Letter to the Editor: Low-level jets are incompatible in High Peaks

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Quality of place, identified by the Brooking Institute as Maine’s chief competitive advantage, in the national and global economy is threatened by the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s attempt to drop the flight ceiling from 7,000 feet to 500 feet.

There is a lot of collaborative large landscape conservation effort going on in this area and connections linking communities by back country trails could help build a world class nature tourism destination here.

The Rangeley High Peaks Forest Legacy Application is an example of this area’s importance to the state and nation. Land conservation is a form of economic development protecting Maine’s brand. Let’s not destroy it before it has a chance to get started.

F15’s flying at 500 feet will prevent this from happening which is a cost born by the people of Western Maine who can’t afford it.

The Ecological Study of the High Peaks Region of Maine’s Western Mountains, by conservation biologist, Pete McKinley PHD has been given to the Air National Guard and its import needs to be well understood. This is true for the Brookings Institute and Fermata Study of western Maine.

On top of the environmental impact is the economic impact which when properly quantified will demonstrate that low level jet fights are unsafe and economically toxic to our world class area which can be every bit as good as New Zealand for nature based tourism.

 

Lloyd Griscom
Director High Peaks Alliance, Sandy River Land Trust,
Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust
Phillips 

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4 Comments

  1. I hope when you stand on such lands, minus your freedoms, because the Air Force could not practice protecting us, you remember your words.

    I say let them fly. I like the idea of a safe America.

  2. So without these low level flights the terrorists win? Wrapping yourself in the flag as argument really gives vetrinarians a bad name.

  3. I’m still waiting to hear exactly how destroying the property value and livability in most of Western Maine at the expense of the taxpayer is going to keep America safe. Or have Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck not covered that for you yet, Vet? Because obviously this is a purely political issue, and not a contentious and intelligent debate among hard-working Mainers from across the political spectrum who all love their state — no, it’s the damn dirty freedom-hating, al-Qaeda-loving liberals!

    It’s like arguing with a caricature…

  4. I hope your are as zealous of protecting the quality of place and quality of life when it comes to sprawling industrial wind turbine sites. Blasting away miles of ridgelines, clearcutting thousands of acres of forest, and fragmenting wildlife habitat to install the means for hedge fund investors to live off taxpayers subsidies is, to me, a lot more serious problem than low level training flights for the air guard!

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