BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 20, 2021
A lack of funding for cultural organizations, outmigration and language erosion are the biggest threats to the St. John Valley way of life, according to a group of people representing the area’s libraries, historical societies and museums. The next few years will be precarious for the mostly volunteer-run and donation-funded organizations that desperately need money to support their work. Attracting cultural tourists has been a long-time goal for economic development, but selling the area as a tourist destination could commodify and dilute its culture all the same.