Two bills related to the protection of Sears Island will be before the Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. The ENR Committee members need to hear from YOU!
LD 226, “An Act to Protect the Cultural Resources and Historical Heritage of Sears Island in Searsport by Extending Conservation Easement Protections”
Supporting LD 226 will ensure the conservation and protection of all of Sears Island. This bill directs the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), in collaboration with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust or another entity, to extend the conservation easement over the entire island. Currently 601 acres are protected by a conservation easement, and the remaining 335 acres are vulnerable to development by MDOT. The bill language can be viewed here.
LD 735, “An Act to Protect Sand Dunes on Sears Island and to Establish Criteria for Legislation Regarding Land Development"
LD 735 restores the sand dune protections that were stripped during the previous legislative session, and goes further in an effort to create more hurdles for any future rollbacks of federal EPA laws, especially on Sears Island. Upstream Watch will be advocating only for the reinstatement of the sand dune protections aspect of this bill. The bill language can be viewed here.
Please join us Wednesday March 12 at 10 a.m. in Augusta at the Cross Building, Room 216 to provide oral testimony before the ENR Committee. If you can’t make it to Augusta on March 12, you can still submit written testimony or provide testimony by zoom. If we can expect to see you in Augusta, you plan to provide written testimony, or you need assistance in preparing your testimony, sign up here!
Guidelines on How to Prepare and Provide Oral and/or Written Testimony
Testimony can be provided:
Orally in person, at the hearing (3 minutes maximum)
Orally by zoom, at the hearing (3 minutes maximum)
Written and submitted electronically
If you want to testify in person (this is most impactful), show up to the hearing and speak when the committee chair calls for testimony in support of the bill. There is no sign up and the Committee will not call on you individually, so be sure to step up when the opportunity comes. What you submit in writing can be as long as you need, but remember to limit your spoken (Zoom or in-person) testimony to 3 minutes maximum. If you are able, print out 20 copies of your written testimony beforehand to give to the Committee clerk for the members and public record. There is a printer in the legislative library if you need to print them on-site. It may take a while as it is in another building, but it is an option should you need it.
Preparing your Testimony
Personalize your testimony. Explain why conserving Sears Island in perpetuity is important to you. You can start your testimony with this:
Good Morning Senator Tepler, Representative Doudera, and ENR Committee Members,
My name is __________, I live in __________, ME and I am testifying in support of LD 226 "An Act to Protect the Cultural Resources and Historical Heritage of Sears Island in Searsport by Extending Conservation Easement Protections."
In preparing testimony, written or not, make sure you introduce yourself and, if you represent an organization, give the name of the organization. State whether you support the bill, oppose it or are offering suggestions to improve it, and then explain your reasoning. If you do provide written testimony, bring at least 20 copies and give them to the committee clerk before you testify. Photocopiers are available in the Law and Legislative Reference Library in Room 200 of the State House for a nominal charge, but give yourself extra time.
Utilize the talking points below to provide additional context to your testimony.
The hearing for both bills will be lumped together, so you will have 3 minutes to testify on one, or both bills at the same time.
To submit written testimony, go to this link to register
Select ‘Public Hearing’
Scroll down the page and click on “Choose a Committee”
Select ‘Environment and Natural Resources' on the drop down menu
You will then see “Choose date.” Select "March 12, 2025 10:00am."
You will then see “Choose a bill.” Select "LD 226 An Act to Protect the Cultural Resources and Historical Heritage of Sears Island in Searsport by Extending Conservation Easement Protections," or LD 735. You may upload a PDF of your testimony or copy and paste it into the text box provided and submit it. Save a copy of your testimony for yourself in case of a technical error. On occasion testimony can fail to go through and must be re-sent.
If you want to testify over Zoom, check the box that says “I would like to testify electronically over Zoom.” If you type your email address in the contact information box below that, you should receive a Zoom link from the committee clerk where you can listen in and testify. What you submit in writing can be as long as you need, but remember to limit your spoken (Zoom or in-person) testimony to 3 minutes maximum. Copy and paste or attach a file of your written testimony in the text box that says “and/or enter testimony below:” fill out the contact information, click “I’m not a robot.”
Talking Points
The following talking points were prepared by the Campaign to Protect Sears Island/wahsumik
Conservation IS Climate Action!
Intact forests and ecosystems are the best tools for mitigating climate change, according to many reports, including the International Panel on Climate Change. The State of Maine’s Carbon Budget, Version 2.0 identifies forestland as the most significant factor removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere through carbon sequestration. Maine is, as of June 2024, nearly reaching its carbon-neutral goals ahead of the 2025 projections. The bulk of the carbon sequestration measured and confirmed in the reduction data comes from Maine’s forests. Because of their age and biodiversity, the forests and wetlands in 2025 sequester 88,750 metric tons of carbon, the equivalent of 74,000 cars per year. By 2050 they will sequester 96,685 metric tons according to the Nature Conservancy’s land use mapping tool. Destroying forested acres and carbon sequestering wetlands and soils for wind power is counterproductive.
Sears Island protects the Penobscot Bay Estuary
The late succession forests naturally cool stream and bay waters and support natural fisheries, including cod nurseries, lobster, clam beds, and migrating fish including Atlantic salmon and sturgeon. Decades of collaborative work have gone into restoring the native fish runs on the Penobscot River, and conserving the entire Island enhances and supports those efforts.
Sears Island is a critical stopover for migrating birds
257 species of birds have been sited on the Island. 47% of all bird species in Maine have been found there. The Island’s contiguous, mature ecosystems are rare, and highly sensitive to disruption. These ecosystems provide habitat for endangered and rare plant, animal, bird and marine species, including at least 20 vulnerable species. The 5 miles of undeveloped shoreline and sand dunes are unique to the region. The newer dune that formed behind the jetty will mature over time to support grasses and provide extremely rare habitat.
Sears Island Provides Unparalleled Recreational Access and Educational Opportunities
According to a study by the Friends of Sears Island (FOSI), Sears Island provides a tremendous economic boon to the region by attracting local and non-local visitors who stop at local businesses to eat or shop. Local schools and afterschool programs, including the Game Loft, use the Island regularly. Sears Island is a beloved place for the local community; the Island’s walking trails and miles of coastline are free for the public to enjoy.
Importance Historically and Currently to Penobscot People
Sears Island was originally called wahsumkik (“shining beach”) by the Penobscot Nation. Wahsumkik was an important navigation beacon for Penobscots paddling their birchbark canoes around Penobscot Bay. After portaging across the neck of Cape Jellison, paddlers were guided to wahsumkik by the sight of the sand beach, eliminating a long paddle around two bodies of land that jut out into Penobscot Bay. Archaeological records confirm that Penobscot People started camping on the island over 3,400 years ago, using it as a base for hunting, fishing, and resting along paddling routes.
Wasted Taxpayer Dollars for Developing Sears Island
Efforts to develop Sears Island have cost taxpayers over $24 million over the years. The State of Maine has already spent nearly $6 million on the current wind port effort; a project which is not supported by a majority of the community, is unlikely to meet the regulatory hurdles, cannot attract federal money, and relies on technology that is untested.
Photo: View of Mack Point (foreground) and Sears Island captured during Lighthawk flight.