5-26-2021
To Whom it May Concern ,
The Downeast Salmon Federation supports the creation of the Downeast Maine National Heritage Area . The Downeast Salmon Federation ’ s mission is to conserve wild Atlantic salmon , other sea-run fish and their habitats , restore a viable recreational salmon fishery , and protect other important river , scenic , recreational , and ecological resources in eastern Maine . Just as a healthy salmon population cannot be separated from its habitat , so the Downeast Salmon Federation is interconnected with and supports both the natural and human ecology of this region .
We feel a national heritage area designation in DownEast Acadia will support the community and our goals . This is a region that culturally was and continues to be dominated by the landscape of forest pocked with clear kettle lakes , vast gravel deposits and cold , clear spider webs of streams and rivers tumbling into the sea . The glacially influenced topography at the ecotone between Eastern Deciduous hardwoods and boreal forest harbor rare and unusual plant communities , providing critical habitat for America ’ s last Atlantic salmon and is a critical stretch of the Atlantic Flyway .
The unique geography and geology of the region has dominated the human culture of this region since the Laurentide Ice sheet retreated 14,000 years ago . Although DownEast Acadia was the first part of the nation to be settled by Europeans and has been continually subjected to resource extraction , it is also one of the last to be highly developed . A large portion of the population still gains some or all of their income following the seasons and the tides , hunting , trapping , fishing , timbering , raking blueberries and gathering balsam fir tips for Christmas wreaths . The lack of intensive development has allowed the relationship between people and land to remain strong .
Downeast Salmon Federation feels the goals of the Downeast Maine National Heritage Area are well aligned with our own . We feel a national heritage area would support the ecologically and culturally unique region we seek to protect and conserve .
Yours ,
Executive Director Downeast Salmon Federation
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