Park Champion: Roxanne Quimby
Roxanne Quimby, known for her eco-friendly personal-care product line Burts Bees is also a passionate protector of Maine's northern and coastal forests, often considered the last great wilderness east of the Mississippi. Her non-profit foundation, Elliotsville Plantation, Inc., has bought and conserved approximately 90,000 acres of wild lands in Maine Woods at risk of or already damaged by logging for timber. The foundation focuses on creating a landscape of protected preserves and works to restore native plant and animal species such as the wolf, lynx and salmon.
Roxanne hopes to donate all of her acres of land to the National Park Service on its 100th anniversary in 2016, perhaps creating the nation's next national park: Maine Woods National Park and Preserve. Advocacy groups for the proposed park suggest that it could span 3.2 million acres - larger than Yellowstone and Yosemite combined, and would connect a system of parks and preserves from the Appalachians to Canada.
However, as with the creation of many of our national parks, it hasnt always been easy convincing Maines residents and politicians that a new park is best. Locals fear that recreational snowmobile use, hunting, and camping could be restricted, and Roxanne has learned the art of negotiation and compromise as she works with land users and those opposed to the idea of a new park.
Whether or not Maine Woods becomes our nations next national park, Roxannes legacy of protection will not be forgotten.
Read more about Elliotsville Plantation, Inc. Read more about Roxanne Quimby's work
