HAMPDEN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The Natural Resources Council of Maine is trying to gain community support to establish a new National Park and National Recreation Area east of Baxter State Park. The NRCM held a public meeting Wednesday night to inform people in Hampden and other communities about this proposal. The park would take up more than a hundred thousand acres.
According to the Northwoods Director of the NRCM, Cathy Johnson, this proposal for a new national park and national recreation center has been in the works for more than two years. Now the organization has a proposed donation for not only land, but millions of dollars in endowment to operate and maintain the park.
The private company Elliotsville Plantation Incorporated has proposed to donate up to 150,000 acres of land north of the Millinocket area and just east of Baxter State Park. Elliotsville Plantation has also proposed to donate $20 million in endowment money to the new park and to raise an additional $20 million toward that endowment. The land would be divided into two halves, one half would be the national park and the other half would be the national recreation area. The recreation area would have trails for biking, hiking, snowmobiling and hunting within in legal limits. The new park and recreation area is projected to bring in 15 percent of Acadia Park visitors- that's about 200 to 300 thousand visitors a year.
"It's also a huge potential economic engine for the Katahdin region. National Parks around the country bring visitors to the region and it would provide a real shot in the arm for the local economies in Millinocket, East Millinocket, Medway and the whole surrounding area," said Johnson.
The NRCM said the next step in getting the park approved is enlisting the support of Maine's congressional delegation. The organization asked community members to contact their representatives.
