Invest in Land for Maine’s Future program

To the Editor;
Legislators should approve a Land for Maine’s Future bond for the 2019 ballot. Land for Maine’s Future is a fantastic program, yet it hasn’t received bond funding for years. What are we waiting for?

The program is the reason that Maine has been able to permanently protect important places such as Mount Kineo, Cold Stream Forest and Nahmakanta (among more than 300 other places). Our state is the better for it.

Funding the program is a good idea not only because it improves quality of life and safeguards key habitats, it’s also a good idea economically. The funding is used for conserving forests, farms, working waterfronts and lands in communities, which means that Maine’s natural resource-based industries benefit from the program, too. A stable, secure funding source will make it possible for Maine to pursue critical conservation projects for those industries.

I hope legislators come together to give voters a chance to weigh in on the program in November. Land for Maine’s Future is the right direction for Maine.

Greg Kimber
Temple