Katahdin land deal poor use of state money

The editorial recently printed in this newspaper was almost amusing. I am referring to "Sportsmen: Aim before firing on Katahdin deal." The editorial contained several examples of someone's ability to play with words. But the amusement was very short lived. The editorial was an attempt to distort reality and showed contempt for those Mainers who enjoy the outdoors.

What was referred to as having "gotten wicked worked up about a wrinkle," was a legitimate attempt by the Sportsmen's Alliance of Maine and by the Maine Snowmobile Association to point out serious flaws in important Maine state policies.

Each year, Maine sportsmen, of which there are several hundred thousand, pump millions of dollars into the economy of Maine. Access to remote parts of Maine encourages thousands of people to visit Maine and spend their money here. More important than the money spent is the fact that outdoor sporting activity provides Maine families with countless hours of enjoyment and physical activity.

The wrinkle, as you named Roxanne Quimby, is on a singleminded mission to block off huge areas of Maine and to keep Mainers from enjoying traditional uses of the land. It is clear that she has the right to purchase as much land as she can afford. Once she owns it, she can decide what it is to be used for and who can use it. While I could argue this paper's description of her as a philanthropist, it is her land and no one that I know is disputing her rights.

What I am disputing, however, is your blaming the wrong people for the probable loss of access to thousands of acres of land for most forms of recreation. We can agree that the state wanted to purchase the land before Ms. Quimby did. But the problem was not a lack of money. State law requires that the price for land purchases by the State must not exceed assessed value. According to Department of Conservation officials, negotiations broke down when two interested parties expressed their willingness to spend more.

The State of Maine should not be involved in bidding wars that drive the price of land higher. Your assertion that passing that $100 million bond deal would have avoided this "wrinkle" is just plain wrong. It also shows how the "borrow for any cause" mentality of the current administration and of your newspaper is seriously flawed. Throwing money, especially borrowed money, at every issue has to stop. The legislature and the Governor have been too quick to spend our grandchildren's money without even the courtesy of a reasonable long range plan. We have routinely approved bonds for $50 million or $100 million only to find that we are still losing access and enjoyment of important Maine traditions.

There is a notion that the State of Maine should be allowed unlimited funds to purchase more land. That would be disastrous policy. Your "wrinkle" is a good example of that. In the floor debate in the Senate, I warned that this land swap debacle could end up as a poor use of State money. The promise was that purchasing and trading would result in preserving traditional use for the land. It may yet prove to be an empty promise.

In other words, I took careful aim before I fired and was ignored. My objection to the Katahdin Lake preservation fiasco was based on the possibility -- make that the likelihood -- of someone buying surrounding land and preventing access.

It is not too late to redirect the money to a more reasonable deal -- one that will benefit more Mainers. In the meantime, you should apologize for misinforming the public with your closing statement. If you want to join a bidding war with Roxanne Quimby, do it with your own money.

Senator Paul Davis, (R-Piscataquis), is minority leader of the Maine Senate. He lives in Sangerville.

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