Park celebrates 75th anniversary

By Kathy McCarty  
Staff Writer
    PRESQUE ISLE — Gov. John E. Baldacci has declared 2010 Maine State Parks Year, and what better place to celebrate than spending a weekend at Aroostook State Park — Maine’s first state park — for the third annual Take It Outside event.
    “Our Maine state parks are a vital part of what makes Maine a great place to live in and visit,” said Baldacci during a ceremony in January in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Maine state parks system. “State parks give Maine people and visitors alike a reason to be happy and healthy, providing recreation while conserving important locations in our state.”
    The Maine state parks system was established in 1935 when the Maine Legislature formed the State Park Commission. In 1938, a group of local business owners donated 100 acres of land in Presque Isle, which became Aroostook State Park, Maine’s first state park.
    Today the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands oversees 48 state parks, including 12 campgrounds; the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and the Penobscot River Corridor; 15 historic sites; 460 boat launch facilities owned or built by the Bureau; and 260 miles of state-owned or leased trails.
    Theresa Fowler, Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce executive director, also spoke at the ceremony, emphasizing the relationship of Maine’s first state park, Aroostook, to the local community.
    For more information, contact 768-8341.