Establishment of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

President Obama designated approximately 87,500 acres in north central Maine as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument under the Antiquities Act, withdrawing the federal lands from entry, mining, and mineral leasing. The monument will be managed by the National Park Service, with hunting permitted on eastern parcels and a management plan required within 3 years.

Federal Register Open PDF 81 FR 59121

Impact dates

Aug 24, 2019
Management plan due from Secretary of the Interior

Key directives

Secretary of the Interior shall manage lands through National Park Service
Secretary shall allow hunting by public on parcels east of East Branch of Penobscot River
Secretary may restrict hunting in designated zones and periods for public safety, administration, or resource protection
Secretary shall prepare management plan with full public involvement within 3 years of proclamation date
Secretary shall use available authorities to enter into agreements with others for management needs
Secretary shall ensure protection of Indian sacred sites and cultural sites and provide access for traditional uses
Federal lands withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, or disposition under public land laws
Lands withdrawn from location, entry, and patent under mining laws
Lands withdrawn from disposition under mineral and geothermal leasing laws

Who is ordered

Secretary of the Interior · Department of the Interior

Timeline

Immediate

Federal lands withdrawn from entry, location, sale, mining, and mineral/geothermal leasing
Monument designation takes effect
Hunting rights preserved on eastern parcels per applicable law

Near term (90d)

—

Long term

Management plan due within 3 years
Potential acquisition of additional lands within monument boundaries
Ongoing protection of Indian sacred sites and cultural sites

Risks & tensions

Local opposition in Maine to federal land designation; tension between conservation and local economic concerns
Snowmobile access rights preserved under 2007 Access Agreement may create ongoing management complexity
Hunting restrictions by Secretary for 'public safety, administration, or resource protection' could generate conflict with state authority and local users
Valid existing rights and EPI reservations create potential for boundary and use disputes
Vague 'maximum extent permitted by law' qualifier on tribal sacred site protections leaves enforcement uncertainty