Maine Woods Coalition to start membership drive Wednesday, December 04, 2002
By FRAN EMMONS - GREENVILLE - The Maine Woods Coalition (MWC) wants to double its membership in 2003. That's the ambitious goal approved by the group at its recent annual meeting held at Kelly's Landing in Greenville Junction. As of Nov. 22, the organization had 54 members and they hope to bring that number to 100 in the next 2 months.
To that end, the group is publishing a brochure explaining the group's mission and is planning an "outreach effort - to have all four counties in our service area duly represented and contributing to our organization," John Simko said. Those counties are Piscataquis, Penobscot, Somerset and Aroostook.
At the meeting, Simko, Greenville's town manager, was re-elected as the chairman of the Steering Committee as was Eugene Conlogue as the vice-chairman. Bill Jarvis was elected secretary/treasurer. Conlogue is the town manager of Millinocket and Jarvis is a licensed professional forester and chief of the Jackman-Moose River Fire Department.
Membership in the MWC is drawn from those directly related to the industry, such as landowners, foresters, or manufacturers who depend on timber harvest. It also includes area business owners, representatives from conservation and recreation organizations, public officials and individuals from the general public.
Two years ago, MWC formed as a public interest group to oppose the creation of a vast wilderness national park as proposed by RESTORE: The North Woods. While the members reaffirmed that position, they also agreed MWC needs to define what it is for, not just what it is against.
"Conservation of our most treasured resources" cannot come at the expense of traditional forest industry or the "potential for future growth in the woods products manufacturing fields," Simko told members.
The coalition also adopted a policy regarding conservation easements, an increasingly popular method of protecting land. First and foremost, protecting the use of the land for traditional access and recreation while preserving and protecting private property rights are the defining elements of the policy. Other components include the recommendations that the easement be publicly held, that all parties involved be represented in the negotiations, and that the easement provide a direct public benefit.
The policy is a natural extension of the platform adopted by MWC earlier this year notes that the group "seeks to be the common ground all the stakeholders of the region share."
Anyone interested in becoming a member of MWC should contact either John Simko at 695-2421 or Bill Jarvis at 668-2113. Meetings are normally held on the first Thursday of the month.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Moosehead Messenger and is used here with permission."
