To: Meril, Rick
Sent: Sun May 15 10:42:44 2011
Subject: Re: ALERT: Maine's Wildlands under Threat
He(Teddy Roosevelt) would say:
"The extermination of the passenger pigeon meant that mankind was just so much poorer; exactly as in the case of the destruction of the cathedral at Rheims." ~ Theodore Roosevelt, A Book-Lover's Holidays in the Open (1916)
"Don't do it again." ~ Theodore Roosevelt, From the Grave (2011)
On May 15, 2011, at 1:14 PM, Meril, Rick wrote:
Jym
Lately, this type thing is worse than ever.......congress overides ESA for wolves, Montana has its Wildlife Arm increase an already unsustainable cougar hunt,,,,,,,Forest Service looking to remove lynx critical habitat in idaho and montana,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,AND NOW THE GOVENOR OF MAINE IS LOOKING TO ELIMINATE THE LAND USE PLANNING COMMISSION OF MAINE ..........AND POTENTIALLY DESTRYO THE HABITAT NEEDED FOR LYNX SURVIVAL, WOLF AND COUGAR RESTORATION........................THIS MUST BE STOPPED FROM HAPPENING!
What would Republican Teddy Roosevelt have to say if he were alive??????
Rick
_____________________________________________________________
From: Jym St. Pierre <jym@restore.org>
Sent: Sun May 15 09:42:47 2011
Subject: ALERT: Maine's Wildlands under Threat
MAINE'S WILDLANDS UNDER THREAT
WHAT'S HAPPENING
WHAT: Several bills in the Maine Legislature (LD 17, LD 1258 and LD 1534) would abolish or radically weaken the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) by assigning its responsibilities to county governments. Conservationists oppose these bills. Created 40 years ago to provide public oversight of development and to protect the natural heritage of the more than 10 million acres of Maine's North Woods where there is no local government, LURC has served as an important guardian of the extraordinary qualities of Maine's Unorganized Territory. Now, Gov. LePage and some legislators want to rollback or eliminate LURC's authority.
WHEN & WHERE: A public hearing will be held on LDs 17, 1258 and 1534 on Tuesday, May 17, at 1:00 pm at the Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry Committee in the Cross State Office Building, Room 206, Augusta, Maine.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. Attend the hearing on May 17 at 1:00 pm in Augusta. Be prepared to speak for 2 or 3 minutes in opposition to these LURC bills. Bring friends to help fill the room.
2. Submit written testimony. Mail or deliver 20 copies before the hearing to: ACF Committee Clerk, 100 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0100.
3. Contact legislators on the Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry Committee. Call and/or write to urge them to Vote Ought Not to Pass on LDs 17, 1258 and 1534. Contact information for ACF Committee members is at www.maine.gov/legis/house/jt_com/acf.htm
4. Write a letter to the editor of the major news outlets in Maine and your local newspaper. Letters in the news media reach readers and many government officials who monitor the news. There is a list of most Maine newspapers at http://www.nrcm.org/newspapers.asp
QUESTIONS?
WHY DOES LURC MATTER?
• Maine's Unorganized Territory comprises the largest remaining undeveloped wildland region in the eastern U.S. Reducing protection of the public values of this extraordinary area jeopardizes Maine's unique natural heritage.
• Lands within LURC jurisdiction provide habitat for a tremendous diversity of plants, animals, and natural communities. As the largest undeveloped forest in the East, this region provides "source populations" for adjoining areas—large, healthy animal populations that can repopulate fragmented and isolated habitat patches, where those populations often die out. The healthy forests of Maine's North Woods support some of the largest populations of birds and mammals in the entire Northeast, including moose, loons, black bears, and black-throated blue warblers.
• LURC jurisdiction represents last place in the eastern United States with pristine lakes, ponds, rivers, and mountains in an area as large as the rest of the New England states combined.
• LURC was created as a statewide agency to promote the interests of all Mainers by protecting the values of statewide significance in Maine's Unorganized Territory, values that define our natural heritage and provide Mainers the quality of place we rely on for our ecosystems and economy.
MAINE'S NORTH WOODS IS IN JEOPARDY WITHOUT LURC
• Gov. LePage and others have called for more predictability in Maine's environmental regulatory programs. However, assigning LURC's responsibilities to multiple counties would create less predictability, more inefficiency, and greater administrative costs.
• Tourism is Maine's largest industry. Misplaced development and diminished protection of our natural areas will jeopardize forest-based tourism and income that is essential to Maine's economy
• Maine's forest industry depends on a sustainable source of wood. Scattering development throughout the Maine Woods would harm the state's forest products industry.
• LURC represents all the citizens and interests in the State of Maine. Without LURC, the general public would lose the ability to take an active part in the future of our natural heritage and our resource-based economy.
• There are rules against lobbying the members of boards such as LURC. Turning LURC into a series of smaller planning boards will increase the susceptibility to private lobbying by special interests.
• The number of landowners in Maine's North Woods dramatically increases each year as the land is cut up into smaller and smaller parcels. Turning LURC's planning, zoning, and permitting duties over to 13 separate counties would only serve to increase fragmentation and destroy the integrity of Maine's North Woods. Nor do the counties have the expertise or funds to take on these duties.
• These bills would be expensive. For instance, the fiscal impact of LD 17 is estimated to be more than $1 million. Rather than saving money, breaking up LURC would cost taxpayers at a time of economic recession.
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