WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, is applauding his Senate colleagues unanimously passing his legislation to authorize additional access to the Katahdin Woods and Waters (KWW) National Monument. Following meetings with local stakeholders, the refined text of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Access Act authorizes additional access to KWW by giving the National Park Service (NPS) 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. 

This authorized acquisition is significantly reduced from the 42,000 acres proposed in earlier Congressional sessions, a change made at the request of stakeholders like the Trust for Public Land (TPL), which owns the majority of the potential addition. TPL is separately working to transfer the balance of the adjacent land to the Penobscot Nation, as a working forest. Additionally, since the last introduction the State of Maine has acquired the easement necessary for the ATV trail from Millinocket to Medway ensuring there will be no impact on that important east-west connection for ATVs and snowmobiles.   

View a map of the proposed parcels HERE.

The bill also includes provisions to allow the NPS to acquire buildings for Monument administration and visitor services outside of park boundaries. The legislation also contains provisions that:

• 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.

“Since its establishment, Katahdin Woods and Waters has helped thousands of people from around the world enjoy Maine’s unmatched beauty while bringing important economic opportunity to the Katahdin region,” said Senator King. “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. 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. I’m grateful for the local leaders who helped develop this bill and am pleased that it has now passed the Senate. I hope the House of Representatives will see the benefits of this legislation, the work that was put into it, and pass it expeditiously.”

"On behalf of Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, the businesses, organizations, and concerned citizens of Millinocket, I am grateful to Senator King for championing S 4209 through the Senate. I am hopeful the House will vote likewise,” said Gail Fanjoy, Board of Directors at Friends of Katahdin Woods &Waters.

The bill also received unanimous support from the City of Millinocket.

As Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks and a lifelong advocate for conservation, Senator King has spent decades championing environmental stewardship and advocacy. Senator King was an active participant in discussions to ensure that the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument would not be designated against the will of local citizens. After it became clear that the monument had widespread public backing, supported Maine’s longstanding outdoor traditions, and yielded economic benefits to the region, King pushed against a 2017 Department of the Interior review that threatened to roll back the designation. Senator King previously introduced a version of the Katahdin Woods and Waters Access Act in a previous Congress. Senator King also led the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act to address the $12 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks. For his continued leadership, Senator King was awarded the inaugural National Park Foundation “Hero” Award.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

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