Roxanne Quimby transfers 87,000 acres planned for national monument to US government

[jpak]

Source: Bangor Daily News

BANGOR, Maine — The company owned by the family of Roxanne Quimby transferred more than 87,000 acres to the federal government on Tuesday, strongly indicating a North Woods national monument will soon be designated by President Barack Obama.

Susan F. Bulay of the Penobscot County Registry of Deeds confirmed the 13 deeds passing the 87,563 acres from Elliotsville Plantation, Inc. to what was listed simply as “The United States of America” came in at 10:10 a.m.

Copies of the deeds indicate the land is situated east of Baxter State Park. The deeds for the individual parcels were signed by Quimby as the grantor and by Rachel McManus, deputy realty officer of the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, as the grantee. The total acreage is nearly twice the size of Maine’s Acadia National Park.

Jeffrey Olson, spokesman for National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, said “the documents that were filed speak for themselves.”

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Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2016/08/23/news/state/quimby-transfers-87000-acres-planned-for-national-monument-to-us-government/?zone=blowout

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Conservative heads explode in ME's 2nd District.

Will have impact on Election 2016.

yup

[Eleanors38]

1. Good post. Noting that over 33,000 acres will allow restricted hunting.

[shenmue]

2. Yay

[boomer55]

3. awesome!

[bucolic_frolic]

4. LePage palpitating

the bombast from this should be severe

[jpak]

6. Clean up in aisle 4 Blaine House

LOL!

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. I was hiking in Baxter this past weekend. Still a lot of No Park signs in the yards. Also noticed

the state of the local economy is very visible. Many rundown homes on the way up to the North Gate.

[Calista241]

7. I don't understand why this would be a problem for anyone.

Currently it's private property. A landowner should be able to do whatever they want with the land (within reason and within the law), including transfer ownership to anyone they so choose.

I just spent several weeks in North Georgia, Eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, and there are national parks and state parks all over the place. And surprise surprise, people go to them and do all kinds of stuff. Camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, birdwatching, photography, all kinds of stuff.

I even saw some kids playing Pokemon Go, the national park station there was a Pokemon hotspot of all things.

[jpak]

8. The locals (the left behinds) don't want no fed'ral gummit up there

and they want to use the land for free and not pay taxes on it.

[OnDoutside]

9. What's the back story here ?

[jpak]

11. Roxanne Quimby - co-founder of Burt's Bees products bought thousands of acres in Northern MAine

near Baxter State Park to create a national park.

A lot of the locals resented her for it - even though the local paper industry jobs have disappeared forever and the forestry industry is in decline.

It will now become a national monument - rather than a park.

Maybe later become a park.

Either way, it becomes a new international destination and will create a lot of jobs.

[OnDoutside]

13. Thanks for that.

[TygrBright]

10. "Outdoor" tourism can build a nice local economy! n/t

[allan01]

12. eggscllent

[bluedigger]

16. Most of Maine (the accessible parts) has been cut six times over.

The best pines went for the King's navy 350 years ago.

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. Not many, no, but the earliest settled states all got harvested and farmed like that. I always get

excited when I see a big tree while out hiking, but I know the really big ones are all out West.

[jpak]

20. There is the 5000 acre Big Reed Pond Reserve in Maine

Virgin Old Growth - pwned by the Nature Conservancy.

Big Reed Pond has its own unique variety of Arctic Char - AKA Blueback Trout.

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/25/us/pact-to-preserve-area-of-old-forest-in-maine.html

[jpak]

24. The Pingrees back in the the day knew its value

Our 1st District Congreswoman is a Pingree heir.

yup

[mainer]

15. Will be a huge boon to northern maine's economy

too bad so many of the locals are so short-sighted as to not see it. All they have to look at is booming Acadia to see that national parks bring in tourists.

It's Quimby's land. She has a right to do what she wants with it. Yet the Tea Party is suddenly disputing a property owner's right to give it to the government if she wants to. Aren't they all about property owner's rights?

[maxsolomon]

17. 136 square miles

Baxter SP is 327 square miles. So, 40% of that size. It's not a very big National Monument (even if the SP is folded in), but it can't hurt.

For comparison, the proposed Bear's Ears NM in Utah is >4,000 square miles. 30 times as big.

By the way, locals hate every expansion of National Parks, National Monuments, Wilderness Areas, etc. Out here, they were up in arms over expanding Olympic National Park - and they killed a purchase program. They like ORVs, chopping down trees, and shooting things.
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/olympic-national-park-expansion-felled-by-politics-of-misinformation/

[jpak]

21. People were opposed to Baxter back in the day

now, people camp out in January to get reservations.

This will be a boon to northern Maine.

yup

[ancianita]

22. Wow. That's a fine Maine family who does the state proud no matter the political fallout.

[librarylu]

26. Wonderful!

I used to sell Burt's Bees (the original) in a gift shop. The owner told me Roxanne was selling the land back to the loggers. I contacted the company and found out that wasn't true. Needlass to say my job didn't last long after that.

I love Roxanne!

[Old and In the Way]

27. Great post as usual jpak!

Sad that the people in No Maine don't embrace the opportunity. This will only help create jobs and infuse mid-Maine's economy with a better future.

Do you have any insight on how this might impact LePage's plans for an East/West pipeline with Ir ing Oil. That plan benefits Maine taxpayers hardly at all, but will be a big deal for getting oil from NB to Quebec. I'll bet there is some quid pro quo cash available to certain Republican officials in ME.

BTW, I knew Burt back in the 80's when he was selling his honey out of his yellow/black Toyota pick-up in the Fayscott parking lot in Dexter. Tipped more than a few beers with Burt at the Dexter Motorlodge. He was a character.

[jpak]

29. The E/W boondoggle has gone quiet - no info there

But Cianbro still has $350,000 to "study" it - thanks to LePew an the GOP.

[AngryAmish]

28. ...

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