Deal to preserve fragile parcel near Baxter park

Thursday, October 27, 2005 9:30 am

Associated Press

BANGOR, Maine — A land swap that gives a logging company 14,000 acres in exchange for 10,400 acres of environmentally fragile land near Maine´s Baxter State Park is being described by a state conservation official as a win-win deal.

The no-cash transaction finalized Tuesday involves logger William Gardner and conservationist and Burt´s Bees millionaire Roxanne Quimby.

Gardner gets 14,000 acres of land, which already has logging roads and is located northeast of the Penobscot River´s East Branch. The land will be open to hunters, fishermen, snowmobile riders and skiers.

In exchange, Quimby receives 10,400 acres of land east of Baxter State Park. The acquisition advances Quimby´s goal of protecting the northern Maine wilderness park and areas around it.

The James Sewall Co., a forestry consulting firm in Old Town, helped to arrange the deal.

"We congratulate the parties for coming to terms on this," Deputy Conservation Commissioner Karen Tilberg said Wednesday. "From what we know, this is a win-win for them. It appears to meet both of their objectives."

Tom Gardner, vice president of Gardner Land Co. of Lincoln and William Gardner´s son, said the land swap made logistical sense. He noted that about 25 percent of his company´s 200 loggers and other workers use that area.

Quimby´s sale of cosmetics business Burt´s Bees enabled her to purchase 50,000 acres of north woods that she hopes will become part of a national park. The park idea has generated strong criticism in northern Maine.

Quimby said she believes the latest transaction helped prevent a culture war between her and area sportsmen and residents who could not access snowmobile trails, a sportsmen´s hunting camp, or bring wood off their own properties until she gave up the 14,000 acres.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

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