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Membership News - March 1, 2008

1. "Eastern Interior Public Lands Management Planning"

2. "LURC Discussion Panel"

* * * Public Hearing Notice * * *

1. Eastern Interior Public Lands - March 4:

On Tuesday, March 4th, the Bureau of Public Lands will hold a Public Listening Sessions to hear comments on how you feel Maine should be managing its public lands in the Down East interior area. These lands include:

• Duck Lake Unit
• Bradley Unit
• Machias River & Mattawamkeag Lake Lands
• Cary Plt
• Grand Falls Twp
• Grand Lake Stream Twp
• Great Pond
• Lakeville
• Macwahoc Plt
• Molunkus Twp
• Reed Plt
• Webster Plt

This is your chance to let your opinions be heard by the Bureau of Parks & Lands before recreational use policies are adopted. In recent land management plans, the Bureau has implemented backcountry recreation areas where motorized access is prohibited, and has designated many areas as ecological preserves. The Bureau must hear from you what you need in these areas, and how various policies either help or hurt your guiding activities.

Eco-Reserve Alert

The Bureau of Parks & Lands will acquire a parcel along 5th Lake Stream and around 5th Machias Lake that was designated as an eco-reserve by the Sweetwater Trust. There is no vital scientific basis for this - just the personal agenda of the Sweetwater Trust and the willingness of the Bureau of Parks & Lands to accommodate them. There are no provisions for existing campsites, an historic river drivers trail, creation of new campsites, maintenance of portage trails and worst of all, no motorized vehicles including snowmobiles. This excludes beaver trapping that remote corridor, and using a snowsled to access 5th Lake for ice fishing.

Hearing Details:

Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Bangor Motor Inn
701 Hogan Road
6:30 PM

For further information, please contact:

John Titus, Management Plan Coordinator
Bureau of Parks & Lands
22 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 287-4916

* * * Public Hearing Notice * * *

2. LURC Discussion Panel - March 4:

On Wednesday, March 5th, the Land Use Regulatory Commission (LURC) will hold a panel discussion on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The panel will consist of representatives from the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), Restore the North Woods, Maine Audubon, and other environmental preservation organizations who are advocating to place further restrictions on landowners, motor vehicle access, and motorized recreation.

These restrictions make it very difficult to attract long term capital investments in Maine's commercial forest land, and may force landowners to seek alternative uses of their commercial forest land, including selling to conservationists (The Nature Conservancy, AMC and Roxanne Quimby, for instance) and kingdom lot buyers, or restricting access by returning to gating roads or even establishing recreational lease situations.

Members are encouraged to attend this important session, and possibly to make comments regarding the panel's testimony.

Hearing Details:

Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Black Bear Inn
4 Godfrey Drive
Orono
9:30 AM

Visit the MPGA Website for more news and info.