PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 24, 2020
Aug. 24, 2016: President Barack Obama proclaims the establishment of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, which occupies 86,563 donated acres in northern Maine. The site includes a 17-mile loop road that offers clear views of Mount [sic] Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak, to the west. It offers trails for hiking, mountain biking and snowmobiling, as well as canoeing and kayaking in the East Branch of the Penobscot River. The land is a gift of Burt’s Bees consumer products magnate Roxanne Quimby, who hoped to turn the site into a national park. When faced with local opposition, she changed her focus to getting it accepted as a national monument. She and her foundation, Elliotsville Plantation Inc., began buying land for the project as early as 2001.