[at-l] Baxter State Park History Question

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

>"...You can't have it both ways, you can't deny folks access to what they
>consider basic services, and rapid medical service would be at the top of  that
>list, and expect them to happily dig into their pockets to give you money."
>reports Bryan.

Well, I spend my days trying to entice people to give our town land trust, those
lands that we think should be preserved. Except for one exception we have always
required that the donors allow public access. But we allow donors to impose
reasonable restrictions on how the lands shall be used -- such as the banning of
motor vehicles, harvesting of trees and such.

If we then allow those restrictions to be violated, I suspect our efforts entice
others to donate lands would quickly end.

The State of Maine is in the same situation with respect to Baxter State Park.
Percival Baxter gave the state 200,000 acres and a multimillion dollar legacy
with the restriction that the lands remain true to the many deeds of trust the
good governor imposed.

The state has not been a terribly good steward of Baxter's gift over the
decades, but is now trying to right several of the wrongs. Though cell phones
hadn't been invented when the Governor died 3 or 4 decades ago, there is no
doubt in my mind that the terms of his gift to the state require that such
devices be prohibited from being used by the public. His restrictions on park
managers are more ambiguous. But the courts have ruled on several occasions that
such ambiguities should be settled by the three state office holders that he
designated to run his park.

I happen to think the governor made an unwise choice of managers. But I also
think his wishes should be upheld.

Unlike our land trust when dealing with gifts of land easements, the state has
the power to ignore Baxter's wishes. But I believe Maine is ethically and
morally obligated follow them.  Each time Baxter offered the state a new
addition to Baxter State Park the elected members of the Legislature voted
overwhelmingly to accept the gift and pledged overwhelmingly to manage the land
in accordance with his "forever wild" dreams.

The invention of cell phones, a new crutch for those who cannot bring themselves
to leave civilization behind when they enter wild places, is not a proper excuse
for ignoring Baxter's wishes.

Weary