Congressional bill advances to expand Katahdin Woods and Water monument access

Map / Courtesy Trust for Public Land The orange blocks are the proposed National Park Service acquisition areas.

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A bill that would provide additional access to the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate.

The bill would give the National Park Service permission to acquire land from willing donors or sellers, either in fee or as an easement. Should NPS exercise its new acquisition authority, it can then use that land to better connect the monument to the Millinocket region and major roadways.

The additional access would only occur with willing landowners and the bill expressly forbids the use of eminent domain, according to a news release.

“The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Access Act will provide additional access, on portions of the Stacyville, Huber and Roberts roadway, so that more people can more easily experience this Maine treasure,” said U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks who introduced the legislation.

He added, “The additional access roadways will also bring visitors closer to the heart of the Millinocket community and further expand the Katahdin region’s tourism economy.”

The monument, located in present and traditional homeland of the Penobscot Nation, has attracted about 40,000 visitors a year since 2020, according to National Park Service data.

The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Access Act would authorize additional entrances by allowing the National Park Service to acquire up to 2,465 acres of land from donors or sellers, either in fee or as an easement.

The property would be used to provide road access to the monument from the south.

The request was significantly reduced from 42,000 acres requested in 2022 in a bill cosponsored at the time by King and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The change was made at the request of stakeholders like the Trust for Public Land, which owns the majority of the potential addition. The trust is separately working to transfer the balance of the adjacent land to the Penobscot Nation, as a working forest.

Additionally, since the last introduction of the bill, the state of Maine has acquired the easement necessary for the ATV trail from Millinocket to Medway, which is expected to ensure there will be no impact on that important east-west connection for ATVs and snowmobiles.

Additional provisions

The bill would:

Allow the National Park Service to acquire buildings for monument administration and visitor services outside of park boundaries.
Protect traditional hunting, fishing, collection of fiddleheads and other outdoor recreation activity on the acquired property.
Protect existing access rights and right of ways for the forestry sector.
Establish a public safety framework ensuring safe interactions between visitors and timber operations in the region.

The bill received unanimous support from the city of Millinocket, according to the release.

The 87,500-acre Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, on the eastern border of Baxter State Park, was created by presidential proclamation in 2016.

In 2020, the monument was designated as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. Its features include 17 miles of scenic loop road, 30 miles along the International Appalachian Trail and other short- and medium-length trails, 15 campsites and lean-tos, three rivers for recreational use, miles of groomed trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, and 34 square miles that are partly open to hunting and snowmobiling.