The name Plum Creek rings familiar to most Mainers these days. As the out-of-state real estate company has pushed forward with its proposal to develop the Moosehead Lake region – by constructing two sprawling resorts, subdividing acres of woodland into hundreds of housing lots, and establishing five commercial development zones – Maine residents have pushed back.

If implemented, Plum Creek’s request would create the largest commercial development in Maine’s history. The planned development would irreversibly alter the landscape, erode the tradition of public access, and severely damage the potential for nature-based tourism and recreation that brings Mainers and tourists to the region. Maine’s decision on this proposal will set a precedent, guiding development for the rest of the North Woods.

We must choose smart growth, not mega-developments, for Moosehead and the entire state to maintain Maine’s unique quality of life and unrivaled beauty.

It’s clear most Mainers oppose this massive development that would forever tarnish the beauty of the Moosehead Lake region – by replacing thousands of towering trees with more than a thousand “accommodation units,” replacing bountiful fishing, hunting and recreation grounds with exclusive resorts, and placing the future of the largest stretch of wilderness east of the Mississippi in the hands of a private company.

But people from all across Maine can take action to stop this development by attending upcoming Maine Land Use Regulation Commission public hearings in Augusta, Greenville and Portland.

LURC must listen to Mainers and deny Plum Creek’s proposal.

Tracy Allen, Livermore Falls