By Anne Ehart
Matt Polstein has been a local ecotourism pioneer since he founded New England Outdoor Center on Millinocket Lake in 1982.
Born in Portland, Polstein brought an outsider’s vision of economic development to Millinocket. As both a businessman and former member of the town council, Polstein has fought to turn Millinocket into a tourism destination.
In a town that sees pulp where he sees trees, Polstein’s has been an uphill struggle.
“I was viewed by people who didn’t like the tourism industry as someone who was somehow opposed to wood products,” said Polstein.
That tension escalated when Roxanne Quimby proposed turning 87,000 acres into a national park. For years, former millworkers and their families fought against the proposal. In 2016, the Obama administration approved a less-restrictive national monument designation for what is now known as the new Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
Bringing the logging industry back to the mill site and creating protected land for tourism is still seen by many townspeople as mutually exclusive. “I don’t know what the rules and regulations are about having the federal government close to an industry, but that concerns me still,” said Gilda Stratton, a town councilor.
However, the opposition has grown quieter in recent years. Town manager John Davis, who gave more than 30 years of his life working for the mill, says he’s open to anything that might bring business to Millinocket. “I think if Millinocket is going to pull through here, we need industry. Tourism, too,” said Davis.
Polstein was elected to the town council in 2000, itself a vote of confidence for new economic ideas. During his nine-year tenure, Polstein advocated for ecotourism and its co-existence with timber industry. “I became a vocal advocate for the national park; it didn’t have to be a negative for the wood products industry,” Polstein argued.
NEOC is exhibit A for the potential of ecotourism. The resort brought in $2 million in revenue last year, and now includes 20 cabins, campsites, and a restaurant. With kayaking, cross-country skiing, and approximately 40 snowmobiles for rent, NEOC is now a year-round destination. It even hosts weddings.
Today NEOC is one of the area’s larger employers, with about 48 full time employees, and up to 125 seasonal part-time workers.
“Our guests love being on the edge of [the forest],” said Polstein.
During the last few years, Millinocket has attracted other tourist attractions. Since 2015, it has hosted an annual Millinocket Marathon in December, a Boston Marathon qualifier that brought thousands of participants last year.