There is a view in Maine, one that is not secret and is likely blazoned upon many a postcard and photograph, that takes my breath away and puts me at ease every time I see it. You only get it for seconds, maybe minutes, before it vanishes, not to be experienced until you return to Read More
Plum Creek's Massive Moosehead Proposal
In April 2005, Seattle-based Plum Creek submitted a development proposal for the Moosehead Lake region that was the largest development ever proposed in Maine. The company’s proposal called for 975 house lots, 2 resorts, a golf course, a marina, 3 RV parks—with convenience stores, beauty salons, and gas stations—and more than 100 rental cabins, right in the heart of Maine’s spectacular Moosehead Lake region.
NRCM was the first organization to oppose this plan, which, in addition to too much development in the wrong places, proposed no additional permanent conservation. NRCM spoke out, and so did the people of Maine, including residents of the Moosehead region. As a result of NRCM’s work, the Plum Creek plan was improved — less sprawling, with much improved required conservation measures, and with proposed development removed from remote ponds and other areas.
Development Pressures Driven by Pandemic Underscore Importance of Smart Planning for Maine’s Future
One sure thing about 2020 is this: Maine real estate was red hot. Driven at least in part by the pandemic and its side effects, the Maine Association of Realtors reported that home sales and prices set records in 2020, including in rural and northern Maine. Real estate transactions were up 39.14% in Washington County, Read More
Update: What’s Happening to the Plum Creek Plan for Moosehead Lake?
Fifteen years ago, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and people who love Maine’s North Woods were embroiled in a protracted campaign to prevent the Seattle-based Plum Creek Timber Company from forever ruining the Moosehead Lake region with the largest development proposal in Maine history. Over a five-year period, ending in 2009, we collectively achieved Read More
A Second Chance for the Moosehead Lake Region?
From 2004 through 2009, the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) worked hard to stop Plum Creek’s sprawling development plan for the Moosehead Lake region. During a four-year permitting process that included extensive comments from NRCM, the plan was amended in many ways to reduce impacts on remote ponds and resources; significant conservation was required; Read More
Plum Creek Lumber’s ‘Green’ Certification Challenged
A watchdog group files a complaint about the logging practices of one of the nation’s largest timber producers, which owns about 865,000 acres in Maine. By Jeff Barnard, The Associated Press Portland Press Herald news story GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A watchdog group is challenging the environmentally friendly “green lumber” certification for Plum Creek Timberlands, one of Read More
Conservation Plan Also Brings Development in Maine
by Amy Sinclair NECN news story The historic agreement between the Nature Conservancy and Plum Creek protects 363, 000-acres of forest land around Moosehead Lake, including 80 ponds, 800 miles of river frontage and 200 miles of lakeshore around Maine’s largest. “So folks are welcome, they have access now to go hiking, go fishing go Read More
NRCM Statement on the Announcement of the Conservation Easement on Plum Creek Land
by Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM Executive Director NRCM is always pleased to see conservation easements in Maine’s North Woods. This easement prohibits further residential development and guarantees public access forever. NRCM remains concerned about the size and location of the Plum Creek development, particularly on Lily Bay. Plum Creek’s 2,000 units around beautiful Moosehead Lake, including Read More
Groups Tout Completion of Historic 363,000-acre Plum Creek Conservation Deal
By Kevin Miller and Seth Koenig, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story PORTLAND, Maine â Calling it the “missing piece” to a 2 million-acre jigsaw puzzle, groups on Tuesday announced the completion of a 363,000-acre conservation deal that was key to Plum Creek winning regulatory approval for its historic Moosehead Lake development plan. Representatives Read More
Area Around Moosehead Should Be Preserved for All to Enjoy
The region’s primitive beauty deserves protection similar to that given Mount Katahdin. By John Radebaugh Portland Press Herald op-ed I was shocked that the Plum Creek proposal received approval from the Maine Judicial Court on March 15 to develop the Moosehead Lake area, allowing 821 house lots and more than l,200 housing units in the Big Read More
