Fellow Maine Woods Coalition members, I regret that this will be my last presentation to you as president of our non-profit corporation and as Chairman for our Steering Committee. In October, I presented my resignation to the Steering Committee, citing the many constraints on my time and my concern that others could do a better job than I considering these many constraints.

During the past three years, I have watched as this organization has grown in size and its potency has magnified. Clearly, there are many forces driving the accelerating pace of CHANGE in the North Maine Woods. We are seeing changes in use of the land, access to the land, ownership of the land, value of the land, and the expected future of the land. Despite the many interest groups which have concerns about these issues, I continue to believer fervently that those who live here, own property here, operate businesses or organizations here are the one's who will be the most affected by these changes. It is this basic group of stakeholders – it is all of us and our peers in the Maine Woods – who have stood up to speak together and to try to direct this change to not diminish, but rather to benefit our interests.

The strength of the Maine Woods Coalition is its constitution of stakeholders. To be a voting member, you need to be a resident, property owner, operate a business or an organization here. Elected officials within our four-county service area pay a great deal of attention to this fact, and this has given us legitimacy and leverage in affecting public policy. We need to continue to be a potent force in the development and implementation of public policy affecting the Maine Woods.

We were asked nearly two years ago by Congressman Tom Allen, when noting that he understood what we are opposed to, to share “what we are for?” Indeed, what DO we want for the future of the Maine Woods? This needs to be discussed and articulated and updated regularly. The Maine Woods are changing: we must accept that taking no action is a course of action itself. Therefore, to best forward our cause, we must learn what is driving these changes, and develop strategies which will best direct this change to our benefit. For example, ever-escalating property values will eventually out-price the Maine Woods to typical rural Maine residents. This might be mitigated if the economy of the Maine Woods were diversified and strengthened by revitalizing the wood products manufacturing sector and allowing outdoor recreation to continue to grow and co-exist with traditional consumptive industries. Access to favorite undeveloped areas may be strained by development, but do we need to convert private land to public just to assure continued access? I say no: there are sophisticated ways to fortify the public-private partnerships for public access of the Maine Woods without sacrificing private land ownership. We, the stakeholders of the Maine Woods, need to decide what we want, and then be willing to fight for it.

Finally, I urge the group to work with groups and entities that are willing to consider and to support our interests. The State of Maine, as our state government, is meant to work for us. It is the responsibility of the Maine Woods Coalition to let the State know what we want and to work with them to develop policies which benefit our way of life, our interests, our customs and our traditions. The State is now more than ever interested in developing a policy for the Maine Woods which will benefit our interests – from an improved and diverse economy to public access and use of undeveloped land to a true balance of private and public use of the land. We need to work with the state, and to keep communication with all other entities at work in the Maine Woods who will work with us – from private landowners to conservation groups to major corporations. Communication and sharing of information will prove critical to developing good public policy for the Maine Woods. We need to be in the middle of the discussion, and we need to continue regularly and constructively.

I wish the Maine Woods Coalition the best of luck in these efforts, and I will help our organization to accomplish these objectives in my much diminished role. But as the Town manager fort he gateway and service center community of Greenville, and as a Piscataquis County native, I will continue to contribute to this debate. You have not heard the last from me.

Respectfully Submitted;

John Simko
Retiring MWC President and Steering Committee Chairman
November 21, 2003.