PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 23, 2023
A bill pending before the state Legislature attempts to add a tribal representative to the three-person Baxter State Park Authority. Former Penobscot chief Barry Dana said the Wabanaki peoples of Maine want “to be given the appropriate seat, to have a meaningful voice.” But some believe this would violate the strict conditions that Maine agreed to when it accepted the donated land in 1931. “If enacted, (this bill) would likely violate the terms of the Baxter State Park trust as established by Gov. Percival Baxter,” said Attorney General Aaron Frey. Baxter himself objected to the Legislature’s attempt in 1967 to expand the board. “We believe that the park will be stronger by incorporating Wabanaki perspectives,” said Ellen Baum, president of the Friends of Baxter State Park. “We believe that there are other, more meaningful avenues to bring Wabanaki voices into the management of Baxter State Park.”