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Environmental Groups: Plum Creek Plan Falls Short

November 12, 2007 - BANGOR -- Despite some significant changes over the past 21/2 years in the Plum Creek timber company's proposal to develop the Moosehead Lake area, two of Maine's leading environmental groups on Thursday said the plan still falls short.

At an afternoon press conference in Bangor, Brownie Carson of the Natural Resources Council of Maine and Kevin Carley of Maine Audubon said Plum Creek has failed to respond adequately to concerns about habitat destruction, sprawl, increased traffic and other issues related to the massive development project. Both groups will oppose the proposal when it is presented at formal hearings before the Land Use Regulation Commission beginning Dec. 1, they said.

LURC's approval of a zoning change is vital to the plan's realization.

Carson said Plum Creek's final plan represents a missed opportunity to develop a sustainable, nature-based tourism economy in the Greenville area. Instead, he said, the proposed project "would fundamentally damage what people in Maine hold dearest about the Moosehead Lake region -- its natural beauty, wildlife and undeveloped character."

The Plum Creek proposal has sparked intense statewide debate over how to promote job growth in the economically distressed Moosehead region without ruining the natural beauty that has made Moosehead Lake one of Maine's most beloved destinations.

The company's current plan includes developing two resort areas and 975 residential lots in and around Greenville, Rockwood and Jackman. More than 400,000 acres would be protected in conservation and public access easements and through sales to conservation groups.

Public hearings before LURC are scheduled for Dec. 1 and 16 in Greenville, Dec. 2 in Augusta and Dec. 15 in Portland.

Citing the findings of a number of independent experts hired to assess the plan's consideration of nature-based tourism, wildlife, land use planning, water quality and other fields, Carley said the environmental groups have the scientific findings they need to show LURC that substantial environmental harm would result if the project goes forward.

Specifically, Carley said, habitat for brook trout, lynx, wood turtles, wild fowl and other species would be degraded or threatened. New roads and increased traffic would increase the number of encounters between vehicles and animals, and increased boat traffic would threaten loon populations. The opportunity for people to experience primitive camping experiences would also diminish, Carley said.

"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," he said.

Carson noted that Plum Creek has not developed specific plans for the Lily Bay resort but is seeking "blank check" approval for the project, which likely would be turned over to a secondary developer. Carson said the hypothetical project could include a central resort, golf course and marina in an area that is essentially undeveloped except for some small summer cottages and a popular state park, he said.

While he's not opposed in principle to the idea of a resort on Moosehead Lake, Carson said a more responsible plan would be to downsize the project and move it closer to the community of Greenville.

Plum Creek's concept plan calls for a 250-accommodation resort at Lily Bay and an 800-accommodation resort on Big Moose Mountain northwest of Greenville. The word "accommodation" could mean hotel rooms, rental condominiums or even single-family houses.

Plum Creek or a future developer would need to get additional LURC approval for the specific resort plans before any construction could begin.

Reached for comment, Plum Creek project manager and longtime Greenville resident Luke Muzzy said the current plan is the final version that will be presented to LURC. He is not sure, he said, whether it will be possible to make changes after the hearings begin.

What will Plum Creek do if the project is turned down?

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Muzzy said. "We've been working for three years on this comprehensive plan. We'd like to keep focused on that until somebody tells us we can't."

Also Thursday, public officials who will be tasked with making a decision on the Plum Creek proposal got a chance to see first-hand some of the land in question.

Commissioners, LURC staff and several consultants hired by the agency visited spots on Lily Bay, Indian Pond, Brassua Lake and Long Pond along with a few mountaintops during a daylong tour of areas that would be directly or indirectly affected by Plum Creek's plans.

The group covered more than 120 miles, a good portion of that on the logging roads that crisscross the Moosehead region.

At each stop, LURC staff and consultants pointed out areas that would be rezoned for residential subdivisions under Plum Creek's proposal as well as highlighted any existing development in the area. Staff also discussed any of the proposed conservation land visible from each location.

LURC director Catherine Carroll said Plum Creek and the intervenors were notified of the trip, but all agreed to allow the commission to take the tour without the presence of interested parties. While all except one of the commissioners have been given aerial tours of the concept plan area, Thursday's on-the-ground tour was the first time some members had been to many of the specific sites.

"It's primarily information collection and getting the commissioners familiar with the concept plan over this vast area, and that is very difficult to do on paper," Carroll said.

Seattle-based Plum Creek owns more than 900,000 acres of forestland in Maine and is the nation's largest private landowner.

SOURCE: Bangor Daily News

DATE: 11-09-2007


Lakes:
Regions: Moosehead


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