ALLAGASH, Maine — A new 300-page document spotlights the resources of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
“Storied Lands & Waters” is the first heritage resource assessment of the famed Allagash Wilderness Waterway and offers recommendations for possible action in the years ahead.
Bob McIntosh, president of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation and a former senior official with the National Park Service, announced the release on June 15 after the Foundation presented the bound document to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Advisory Council.
“If the Allagash Wilderness Waterway had a voice, ‘Storied Lands & Waters’ would surely be it,” said McIntosh. “Never before have the heritage resources of the Allagash been so well documented and presented; nor have the possibilities for telling their story been so well conceived.”
In addition to the Waterway’s heritage resource assessment, “Storied Lands & Waters” presents an elaborate menu of options to interpret these exceptional assets for waterway users and the general public, and to advance teaching and learning about the waterway in Maine’s classrooms.
Don Hudson, president emeritus of the Chewonki Foundation and a participant in creating “Storied Lands & Waters,” noted that the publication “marks a milestone in the history of the Allagash. It offers the best possible assessment of these Waterway resources, and an abundance of interpretive projects to deepen understanding of the Waterway’s enduring importance.”
The 300-page volume is the product of a two-year collaboration between the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF) and the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, with financial support from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and private donors. The principal author is Bruce Jacobson, former chief of planning and land resources for Acadia National Park and Superintendent of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.
Matt LaRoche, superintendent of the waterway, received the first copy from McIntosh.
LaRoche commented, “A great challenge in managing the waterway is to tell the rich human histories of the area without intruding on its wilderness character. ‘Storied Lands & Waters’ offers a range of projects for the Bureau and our Advisory Council to consider and act upon in the years ahead.”
“Storied Lands & Waters” is available by visiting the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation website, www.awwf.org, and through the Maine State Library at http://digitalmaine.com/awwf/.
