Quimby seeks snowmobiler support for park
Conservationist Roxanne Quimby has offered to give snowmobile clubs five years of access on her land in exchange for their support for her national park in northern Maine.
Quimby's proposal for a national park on 70,000 acres she owns near Baxter State Park has caused tension in the region, with recreational groups and town and state officials divided on the issue. Now, she's asked snowmobile clubs to write a letter supporting her park plan in return for five years' access on her lands, about double the amount of time current agreements with the clubs allow, according to the Bangor Daily News. Bob Meyers of the Maine Snowmobile Association told the paper that the proposal affects about a dozen clubs, and some have said no while some have said yes, while others still must meet to discuss it.
The Maine Snowmobile Association has already spoken out against the national park, and some recreational groups and town officials expressed concern that her proposal to snowmobile clubs amounted to coercion and would divide clubs. Trails on Quimby's land connect with statewide snowmobiling networks and are important for the state's $350 million snowmobile industry, according to recreational groups.
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