AUGUSTA -- Many of those who testified Monday before the Land Use Regulation Commission urged the regulators to find a balance between development and preservation of the state's 10-million-acre unorganized territory.

The commission came to Augusta for a public hearing to get feedback on proposed changes to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan that helps guide decisions. Other hearings are set for today in Bangor and Wednesday in Presque Isle.

"We can't stand to have any more restrictions on development," said Cary Keep, assessor for Rangeley Plantation. "That's our industry."

The seven-member panel took sworn testimony from a variety of people during the afternoon session, including a representative of Maine Audubon, a longtime Maine law school professor and timber companies.

Commission member Gwendolyn Hilton said the revision of the comprehensive plan began in 2005 and that the draft copy is now available for public comment.

After the plan is finalized, it will go to the Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee and then to Gov. John Baldacci.

The plan establishes goals, talks about location of development and the role of recreation in the area, which is the largest block of undeveloped forest land in the Northeastern United States. The plan also lays out what is a major challenge for the commission -- finding a way to balance the needs of what is mostly privately owned land with public uses, including access for snowmobiles and ATVs.

Bob Meyer, who leads the Maine Snowmobile Association, said the plan should emphasize the importance of private landowners who allow public access.

"We believe this section should acknowledge the expense incurred by private landowners to allow access to the public," he said.

Alexander Buck, of Cumberland, said the state has a major interest in protecting the environment, particularly the habitat that supports brook trout, which he described as an indicator species for the health of the region. "As trout go, so goes Maine," he said, adding that the plan could help protect that environment for years to come.

The commission has been under intense pressure for years as it wrestled with how to handle a resort and residential development proposal from Plum Creek Timber Co. Just last week, the commission gave final approval to a plan to allow the construction of two resorts and more than 2,000 housing units near Moosehead Lake.

As part of the deal, the company agreed to donate or sell conservation easements on 363,000 acres that ensures public access and prohibits residential development.

Don White, president of Prentiss & Carlisle Management, which owns 10 percent of the land in the unorganized territory, said the plan raised red flags. He said it is written with a "preservationist" tone that could hurt land values and future development.

"Sometimes the document appears to be a strategic plan for more of a national park," he said. "This is not a national park. It is private timberland."

Susan Cover -- 620-7015

scover@centralmaine.com