of buying out/preserving all that lake shore, especially under the present economic/political circumstances. The current Maine governor and legislative majority are anything but friendly to the idea of conservation.

I'll stop there, because this board is not the place for a political rant, and as a onetime Maine resident who now qualifies as a died-in-the-wool "Masshole," I wouldn't dare tell folks in the Pine Tree State what to do.

--Joe

[tomwatt]

Moosehead is simply a beautiful wilderness lake that is worth saving...period! Hard to be on it an not often feel time has stood still.

I've never sailed on Moosehead, but I did canoe there years ago. I'm sure it hasn't changed.

It's hard to tell whether there's a chance of buying out/preserving all that lake shore, especially under the present economic/political circumstances. The current Maine governor and legislative majority are anything but friendly to the idea of conservation.

I'll stop there, because this board is not the place for a political rant, and as a onetime Maine resident who now qualifies as a died-in-the-wool "Masshole," I wouldn't dare tell folks in the Pine Tree State what to do.

--Joe

The Appalachian Mountain Club has an active program aimed at buying, leasing and preserving large portions of the northern forest, working as a private actor that I'm sure doesn't conflict with the current guv. There's always a way, as long as someone is willing to work on the issues. And Maine State Parks is also an active conservation force. Lots of teamwork going on, let's just hope all that continues.

[Captain Smollett]

The Appalachian Mountain Club has an active program aimed at buying, leasing and preserving large portions of the northern forest, working as a private actor that I'm sure doesn't conflict with the current guv. There's always a way, as long as someone is willing to work on the issues. And Maine State Parks is also an active conservation force. Lots of teamwork going on, let's just hope all that continues.

The Nature Conservancy buys land to block development, too.  When our club contacted them, however, they did not choose to help us.  Perhaps 23 acres was under their radar.

The group that ended up being in negotiations with us was a local group not unlike the River Keepers, though I don't recall the actual name.

Good luck..sure looks like that one is worth the fight (and the work to get benevolent folks involved).

[Jim_ME]

Joe, If you consider Acadia National Park...it is recognized as a national treasure...and though it is located in Maine, it has national significance. I believe that Moosehead is also such a place, and since there is an effort underway to create a North Woods National Park, looking at including the Moosehead area seems perfectly appropriate.

And so is your (and others') right to have a view and to comment about it. [Especially, someone who is from a state that Maine was part of until 1820. In contrast, the development corporation is based in Washington State.]

This governor that you speak of actually "won" the election with only 38% of the votes cast, so his legitimacy to make such decisions is under a cloud. Maine has an archaic law that a candidate can "win" with only a plurality of the vote, rather than a majority. When there were only two parties, all the runoffs were done in the two party primaries, and one of the two candidates always got a majority. However in recent decades Maine has developed a tradition of strong third party candidates (with two Independent Governors), which can split the vote many ways and create an undemocratic outcome. The legislature is currently considering a ranked/instant run-off system of voting...so that is one option for addressing this. We'll see what happens...

Indeed, it was Teddy Roosevelt (from the same party as the governor) who was instrumental in creating the first National Parks, Yosemite and Yellowstone, and others.

So this, too, is a bit political, but I hope non-partisan. National Parks, Forests, Monuments, Historic Sites and Landmarks, and navigable waters, help define who we are as a people and belong to all of us.

[Jim_ME]

Have been thinking about the political aspect of this and how it seems integral and relevant... Part of a cruising life is definitely to get out and enjoy the places that we now have to cruise to, but (especially when one is threatened) to also do what we can (sometimes with political activities, since even the private efforts usually have a public aspect) to help make sure that there continue to be places worth cruising to--for us and for future generations.

[Oldrig]

Part of a cruising life is definitely to get out and enjoy the places that we now have to cruise to, but  [...]  to also do what we can [...] to help make sure that there continue to be places worth cruising to--for us and for future generations.

Jim:

That's EXACTLY why we should all be concerned when places like Moosehead Like and the coasts and the ocean are threatened.

When I lived in Maine, the most conservation-minded people I met were dedicated hunters and fishermen. And some of those most concerned about the sea are those who spend their days on or in it (though, I'm sad to say, not always those who earn their livings on it).

Perhaps the AMC can help -- or the lady who is buying up all that land near Baxter to create a park.

Anyway, it's worth fighting for.

--Joe