It’s time to weigh in on land use

To the editor:
    This year, the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) is updating its Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLIP), as it does about once every 10 years. This plan provides a prospective vision of how the state and its citizens wish to regulate development in the unorganized territories that make up portions of Aroostook County and much of the industrial forest to our west.    This revision comes at a time when our working forest and treasured natural areas are increasingly viewed for their real estate development value. The cost of a typical camp on a lake is a telling sign.
    The CLUP is the instrument that will make sure that our interests are represented, and not the interests of companies who purchase large undeveloped portions of our state. We need a strong plan if we are to continue having a working forest, with continued opportunities for canoeing, camping, hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.
    The proposed CLUP is a solid, forward-thinking plan that considers these new pressures that will be placed on our unorganized territories. It has four guiding principles: 1) diverse, abundant and unique natural resources, 2) fiber and food production, and the tradition of a working landscape, 3) diverse and abundant recreational opportunities, particularly for primitive pursuits, and 4) remoteness and natural character values.
    For more information: www.maine.gov/doc/lurc/reference/CLUP_Overview.shtml. If you have questions, concerns, or want to learn more you should attend the CLUP workshop, Monday, April 28 from 6-9 p.m. at the PI Inn and Convention Center.
Jason Johnston
Westfield