# Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Access Act

This bill is about making it easier for people to visit and use a national monument in Maine called Katahdin Woods and Waters. The monument sits in a remote part of northern Maine and was established to protect the natural landscape and wildlife in that area. Right now, access to the monument is limited, and this bill aims to change that by allowing more recreational activities and improving how people can get there and use the land.

The bill would expand public access to the monument for activities like hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping. It would also work to improve roads and facilities that lead to and through the monument, making it more practical for visitors to actually get there and enjoy it. This is important because many people in Maine and beyond want to use these public lands for outdoor recreation, but the current restrictions have made that difficult. The bill essentially tries to balance conservation of the natural area with giving the public more opportunities to experience it.

The main people affected would be outdoor enthusiasts in Maine and the surrounding region who want to hunt, fish, or camp on public lands. Local communities near the monument could also benefit from increased tourism and visitor spending. However, environmental groups and those focused on wilderness preservation might have concerns about increased human activity in the area and its potential impact on wildlife and the landscape. The bill represents an effort to make a protected natural area more accessible to the general public while still maintaining its status as a protected monument.

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Access Act

King, Angus S., Jr.

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Access ActThis bill permits the Department of the Interior to acquire specified land to expand the boundaries of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine. Interior may not use eminent domain to acquire such land.&nbsp;Interior must allow hunting, fishing, and any other outdoor recreation activity on the newly acquired land provided the activity was in existence before the acquisition.Interior must also generally allow the gathering of fiddlehead ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) on the land for noncommercial use and consumption, but may impose limits if such gathering could adversely affect the monument’s resources.&nbsp;Interior must collaborate with local communities and tribal governments to educate the public about the natural environment and history of land management in the monument, including the shaping of the land by Native communities and practices, timber management, and other activities.&nbsp;The bill permits Interior to conduct noncommercial timber harvests as necessary. Interior must collaborate with stakeholders to ensure safe interactions between logging operations and visitors.Separately, the bill permits Interior to acquire up to 10 acres of land outside the boundaries but within the vicinity of the monument for visitor services and administration. Interior may enter into agreements with the State of Maine, tribal or local governments, or private entities to accomplish such an acquisition and to develop a cooperative information center for the monument.