FARMINGTON – More than 70 people attended a meeting Tuesday at University of Maine at Farmington to discuss the management plan for public lands in the western mountains including the Bigelow Preserve.
Officials from the Department of Conservation, which oversees the public lands, invited members of the public to speak about their concerns and suggestions regarding the plan. The department manages more than 44,000 acres in northern Franklin County, the largest parcel of which is the Bigelow Preserve of more than 36,000 acres on the south side of Flagstaff Lake.
The preserve, the main focus of the meeting, was established in 1976 by a public referendum and is managed under a revised plan created in 1989. This plan, now under review, will be revised within the next year or so. It will need to address timber harvesting, ecological and recreational values which sometimes conflict with each other.
Representatives from ATV Maine, Friends of Bigelow Preserve, the Appalachian Trail Conference, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Western Mountains Foundation, town officials from neighboring Kingfield and Carrabassett Valley and abutters to the preserve all spoke.
Topics of concern or advocacy for the preserve included:
• The continued use of snowmobiles.
• Quiet, remote wilderness areas to provide opportunities for solitude.
• A forest fire fighting plan.
• Protection of wildlife areas and endangered species living in the preserve.
• A proposed groomed cross-country ski trail.
• ATV use.
• Timber harvesting.
• Structures not in concert with the intent of the preserve.
• Unlawful use of the land and enforcement.
• Nature-based tourism and economic impacts of the preserve on the entire region.
Most at odds were those advocating more motorized vehicle use and those interested in increasing designated wildlife and remote recreational areas in the preserve.
Daniel Mitchell, president of ATV Maine, thought there was room for everyone there.
“Given the size of each of these units of land,” he said, “there is certainly room to place ATV trails at strategic locations on each of them.”
“We can all survive together,” agreed Kenny Ingalls of Embden, a snowmobiler and hiker who reminisced about picking berries in the preserve as a child.
But Bob Weingarten, speaking on behalf of Friends of Bigelow, encouraged planners to include more land in the preserve as wilderness area, possibly even the entire preserve.
The preserve, because of its high mountain ponds, unique vegetation, interesting geology and undeveloped landscape, was designated as a national natural landmark in 1976, he said.
“The Bigelow Preserve will not and can not provide all recreational needs or wants to all people. To do so would destroy the character that is so special,” he read from the 1989 management plan.
More than 50 people have expressed an interest in serving on an advisory panel to work on the plan, said John Titus, management plan coordinator for the department. The committee of about 20 will meet at least twice before bringing the plan back to a public hearing, most likely in December. He reminded everyone, though, that all comments will be considered, not just those on the committee.
Comments are no longer available on this story