Storied Lands & Waters is the first heritage resource assessment of the famed Allagash Wilderness Waterway and offers recommendations for possible action in the years ahead.

Bob McIntosh, president of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation and a former senior official with the National Park Service, announced the release on June 15th after the Foundation presented the bound document to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Advisory Council. He stated that, “If the Allagash Wilderness Waterway had a voice, Storied Lands & Waters would surely be it. Never before have the heritage resources of the Allagash been so well documented and presented; nor have the possibilities for telling their story been so well conceived.”

In addition to the Waterway’s heritage resource assessment, Storied Lands & Waters presents an elaborate menu of options to interpret these exceptional assets for Waterway users and the general public, and to advance teaching and learning about the Waterway in Maine’s classrooms.

Don Hudson, president emeritus of the Chewonki Foundation and a participant in creating Storied Lands & Waters, noted that the publication “marks a milestone in the history of the Allagash. It offers the best possible assessment of these Waterway resources, and an abundance of interpretive projects to deepen understanding of the Waterway’s enduring importance.”

The 300-page volume is the product of a two-year collaboration between the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF)* and the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, with financial support from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and private donors.  Principal author is Bruce Jacobson, former Chief of Planning & Land Resources for Acadia National Park and Superintendent of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

Matt LaRoche, Superintendent of the Waterway, received the first copy from McIntosh (see photo above). LaRoche commented that, “A great challenge in managing the Waterway is to tell the rich human histories of the area without intruding on its wilderness character. Storied Lands & Waters offers a range of projects for the Bureau and our Advisory Council to consider and act upon in the years ahead.” 

Storied Lands & Waters is available by visiting the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation website, www.awwf.org, and through the Maine State Library at http://digitalmaine.com/awwf/. 

*The Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation was created in 2012 to build a community of support for this exceptional and remote public resource, and to raise funds to supplement its state funding. Its focus areas of interest include youth access to the Waterway, resource interpretation and education, foundation support for the protection of important adjacent lands, and capital projects to enhance the experience of the Waterway. Learn more at www.awwf.org or on Facebook.

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On Sunday, July 15th all vehicles with a current Maine Loon License Plate will receive free admission to Maine's State Parks and Historic Sites*. Valid 9:00 a.m. to closing; day use only. No rain date available.

When you purchase a Maine Loon License Plate you're showing your support for Maine's special places and its wildlife. Order the Loon/Conservation License Plate online now.

For every $20 spent on a new loon plate:

• $8.40 goes to the Bureau of Parks and Lands;
• $5.60 goes to Inland Fisheries & Wildlife; and
• $6.00 goes to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

* Does not apply to: Acadia National Park, Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW), Baxter State Park, the Maine Wildlife Park (IF&W), Peacock Beach, Scarborough Beach, Swan Island (IF&W), Penobscot River Corridor (PRC) or the Penobscot Narrows Observatory in Prospect, though admission to Fort Knox State Historic Site will be free that day with the Loon Plate.

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