Not exactly a sternly worded letter -
at first. But then it gets better and better.
COASTAL MOUNTAINS LAND TRUST
101 Mt. Battie Street
Camdern ME 04943
(207)236-7091
Fax (207)236-0612
23 August 10
Camden Select Board
P.O.Box 1207
Camden ME 04843
Dear Members of the Select Board:
The Board of Directors of Coastal Mountains Land Trust has closely followed the
investigations and discussions of the Camden Energy Committee, with particular
attention to the Committee's consideration of the potential of generating electricity by
wind turbines installed on Ragged Mountain. As Executive Director, I was directed to
attend the Committee meetings and observe the proceedings, inform the Board of
Directors about them, and to present the fact that the Board of Directors did not expect
to take a position, pro or con, regarding wind generation on Ragged Mountain until
such time as a specific project came forward. That has not yet occurred, and the Board
continues to have no position regarding a future proposal for wind generation on the
mountain
As part of my attendance at the Energy Committee meetings, for the past year I have
encouraged the Committee to have direct, individual discussions with the many owners
of land on Ragged Mountain, lt seemed to me that this would be worthwhile since the
larger scale projects recommended by various wind generation interests cannot be
constructed without using more land than is owned by the Town of Camden. These
land owner discussions have not occurred.
The Board of Directors has observed that the Energy Committee has largely completed
its evaluation of the potential for Ragged Mountain wind generation and sent the subject
on to the Select Board, along with a set of recommendations. One of those
recommendations concerns raising funds for feasibility studies, initially estimated at
$50,000 to $75,000. The Board of Directors decided it was important, before such funds
were expended, that the Select Board have complete facts about the Land Trust’s Ragged
Mountain conservation effort and the land that has been conserved or is under contract
to be conserved.
At present on Ragged Mountain, the Land Trust has acquired full title to nine parcels
and holds one conservation easement, totaling 534 acres. In addition, the Land Trust has
recently entered into purchase and sale agreements concerning another property that
comprises a substantial portion of the west side of Ragged Mountain, totaling 217 acres.
Further, Georges River Land Trust holds a conservation easement on about 25 acres. As
you can see from the enclosed map, this array of conserved land covers a considerable
portion of Ragged Mountain.
Donations and grants from hundreds of citizens, foundations, and the Land for Maine's
Future Program have enabled the Land Trust to complete the se real estate transactions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 2
The funds were provided for a specific purpose: permanent conservation of land on
Ragged Mountain and Bald Mountain. The Land Trust is bound to honor those donors
and grantors by managing the lands we own in ways consistent with the intention of the
donations and grants.
Further, the Land Trust ensures permanent conservation of land it has acquired by placing
a "second layer of protection" on the parcels, as recommended under national
accreditation standards for land trusts and as required by the Policies of the Land Trust's
Board of Directors. The land we own on Ragged Mountain, for instance, has either a
Declaration of Trust, ultimately enforced by the Maine Attorney General, or a Project
Agreement with the Land for Maine's Future Program if the property was funded by that
agency. In summary, both of these documents require that the conserved land be
managed in an undeveloped, natural condition, excepting public access improvements.
Given these conditions--the Land Trust's ethical obligations to donors and the second
layers of protection--the land owned by the Land Trust on Ragged Mountain cannot be
made available for the roads, utility lines, or towers/turbines that are part of wind
generation development. The Board of Directors recognizes that this eliminates some
potential sites for wind generation development on Ragged Mountain, a fact that should
be taken into consideration as decisions are made about how to proceed with feasibility
studies of wind generation on this mountain.
It would be worthwhile to restate why the Land Trust has worked so diligently during the
past eight years to conserve Ragged Mountain. Ragged Mountain has a wide range of
conservation resources and public benefits that are critical to the quality of life offered by
the western Penobscot Bay region, and are thereby critical to the economy of the region.
Outdoor Recreation Resources:
Ragged Mountain has a long-standing and growing role as a place for outdoor recreation
of statewide significance.
• Ragged Mountain Recreation Area - Camden Snow Bowl, a four season
destination for outdoor recreation
• Gatetway to the Mountains, a multipurpose trail collaboration of the Town of
Camden and the Land Trust to amplify the Ragged Mountain Recreation Area
• Georges Highland Path, created and maintained by Georges River Land Trust
Scenic Resources:
Ragged Mountain is prominent in the viewscape of western Penobscot Bay and the region
from many public vantage points.
• Camden Hills State Park
• Ragged Mountain Recreation Area - Camden Snow Bowl
• Public trails on the Land Trust's Bald Mountain, Ragged Mountain, Beech Hill, and
Hatchet Mountain Preserves
• Georges Highland Path
• As the entry point to the "mountains by the sea" from Route 17
• Many others sites throughout the western Penobscot Bay region.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 3
Ecological Resources:
Ragged Mountain has been recognized by many agencies as having a strong suite of
special ecological values.
• Buffer of natural land around Mirror Lake, protecting the public water supply for
Camden, Rockport, and Rockland
• "Focus Area" and "Large Unfragmented Block" designated in Beginning with Habitat
by Maine Natural Areas Program
• "Focus Area" designated in the Maine Wildlife Action Plan by Maine Department of
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's
• "Focus Area" designated through a collaborative planning process of Coastal
Mountains Land Trust, Camden Hills State Park, The Nature Conservancy, Maine
Coast Heritage Trust, and Georges River Land Trust
• Exemplary Natural Communities
• Deer Wintering Area
• State-listed Rare Plants
• Hunting territory for Federally-endangered Peregrine Falcons, presently nesting in
Camden Hills State Park (three fledglings produced this year)
• In the coastal migration pattern of bird, bat, and insect species.
The Town of Camden's plans for redeveloping the Ragged Mountain Recreation Area into
a four—season outdoor recreation facility proposes a $6.5 million investment. To date, the
Land Trust has invested 54 million in conserving Ragged Mountain and Bald Mountain,
and expanding public access to their highly scenic slopes, ridgelines, and summits. To
fulfill its goal, conservation of 3,470 acres on these mountains, the Land Trust estimates it
will invest at least $5 million more in future years. These two community investment
programs are closely integrated and mutually supporting.
The Board of Directors realizes that generation of electricity by wind is viewed on balance
as an environmental positive compared to the currently dominant forms of generation,
particularly fossil fuels. The Board of Directors also recognizes that there might be routes
of access and sites for towerslturbines on Ragged Mountain that do not involve land
conserved at present by the Land Trust. Development of those properties, with the
consent ofthe land owners, might enable some scale of environmental gain that would
offset any degradation of the resources listed above. The Board of Directors remains
interested in learning more about such possibilities, and should a specific proposal come
forth, will determine then if it is a project that the Land Trust could support.
Sincerely,
Scott Dickerson
Executive Director
You need to be a member of Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine to add comments!
Join Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine