If the 40-acre factory planned for the middle of Maquoit Bay were an industrial plant of equivalent size, to be built on land in any of the surrounding communities, a hue and cry would likely go up bemoaning disruptive sprawl and its adverse impacts. “The traffic, the noise, the degradation of our environment!” people would say and take action to stop the development or at least cut it down to a reasonable size.
Does it matter that a large, single-purpose commercial facility will take over an expanse of local seascape rather than, say, many blocks of local real estate? Will ocean waves somehow disguise the visual blight of the oyster plant’s black plastic cages or dampen the continual noise of industrial scale power washers used to “defoul” its equipment and shellfish during an eventual harvest of 5 million oysters per year?
In recent decades Mainers have taken creative steps to conserve the habitats of our coastal areas. The basic idea is that ecologies, wildlife and human uses can blend harmoniously for generations to come. Hence, what may seem to be clever schemes for economic exploitation of natural resources must never take precedence over the much wider, long-term values of our coastal waters.
Gratifying evidence of success in the region’s conservation policies is the return of a wonderful resident long absent from Maquoit Bay – the American bald eagle. Together we boaters, swimmers, kayakers and fishermen can observe families of our national bird as they soar overhead – a truly inspiring sight!
One wonders: Are the plans for an oversized, noisy industrial operation on Maquoit Bay, a scheme that rewards only a small group of speculators, compatible with the wisdom of ecological and civic principles so carefully affirmed in the state of Maine over many decades?
Langdon Winner
Brunswick
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