Article and photo by Victoria Merlino
Visitors do not have an easy time finding Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, one of the National Park Service’s newest additions. While Mount Katahdin stands pristine in the state park adjacent to the monument, for the time being no road signs point the way to the 87,500 acres of forest donated by the founders of the Burt’s Bees personal-care products empire. Many adventurous backwoods travelers need such help to find the wilderness before they can launch into it.
This is completely deliberate.
For more than a year and a half, Gov. Paul LePage, a vehement opponent of the monument, banned official signage for Katahdin Woods and Waters on state roads. LePage argued that the monument was under review by U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, and if the monument designation was removed, the signage would be a waste. Zinke confirmed in December 2017 that the monument would stay intact, and LePage lifted the ban on signage in April. It is not clear when the signs will be posted.
LePage’s signage ban is yet another twist in the winding path the monument has taken toward formal recognition. Designated in 2016 by former President Barack Obama, the monument has pushed through protests and opposition, receiving 30,000 visitors in 2017, according to the Bangor Daily News. Half of this number came from snowmobilers alone.
Pretty good for a place with no signs.
The monument began in 2011, when Roxanne Quimby, the philanthropist and co-founder of Burt’s Bees, donated the land to the Federal government in 2011; she originally wanted the area to become a national park. Many local residents objected to the plan, fearing that the strict rules around the activities in national parks could limit recreational use of the land, and that it would invite more government intervention that would adversely impact Maine’s timber products industry.
Quimby’s son, Lucas St. Clair, gradually won acceptance for Katahdin Woods and Waters through door-to-door chats, a charismatic manner and his lumberjack looks. He also embraced a less-restrictive national-monument designation,and opened sections of the donated land for hunting, snowmobiling and other activities.
“I feel like if we’re going to be able to make more cultivation possible in our country, we have to prove it has multiplying effects. Not just for conservation’s sake, but for the economy and for the wellness of people that live near it,” said St. Clair, who is using the wave of good feelings inspired by his handling of the monument to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poloquin for Congress; he is one of several Democrats trying to unseat the incumbent. St. Clair spoke in an interview before a Democratic candidates’ forum in early April.
One person who believes in him and the monument is Marsha Donahue, owner of The North Light Gallery in Millinocket, a town that sits in the shadow of the monument. Donahue supported St. Clair through his campaign for the monument and supports him in his primary campaign. Around her shop hang paintings of Mount Katahdin and the surrounding area.
“Having grown up in central Maine, you know, and then having left for a while, I’m tremendously proud of this state, and I love the idea that we can share this with people, and not only that but protect it and invite people to come use it,” Donahue said.
Pockets of opposition in Millinocket and its surrounding towns still remain. For many people who have struggled since the mills closed, tourism represents just another flight of fancy.
“I still think you’ve got a lot of opposition here in town, but they’re just quiet lately. But I mean, if that’s going to happen, if that’s going to bring people to Millinocket, I think most people will accept it. You’ve got some that are never going to accept it,” said John Davis, Millinocket’s town manager.
A few stalwart “National Park No” signs remain planted in Millinocket lawns. But Davis said that at least the Town Council is now committed to tourism.
As for signs leading to the monument, they might have to await the gubernatorial election in November.