Ellsworth American
Schoodic Eco-resort Is an Issue
By Tom Walsh
April 3, 2008

WINTER HARBOR — If you climb the 440 feet to the Acadia National Park overlook at Schoodic Head and look toward Winter Harbor, virtually all the land you see below you is slated for development.

That’s an issue for the National Park Service, area conservationists and others concerned that plans to convert 3,300 acres of wilderness into an “eco-resort community” will indelibly affect the natural beauty of forestland located at the doorstep of the Schoodic Section of Acadia National Park.

Those 3,300 acres owned by Bruno Modena of Milan, Italy, include 3,134 acres in Winter Harbor and another 166 in Gouldsboro. The parcel extends across both sides of Route 186 and includes shoreline property along Moore Road and Sargent Island, near the Frazer Point entrance to the park.

At 3,300 acres, the property is considerably larger than the Schoodic section, which includes 2,000 mainland acres and another 400 island acres.

Mike Saxl, an attorney representing Modena and his Winter Harbor Holding Co., has been meeting behind closed doors to discuss development options with Hancock County officials, with selectmen and town managers from Winter Harbor and Gouldsboro and with representatives of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the Frenchman Bay Conservancy.

At those meetings, Saxl has floated development plans that include an eco-friendly golf course, two hotels, residential housing, a bird sanctuary and a wetlands area showcasing beavers and other mammals.

Plans for an airstrip have apparently been abandoned, according to state Sen. Dennis Damon (D-Hancock County), who has been involved in briefings on the project by Saxl, a former Speaker of the House in the Maine Legislature between 2000-2002.

Saxl plans to meet next week with Acadia National Park Superintendent Sheridan Steele and members of his staff, as well as representatives of Friends of Acadia and Acadia Partners for Science and Learning, a nonprofit organization based within the Schoodic Education and Research Center near Schoodic Point.

Steele is among those who are less than thrilled at the prospect of development.

“I’m very skeptical,” Steele told The Ellsworth American. “I’ve seen, in so many cases, where certain plans are presented with pretty pictures of what’s envisioned and then, after approval, things change. Either the economics unravel or, for some other reason, you wind up with something different than what was proposed, but it still meets zoning requirements.

“I hate to say ‘bait-and-switch,’ but there’s a lot of that in development circles.”

Another skeptic is Ken Olson, the former director of Friends of Acadia and now a consultant working out of Southwest Harbor.

“This is probably the most desirable coastal property in the state of Maine, from an open-space standpoint,” he said. “It’s like a key, inserted into the park. Most people who go up to Schoodic Head don’t realize that, when they are looking north, they are looking at private property.

“This will create quite a dispute if development plans go forward,” Olson said. “As an analogy, it’s like trying to clear-cut up to the base of Katahdin.”

Barb Welch, director of the Hancock-based Frenchman Bay Conservancy, is concerned that the proposed development will undermine ongoing efforts to create a wilderness corridor between Schoodic Head in Winter Harbor and Schoodic Mountain in Sullivan.

“It’s a pretty intensive level of development,” she said. “We’re concerned about the effect of that on the surrounding community, both the natural community and the human community.”

Should the owner be willing to sell the property, Welch expects a coalition of conservation organizations would buy it.

“If he would like to be bought out, the conservation community is ready to do that,” she said.

Bob DeForrest, a project manager for Maine Coast Heritage Trust, stops short of criticizing the proposal.

“At this point, we’re just hearing these people out,” he said. “We’ve always been a strong partner in advocating for the park, but it’s very early in the process and, at this point, we’re working on wrapping our brains around what they have in mind.

“Just about every type of sensitive environment is there. You’ve got tidal pools, wading bird habitat, an undeveloped island and the scenic aspect. It’s a very significant parcel, and the Maine Coast Heritage Trust would love to see some conservation efforts made there.”

Denny O’Brien, executive director of Acadia Partners, said the nonprofit’s board of directors isn’t opposed to the proposal, nor has it endorsed it.

“Acadia Partners’ board of directors understands that private land owners get to make decisions about what to do with their land,” O’Brien said. “The board is not against reasonable development. We’re not ‘anti’ at this point. We just want to understand what’s being proposed, which could be adverse in terms of impact on what we are trying to do.

“We are the only nonprofit in the area impacted by this, and we have a physical facility that is practically surrounded by this land. This is not an abstract or theoretical challenge for us.”

Neither Damon nor state Rep. Ted Koffman (D-Bar Harbor) has endorsed the project. Both have been involved in Saxl’s efforts to brief local and county officials and conservation groups on the proposal.

“This is a pretty ambitious project,” said Damon, who is chairman of the Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee. “And we ought to look at it and discuss it. It’s a big plan that may or may not change the character of the Schoodic Peninsula. It has economic potential, and it needs to be viewed through that lens as well as the conservation lens. I’m urging both the representative of the owner and the people interested in the area to take a complete look at it.”

Koffman, who is chairman of the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee, said the project, if built, would affect the entire Downeast region.

“I’m not an advocate, but I am interested in the idea of an ecologically friendly design for the resort industry, where appropriate,” he said. “I represent Mount Desert Island, which is the epicenter of our tourist economy. I’m interested in sustainable tourism, which is not to say that this is a good thing. This may or may not be the best site.”

The project has not been discussed in a public forum. Saxl said he expects such meetings will be held within a few weeks.

“The vision we have involves how you preserve what’s special and important about Maine and the environment, on one hand, with responsible development,” Saxl said last week. “We believe both can co-exist and promote environmental stewardship and sensitivity.

“We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about educational opportunities and research opportunities and collaboration with local organizations and individuals that have expertise in areas such as marine resources, bird life, plant and animal life and the area’s unique natural resources,” he said. “We want to protect these assets and educate the public about how important they are.

“Whether it’s a vernal pool or a jackpine stand or a lady slipper, we want to enhance awareness of these things and protect these species. The values of our group are based on conservation, environmental stewardship and responsible development.”