Regarding the Letter to the Editor from Katy Perry of Hallowell in Thursday's Portland Press Herald: Ms. Perry complains about the Plum Creek Timber plan to build vacation homes on its property near Moosehead Lake.

Click here to read the letter ...

In one section of her letter, she makes the following statement,

"If there is any way to say "no" to all proposals and never allow a bit of change in that area, I would be the first to sign a petition or vote for such a well-aimed plan."

I've got great news for Katy and all the folks who share her views. There's already a legal way to accomplish her goals. It's a firmly established precedent called "private property". All the Plum Creek Timber opponents need to do is raise an appropriate amount of cash and buy the land from Plum Creek at its current market value.

Too many opponents of the Plum Creek project seem to feel that they have stewardship rights to the company's property by simple virtue of the fact that they reside in Maine. If you want to build an addition on your house, should your neighbor have the right to prevent you from doing so, just because he objects to the altered view? Of course not!

Let's be honest: There are very few Mainers outside the immediate Greenville area - myself included - that want to see this project come to fruition. But that doesn't change the fact that the property belongs to Plum Creek, and they have the right to use it as they please within certain limitations.

If Plum Creek opponents want to preserve this land in its current condition, they should do what Percival Baxter did: Buy the land at market value and donate it to the state of Maine. Quit expecting private property owners to forfeit the value of their land out of the goodness of their corporate hearts.

E-mail this entry to a friend