SUN JOURNAL • September 17, 2022
Baxter State Park, probably Maine’s most precious and protected natural treasure, has been without a permanent director since the sudden departure of its former leader, Eben Sypitkowski, in February of this year. He served about 3 years. The outgoing park director had taken over from Jensen Bissell in 2019, who served about 15 years. Early park leaders, the legendary Helon Taylor and Buzz Caverly, both dedicated most of their working lives to the park. So where do we go from here? The current Authority chairman is Patty Cormier, the Forestry Commissioner. Although a national search was conducted this spring to attract a replacement director, Cormier said that they received some qualified applicants, but none of them were “the right fit.” No doubt changing times make the Baxter leadership post even tougher than it was in Caverly’s era. ~ V. Paul Reynolds