The Allagash Wilderness Waterway, one of Maine’s most beautiful and popular wilderness areas, has been involved in controversy before. In the 1960s, the state successfully resisted a federal government attempt to control the waterway. In 1966, the Maine Legislature established a wilderness area that is managed by the state. Today, the 92-mile waterway is the only part of the National Wild and Scenic River System that is managed by the state.
Money, especially when there is a lot of it, has a tendency to bring about change. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands has received funding from the Federal government. They plan to use this money to build new storage buildings, buy a large boat with powerful engines, and create new stations that are compliant with the American with Disabilities Act. These stations will be located near the waterway.
An opposition group called Citizens for Keeping the Wild in Allagash believe that the proposed construction does not align with the goal of preserving the natural state of the Waterway.
The opposition group is led by Tim Caverly, who used to be a waterway superintendent. It also includes another former superintendent, as well as several Maine Guides and other friends of the waterway. The group is asking for the new storage units to be constructed outside of the restricted area, at a greater distance from the waterway.
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Suzanne AuClair is a columnist for the Northwoods Sporting Journal. She has lived in the Moosehead Lake area her whole life and loves the outdoors. However, she does not support building new ADA-compliant stations near the waterway.
She is saying that creating ADA-compliant stations could cause a lot of problems in the future. It is unlikely that a person who uses a wheelchair will go canoeing on the river. If the path to the way stations is rough and uneven, it could be argued later that, for safety reasons, it should be covered with pavement and signs should be put up to indicate the way. A wilderness area and a park are different. Maine has many stunning state parks that are accessible for people with disabilities. There are interpretive exhibits that are ready to be visited. There are only two or maybe three places in Maine where you can find solitude and experience the traditional remote North Woods. These places are Baxter State Park, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, and possibly the St. John River.
This is a complex problem that stems from the long-standing conflict between human progress and the natural environment. And the most challenging and sensitive of all, making sure that people with disabilities can access it. When the requirements of the ADA conflict with the need to protect a cherished wilderness area, how do we decide where to set the boundaries?
The main reason behind this conflict is the desire for “free money” from politicians in Washington, even though it is not openly discussed. The money for the waterway construction project, which is expected to cost $1.2 million, comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. This act was created to provide economic aid to states after the COVID-19 pandemic. Maine received approximately $4.6 billion for different purposes. The money must be committed to a project by December 31, 2024, and spent by December 31, 2025.
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