My husband and I took an early fall trip to the Nahmakanta Public Lands, just south of Baxter State Park. We’d visited this 11,000 acre wilderness many times since it was established in 1985. But this year we saw something unexpected: improvements!
In many years of backcountry camping in Maine, I’d assumed that the facilities would always be old and run down. No significant investment has been made in Maine Parks and Lands in fifteen years, and some areas have seen no improvements in over thirty. It wondered where all this new stuff was coming from.
So I checked it out. Turns out that in June this year, Governor Mills launched a $50 million parks and lands initiative through her Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan. The funds are designated to refurbish and build new infrastructure in Maine’s 48 parks and 500,000 acres of public lands. The funds are a small piece of the $4.5 billion Maine received from the federal American Rescue Plan.
On public lands, funds are also raised through sustainable wood harvesting. My husband, a college forestry major, was impressed by the thoughtful wood harvest at Nahmakanta. When there were two or more mature while pines together, they were left as seed trees. Stands of red spruce had been left to grow beyond minimum harvestable size, making them more valuable as timber. The understory of new trees was healthy and well established.
These lands are harvested by private contractors. But the piles of logs by the roadside were marked “BPL”, which stands for “Bureau of Public Lands”, the state agency that sets the specs, and hires the contractors.
The Bureau is to be commended for it’s work. Not only was the wood harvesting sustainable, but the four new campsites we saw were attractive and well designed. Each one had a good landing for a kayak or canoe, hiking trail access, plenty of sun and shade, and beautiful views. To me, these attributes define “a good campsite”. Someone knew what they were doing when they designed them.
While we were hiking we ran into a group of young people in jeans working on the trail. They said they were from the Maine Conservation Corps. We were happy to learn that these young adults are paid to live and work in the woods from April to October. The work can be hard—cutting fallen trees, building stone steps, and erecting wooden shelters. But the rewards are worth it. From my woods work in my college years, I can say it’s an unforgettable experience!
The funds to improve and maintain our parks and lands could not have been better timed. During Covid, park visits in Maine were up sharply, with a record 3.3 million visitors in 2021. And the increase hasn’t leveled off.
Parks and lands are good for the economy, too. They contribute more than $100 million a year to Maine’s economy, and support over 28,000 jobs in our outdoor industries.
As the earth warms, we need to strengthen our connection to nature. Thanks to Congress, Governor Mills, the Maine Legislature, and the Bureau of Public Lands, we have an excellent opportunity to enjoy Maine’s outdoors.