Quimby/Gardiner swap - Good News!

[spencer]

MPBN released the story this morning. It's not in the Bangor Daily News yet.

Roxanne Quimby and Tom Gardiner swapped lands in a terrific deal

1) Gardiner gave Quimby 10,400 acres in T4 R8
2) Quimby gave Gardiner 14,000 acres in T5 R8
3) they are using the E. Branch as the boundary so Quimby now has T4 R8 and T5 R8 west of the river and Gardiner has the eastern side.
4) this will allow the IAT to be rerouted through the woods
5) there was no mention of T3 R8 where Katahdin Lake lies
6) the swap gave the Bowlin camps to Quimby

Both were quoted in the news bit as saying this was a good deal for every party and it was only possible b/c many of the other interested parties left the table. The last year or so has seen tough negotiations b/c there were too many people trying to work together (state, NGOs, etc.). Once they pared the parties down it worked out. This was the first time I've heard Roxanne really acknowledge the need and ability for multiple interests to share the forests adjacent to each other. Both parties really emphasized that they can co-exist cooperatively.

This is good news, folks! Now how about T3 R8?

My other big question as all this unfolds is how does the park feel about the likelihood of extended trail networks into Quimby's abutting land. I for one and for creating no new trails and letting that area serve as the true buffer it was intended for.


spencer

 

[arghman]

thanks for the post...

Spencer, if you are aware of any kind of overview available somewhere on the 'net of land ownership in the North Maine Woods, perhaps you could post a link here. I know who Roxanne Quimby (of Burt's Bees) is, but I'll bet not too many people are familiar with the general changes in land ownership going on (& how fast it's happening!)

This almost sounds like a chess game report (Q takes T4 R8)

 

[el-bagr]

This is a good thing, IMO. The lower Wassataquoik is a great area. FWIW, I believe Quimby already owned the land Bowlin camps were on, but that she swapped that land to Gardner -- thus Bowlin now leases from Gardner. Either way, the upshot is that traditional access to Bowlin camps will continue.

T3R8 / Katahdin Lake remains with Gardner.

(map from meepi.org)

 

[jjo]

Glad to hear of your progress...Thanks.

 

[el-bagr]

Spencer, if you are aware of any kind of overview available somewhere on the 'net of land ownership in the North Maine Woods, perhaps you could post a link here. I know who Roxanne Quimby (of Burt's Bees) is, but I'll bet not too many people are familiar with the general changes in land ownership going on (& how fast it's happening!)

Lloyd Irland's UMaine publication is a good start. The whole thing is good reading, but there is a chapter on major land ownership.

www.umaine.edu/mafes/elec_pubs/miscpubs/mp730.pdf

There's also an older MPR article on conservation easements that touches on some of these issues:
http://www.umaine.edu/mcsc/MPR/Vol10No1/lewis.htm

 

[spencer]

El-bagr,

thanks for posting Lloyd's paper. That is a great paper for those interested. It's a very hot topic in our neck of hte woods and Lloyd talks about it quite frequently. That paper is from '96 IIRC but he has lots of good data since then to tell a really important story.

The ownership changes is something that hits very close to home as it's something I deal with professionally on a daily basis. Our cooperators have changed substantially over the last several years. We have a very diverse populations of Maine landowners at the table now.

spencer

 

[spider solo]

Thanks for the postings.... a lot of good info.
It's nice to note the IAT having a chance to have a trail through there.
Baxter State Park has not exactly embraced the International Appalachian Trail so Dick Anderson and others of the IAT must be pretty happy folk these days. They have put a lot of work into it and it was reputed to have a lot of road walking in the Maine section.

 

[funkyfreddy]

I'm glad the IAT has a chance to get in the Maine woods now. This will make it more attractive to thruhikers and others wanting to explore parts of Maine that are off the beaten path.

Spencer, is MT. Chase in any of these parcels? I climbed it awhile ago and remember it having a nice view of Baxter. I also saw 2 moose on the way to the summit, which was an added plus.

 

[spencer]

Nope, Mt. Chase is two townships to the east in none other than the Mount Chase Township.

I haven't been to the summit but I've been meaning to. I'll have to put it on the priority list.

spencer