Plum Creek’s Latest Proposal Falls Short

Read the February 2008 update on LURC's vote here.

Maine Audubon Executive Director Kevin Carley’s remarks on November 8, 2007

"Maine Audubon continues to oppose Plum Creek’s plan because it still does not protect the region’s natural assets or ensure a promising future for the region’s nature-based tourism economy. It is still not the plan this company can well afford to create."

Read Kevin's complete statement here.

Experts agree: Plum Creek’s plan for Moosehead will adversely affect wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Here are highlights from what those experts found:
(Full press release here)

• Proposed conservation does not balance development in the plan.
• Development is overwhelmingly too large. Compared to what currently exists in the Moosehead region, Plum Creek’s proposed development is the equivalent of two or three towns.
• Some of the development is still planned in prime habitat and other special natural areas where it doesn’t belong.
• Though clustering development is far better for wildlife than spreading it out over miles of habitat, Plum Creek’s plan stretches development over 20,500 acres, increasing traffic on 550 miles of new and upgraded roads.
• Increased development, boating and fishing will reduce breeding and increase mortality rates for loons, which already have unusually low breeding success in the Moosehead Lake region.
• Water quality in several Class A streams and ponds will drop and no longer be suitable for native wild brook trout, a unique national treasure.
• Prime Canada lynx habitat will be lost and collisions with vehicles will increase lynx deaths to an unacceptable level for a threatened species with only about 500 animals left east of the Mississippi.
• Increased traffic will degrade habitat, interfere with movements of many wild animals, and result in local extinctions of wood turtles.
• High-value wetlands for waterfowl and rare species like the least bittern and rusty blackbird are not adequately protected.

What is Plum Creek’s concept plan?

Seattle based Plum Creek, a Real Estate Investment Trust and the largest commercial landowner in the nation, has petitioned Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) to rezone roughly 408,000 acres around Moosehead Lake in order to implement a plan to create a network of development, including 2,300 subdivision lots and resort units, utlitity lines, and boat launches and marinas. The plan would increase traffic on 550 miles of roads, negatively affecting wildlife.

How will LURC evaluate Plum Creek’s plan?

LURC's seven commissioners will begin hearings on December 1, 2007 to decide whether to approve Plum Creek's plan by determining whether it has "no undue adverse impact on existing uses or resources" and strikes " a reasonable and publicly beneficial balance" between development and conservation.

What is Maine Audubon’s role in the LURC process?

Maine Audubon has been granted intervenor status for the formal public hearings, which means our scientific findings about wildlife and habitat will be a core part of the public record and final decision. Led by counsel, Maine Audubon will present expert testimony and witnesses, and cross examine witnesses.

The role of intervenor has been successful for Maine Audubon in past public hearings.

Why is Maine Audubon taking such an active role?

The stakes are high: it’s critical that Plum Creek make additional revisions to its plan, in order to protect Moosehead’s wildlife.

In addition to the state’s largest lake, the region includes a myriad of smaller lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and mountains. It is home to many important fish and wildlife species, including native brook trout, common loons, numerous neotropical migratory songbirds, and the threatened Canada lynx.

Nationally renowned, the Moosehead Lake region supports a natural resource based economy that includes forestry, hunting, fishing, hiking, snowmobiling, skiing, and wildlife watching.

Wildlife watching and recreation is already more than a $1 billion industry in Maine, involving 53 percent of residents and exceeding the economic output of other recreation industries like downhill skiing, snowmobiling and whitewater rafting.

Maine Audubon believes that connecting people with nature is an excellent way of building support for wildlife conservation.

What can you do?

The volunteer members of LURC’s board cannot be directly approached and rely heavily on public input through their staff members, who welcome public comments on the proposed plan.

Email lurc@maine.gov or send written comments to: Ms. Aga Pinette, project manager, Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, 22 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0022.

Maine Audubon's effectiveness in promoting sound conservation policy in Maine is enormously enhanced by concerned people like you.

Contact us today to receive timely action alerts or to learn more about how you can support our efforts.