Plum Creek Update

December 23, 2008

Topics: Conservation | Plum Creek

We're proud of our work for Moosehead's wildlife. --Maine Audubon and Maine people helped make Plum Creek's plan much better. --But it still has major problems that threaten the Moosehead region's wildlife, economy, and character. It also sets a bad precedent for future development and conservation in Maine's Northern Forest. --It's important for Maine Audubon to stay involved, as many decisions are still ahead about how development will affect Moosehead's wildlife and habitat.

What place better represents the Maine North Woods so treasured by so many?

For more than three years, Maine people across the state have shown how much they love the area surrounding Moosehead Lake--and how much they object to Seattle-based Plum Creek's vast rezoning and development plan for the region.

Yet Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) has given the plan preliminary approval, and Plum Creek, the nation's largest commercial landowner, has notified LURC that it accepts the commission's recommendations.

Major Improvements

Comprehensive and strategic work on the part of Maine Audubon and other organizations brought public attention to major problems in Plum Creek's plan, first introduced in April 2005. As a result, it has improved from a version that was completely unacceptable and clearly in violation of LURC regulations and policies.

Maine Audubon takes pride in helping force Plum Creek back to the drawing board twice over three years to eliminate some proposed development in remote areas and to include more conservation. Specifically:

• Proposed development was removed from the shores of many remote lakes, ponds, and rivers, and significant wetlands, protecting valuable habitat and safeguarding water quality.
• The amount of conservation required to mitigate development was significantly increased from 11,000 acres in 2006 to 92,000 acres today.
• Proposed easements have been strengthened, forestry practices will be more sustainable, and easements must be finalized within 45 days of the plan's final approval, or before any development proceeds.
• The size of the development area has been reduced at Lily Bay, Moose Mountain, Route 6/15 corridor, and the Brassua Peninsula to avoid impacts to sensitive and important habitat for rusty blackbirds, least bitterns, waterfowl and wading birds, brook trout, and lynx.

But Fundamentally Flawed

Over a lengthy review process, LURC adjusted details and closed some of the hundreds of loopholes in Plum Creek's original proposal.

But it failed to address the fundamental problems of the plan: it includes just as much development as Plum Creek's original proposal, and it allows development in places where it clearly doesn't belong.

LURC could and should have required Plum Creek to scale back the size of its proposal and protect the most important resources of the region, including Lily Bay, on the less developed eastern side of Moosehead Lake.

But during the past year, LURC did not require Plum Creek make important, fundamental changes to its inappropriate plan. The total number of 2,315 units--not reduced at all--remains way out of scale for the region

Essentially, the Commission ignored overwhelming, individually written public comments and voted to allow Plum Creek to develop about 16,000 acres for 975 homes and 1,050 hotel rooms, condominiums, or other resort accommodations. That includes a 404-unit resort complex at Lily Bay peninsula, where there's high-value habitat for the threatened Canada lynx. It also could include a marina, golf course, stores, seasonal homes, and roads-the equivalent of creating an entirely new town 12 miles north of Greenville.

What has happened is what so many people feared. Plum Creek has been given the green light to move forward with development that will sacrifice too much of the beauty, wildlife, natural character, and recreational opportunities of the beloved Moosehead Lake region.

Expensive Precedent for Maine People

It's a costly decision not only for Maine people today, but for future generations.

Taxpayers and private funds will pay Plum Creek $25 million to conserve North Woods land that LURC is requiring to mitigate negative impacts of rezoning forestry land for development, including impacts to wildlife, habitat, and remote recreation.

This is a dangerous precedent. Typically, developers in Maine pay to restore or conserve land in exchange for unacceptable impacts--not the other way around. Now LURC has created a new get-paid-twice scenario for development in the unorganized territories.

Important Work Still Ahead

Maine Audubon feels more must be done to make this plan good for Moosehead and good for Maine. We will continue to bring the best science-based information, analysis, and advocacy to bear on this landmark project, and work for reasonable changes that uphold LURC's clear guidelines for natural resource protection in the region.

LURC staff and consultants are now finalizing the conservation easements, land use standards for each development zone, and subdivision review process. LURC commissioners will likely approve them some time next winter. Plum Creek must then agree to all changes the commissioners approve. If all goes smoothly, LURC expects to vote on a final plan in May.

Maine Audubon will review proposed language to ensure that the terms of the easements protect biodiversity, and that the subdivision review process will carefully address impacts to wildlife. We will submit formal comments about the proposed changes to the commissioners after the recommendations are posted this winter. It is important for Maine Audubon to stay involved, as many decisions about how this plan's development will affect wildlife and habitat are being deferred to this later stage of the approval process.