A new national park in Maine?

I'm all for national parks. We have more than any nation in the world and I've visited many of them around the country. I'd like to see even more, places where RVers could camp, hike, and explore and see parts of the natural beauty of this country that are not permitted as the land is privately owned.

And Roxanne Quimby, founder of Burt's Bees cosmetics, seemed to follow suit by  purchasing more than 120,000 acres of forest land in Maine's fabled North Woods (photo) and, as usual with large land holders, forbid the public--namely hunters, loggers, snowmobilers, and all-terrain vehicle riders--to use the land.

But in a surprise move she went even further. She intends to turn it over to the federal government to establish a Maine Woodlands National Park for use by the public. But it would be a different public, as the users that she forbid to use her land are also--for the most part--the same user groups that would not be able to use the land if it were a national park, i.e. hunters, loggers, ATV users.

The public that would get to use the park would, of course, be hikers, birdwatchers, and campers. As you might guess, there are some that oppose the gesture. And I bet you can guess who they are. But, if anything, Ms. Quimby doesn't get pushed around, and she is also pragmatic and smart. So the solution she came up with, is to allocate 30,000 of those acres to be managed like a state park, with hunting and snowmobiling allowed.

Her detractors have now become fans. What a great concept. Please everyone. A Win-Win situation. Let's hope the project goes ahead, and we soon have even more preserved and protected land to explore.