Plum Creek’s plan is consistent with Maine’s traditions and values.

In my waning days as executive director of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, I write to encourage support for the Plum Creek plan.

During the past year, I have been honored to be a part of this comprehensive plan for the Moosehead Lake Region. As a long supporter of such planning, I can say without equivocation that Plum Creek’s plan is truly all-encompassing; containing a full range of needed initiatives, including housing, commercial and recreational developments, as well as a massive conservation component that offsets all the developments by a ratio of 99 to 1.

That is why many of us can’t understand the opposition to the plan by a relative few individuals and groups. Wendy Weiger’s op-ed piece a few weeks ago is a case in point.

As a relative newcomer to the Moosehead Lake Region, Ms. Weiger seems unaware of the historical economic trends in the area that are upsetting the very community character she says she supports.

For instance, Piscataquis and Somerset counties regularly rank highest in unemployment and lowest in wages. About 50 percent of our schoolchildren are eligible for free or reduced lunches. The local school systems in the Moosehead Lake Region are losing kids and struggle to survive. And the region’s main hospital, CA Dean in Greenville, is barely able to exist because of the region’s dwindling population.

Furthermore, unplanned development is already happening in the area. Wealthy “kingdom lot” buyers from out-of-state are purchasing large tracts of land while not maintaining those lots for sustainable forestry uses or allowing public access. Clearly, these trends are not desirable “community characteristics.”

Plum Creek’s plan will provide a long-term road map that balances the need of the area to grow economically while helping to preserve Maine’s traditional forest products industry and recreational tourism. The facts are simple: By allowing Plum Creek to sell lots for development on 4,800 acres, the company will donate or sell conservation easements on 400,000 acres. These 400,000 acres will never be developed and will always be accessible for sustainable forestry and recreation.

This “Conservation Framework” is being supported by mainstream conservation groups such as the Nature Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountain Club, and the Forest Society of Maine. Furthermore, based on conversations with regional stakeholders, Plum Creek has also included within the plan the donation of 100 acres for workforce housing initiatives, the creation of hundreds of miles of hiking and snowmobile trails, as well as a community fund for area education programs that could yield over $1 million.

After hearing of this positive plan, many of you might be wondering “What’s the big deal?”

Many of us ask the same question when we read columns such as Ms. Weiger’s, or hear young petition drivers in Portland’s Monument Square saying that Plum Creek would “destroy the North Woods,” or see the vandalism of Plum Creek property by violent groups.

Rather, Plum Creek should be commended for offering a plan that is consistent with Maine’s traditions and values. When it comes to public benefits, Plum Creek has set a new gold standard in Maine. Their plan focuses upon massive conservation proposals and long-term, sustainable developments that will support and enhance Piscataquis and Somerset counties’ tourism and wood products sectors. And the guarantee of unlimited public access on more than 400,000 acres of permanently conserved land is an opportunity we simply cannot afford to lose.

There is no doubt that the place I call home will undergo changes in the next 30 years. So, the question we must ask ourselves is what type of a future do we want for the Moosehead Lake Region?

By understanding the past and by recognizing the needs of the future, we can all share in the promise of a better tomorrow.

Mark Scarano is executive director of Piscataquis County Economic Development Council.