FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2007

AMC has filed testimony as an intervenor in the review by the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) of Plum Creek’s development plan for the Moosehead Lake region, and will participate in party hearings run by LURC in December. This document summarizes AMC’s pre-filed testimony and provides background on AMC’s interest in the project.

Background on AMC’s interest in the Plum Creek proposal
Plum Creek has filed a request for rezoning of 21,076 acres with the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) for a development project in the Moosehead Lake region that would create 22 residential or mixed-use development zones (975 residential units) and six resort development zones (up to 1,050 resort-related units). In addition Plum Creek would put 91,000 acres in a balance conservation easement. Additional details of Plum Creek’s Concept Plan, including proposed land-use zones, areas proposed for conservation, and areas proposed for development can be viewed at http://www.maine.gov/doc/lurc/reference/resourceplans/moosehead.html  

AMC has a strong interest, both as an outdoor recreation and conservation organization and as a landowner, in the Moosehead Lake region. Our organization, with some 90,000 members, including 3,800 in Maine, has a long history of involvement in this area, which is popular for hiking, cross-country skiing, and other forms of outdoor recreation.

In 2003, AMC purchased 37,000 acres in this region known as the Katahdin Iron Works (KIW) tract as part of its Maine Woods Initiative (MWI), an innovative plan for land conservation in the 100-Mile Wilderness region that combines outdoor recreation, resource protection, sustainable forestry, and community partnerships. AMC also operates traditional sporting camps and maintains a growing network of hiking and cross-country ski trails on its property for use by the public.

AMC’s KIW land is bordered on three sides by Plum Creek lands. AMC’s vision for the region extends beyond our current property boundaries and includes a protected backcountry recreational corridor from Moosehead Lake to Baxter State Park. Our interest in Plum Creek’s proposed Concept Plan is high, given the impact the outcome may have on our own plans and operations, on the region’s fundamental remote character, and on the unique recreational experience this remoteness provides.

AMC believes that a planned approach to both development and conservation is the most effective means to ensure that the Moosehead Lake region retains its unique character for generations to come. We commend Plum Creek for putting forth a comprehensive Concept Plan, listening to public concerns throughout the planning process, and making certain modifications to its plan based on this feedback. The most recent Concept Plan is a significant improvement over the original plan proposed more than 2-1/2 years ago, and it reflects much public input. But AMC believes further improvement is still needed in order for the proposal to meet LURC’s criteria for concept plan approval. We also appreciate Plum Creek’s willingness to engage in long-term, predictable planning, as well as the opportunity for landscape-scale conservation provided by the Conservation Framework, an agreement between Plum Creek, The Nature Conservancy, Forest Society of Maine and AMC, which offers the opportunity to protect 340,500 acres of land in the region from development.

AMC has offered – both directly to Plum Creek and as intervenors in the LURC process – suggestions to improve the plan that we believe make the plan more consistent with LURC’s criteria for concept plan approval. AMC did not comment on all aspects of the Plan; rather, we focused on specifics of the plan that impact the recreation and conservation values with which we have the most expertise.

AMC Response to Most Recent Version of Concept Plan
While the current plan is an improvement over earlier versions, AMC continues to have concerns about the size, scope, and location of some of the proposed development in the Concept Plan. These concerns are documented in our expert testimony to LURC. They include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. We have serious concerns about the impact of the expansive residential development proposed for the Lily Bay peninsula. While we believe that some low-impact resort development is appropriate in this area, we believe the large residential development zone proposed is incompatible with, and would have a permanent undue impact on, the character of the wildest portion of the Moosehead region, and we believe it would be inconsistent with several Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) provisions. It would contradict the purpose of the state’s purchase of the eastern Moosehead Lake shoreline, which was to maintain the wild character of this portion of the lake.
   We strongly recommend that the two residential development zones proposed for Lily Bay be eliminated from the Plan. These areas should be added to the Balance Conservation Easement.
2. We believe the Moose Mountain area is an appropriate location for a resort development zone, particularly due to its proximity to the Moose Mountain ski area and the Route 6/15 corridor. However, development proposed for the west side of the mountain would significantly degrade the remote recreational experiences-- including flatwater paddling, rafting, fishing, wildlife watching, hunting and camping-- offered by the northern end of Indian Pond because of the visibility of this development from Indian Pond. AMC recommends that the Big Moose development area be reduced in size, and the total number of accommodation units capped.
3. The applicant does not own title to the immediate shorefront lands proposed for rezoning on Indian Pond and Brassua Lake. These shorefront lands are owned by the operators of the Harris Hydro (Indian Pond) and Brassua Lake Hydroelectric projects. Some of these shorelands are or could potentially be encumbered through conservation easements from development by the landowners as part of their Federal Energy Regulatory Commission operating licenses. AMC argues that for these reasons and for impacts to the recreational experience at these locations, the proposed shoreline development at Indian Pond should be eliminated and the proposed development area on Brassua Lake should be reduced in size.
4. The extent of the development proposed along the Long Pond/Brassua Lake corridor would very likely make the paddling and primitive camping opportunities there less attractive. Such development would be inconsistent with the CLUP statement, “While the Commission encourages recreational diversity, it will ensure that new uses or activities do not diminish the experience for traditional recreation users.”
5. We are concerned that the Concept Plan could allow considerable development in relatively close proximity to the popular fishing and paddling resources on the West Outlet between Moosehead Lake and Indian Pond. In addition, we recommend that road access to existing recreational infrastructure—such as put-ins and take-outs currently in use on major water bodies—must be guaranteed by the Plan.
6. We support the proposed Peak to Peak Trail, which would help meet anticipated demand for additional infrastructure from primitive recreation and would advance the goals of the CLUP. However, we believe that Plum Creek’s proposed 15-foot wide corridor for this easement should be expanded to 300 feet to sufficiently buffer the trail and to provide adequate space to construct and maintain the trail. We also have concerns about ensuring sufficient funding for building and maintaining the trail, and long-term plans and funding for recreation management in the region.
7. We support the Conservation Framework, which will provide landscape-scale conservation that will serve to support the remote and natural character values associated with a vast forested area, and should support primitive recreation opportunities of the region in perpetuity. However, we have been clear that the Conservation Framework should not considered as part of the “balance” or off-set conservation required by LURC for all concept plans.

While we understand that moving or reducing development areas will not be easy, we believe that Plum Creek has the latitude to make the changes we have proposed and thereby to protect the qualities of key primitive recreation areas that attract nature-based tourists and contribute to the region’s distinct character. We strongly believe that protecting these recreational resources in a manner that is consistent with the CLUP’s vision and recreational resource policies is in the best interest of Plum Creek and the State of Maine, and in the long term will result in a plan that maintains the unique recreational values and experiences of the Moosehead Lake Region.

AMC is an official intervenor in the LURC process and AMC staff are providing expert testimony on aspects of the plan as they relate to recreation and conservation values.

AMC’s Guiding Principles
Throughout this process, AMC has been guided by the following set of principles, and these principles have provided the basis for our suggested changes to the Plum Creek Concept Plan.

1. Conservation must be permanent and must be on a scale commensurate with the size of the region and the size of proposed development.
2. The remote and undeveloped character of the region must be maintained as the region’s primary asset. The Maine Woods is the last large-scale wild place in the East.
3. The public must be able to access and enjoy the natural, scenic, and recreational assets of the region. Development must not lead to “privatization” of these resources.
4. Long-term planning and predictability are critical to ensuring the on-going economic vitality of local communities. Any development must reflect the values of local communities, and its primary economic benefits must accrue locally.
5. Development should be contiguous to existing development, maximizing the economic benefits and minimizing the infrastructure costs to local communities.
6. Protection of remaining recreation corridors that provide high-quality multi-day waterway and forest backcountry trips, an extremely limited resource today, is paramount.
7. To fulfill the objectives of Maine’s “Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy,” the most ecologically important areas must be protected.
8. An appropriate balance between the economic benefits to landowners seeking to develop, and economic benefits to the people of Maine must be provided.