130th Legislature
Senate of
Maine Senate District 6
Senator Marianne Moore 3 State House Station
Augusta , ME 04333-0003 ( 207 ) 287-1505
Marianne . Moore @ legislature . maine . gov
Health & Human Services Committee Ranking Member
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN :
Washington County and DownEast Maine are seeking ways to enrich and diversify our communities to meet the needs of residents , newcomers , and the global economy . The creation of a DownEast Maine National Heritage Area in Washington and Hancock Counties to preserve and promote our natural and cultural heritage will help us do just that .
DownEast Maine has many characteristics making it unique on our national stage . We share Passamaquoddy Bay with our Canadian neighbors in New Brunswick and are home to the Passamaquoddy Tribe in Pleasant Point and Indian Township , regional occupants long before Europeans came to our shores . The first French settlement in North America was on the St . Croix Island in 1604 , just downriver from Calais . Machias is the site of the capture of the Margaretta , the first naval engagement of the Revolutionary War , and Eastport was the last city occupied by British troops after the War of 1812 . Our fledgling canning industry nourished the Union Army with Wild DownEast Blueberries and herring during the Civil War . Our granite paved streets and built buildings along the east coast . As sailing ships gave way to motor vessels , concrete and steel replaced granite , and refrigeration eliminated the need for winter ice , we persevered . The logging industry transitioned from lumber and shingles to pulp and paper production , wild blueberries originally harvested by Native Americans became a healthy component of American diets , and lobsters became the mainstay of DownEast fishing . People worked together in towns and churches ; almost every town has a Grange Hall , Odd Fellows Building , or Masonic Temple . Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt made their summer home just across from Lubec on Campobello Island , now a heralded international park .
We are a national destination for outdoor recreation and home to five scenic byways . The DownEast Sunrise Trail is the longest off-road section of the East Coast Greenway from Maine to Florida . U . S . Bicycle Route 1 runs from Key West , Fl . to its northern terminus in Calais , Maine . Our communities , fisheries , farms , and woodlands are dealing with a changing climate as we create alternative energy sources from woodchips , wind , solar , and tidal . To meet the increased demand for rural living , we are developing reliable broadband service to support both a seasonal and year-round population .
Designation as a National Heritage Area will enhance collaboration and increase opportunities for private , local , state , and federal coordination aiding preservation , attract new residents , and help build and sustain healthy communities .
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