from the Maine House Republican Office

Augusta, ME — Maine State Representative and USTA Director Don Marean has been named to a new Natural Resource Agency Task Force designed to ensure that farmers, forest owners, fishermen and others who benefit from Maine’s natural resources receive the programs and services they deserve from state government. Rep. Marean was appointed to the group by Governor Baldacci on May 7.

The task force, created by the Legislature, is charged with developing a plan to eliminate duplication and create greater efficiencies to improve the delivery of services provided by five major state agencies. These include the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources; the Department of Conservation; the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; the Department of Marine Resources; and the Department of Environmental Protection.

“I’m looking forward to working on this project, which hopefully will help us maximize the economic and environmental benefits we receive from Maine’s great natural resources,” said Rep. Marean (R-Hollis), the ranking Republican on the Legislature’s Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. “The idea is to invite the best ideas from stakeholder groups — lobstermen, anglers, bowhunters, a whole range — and create an action plan that the Legislature will take up next January.”

In his appointment letter, the governor explained his hopes for the task force. “The way Maine people and visitors enjoy the outdoors has changed significantly in the last 35 years,” he wrote. “This bears directly on how we fund natural resource agencies, gather data and work with natural resources businesses and constituencies. It is increasingly cost effective to collaborate in the management of outdoor areas, such as public lands, wildlife areas and parks. Opportunities for integrated approaches to tourism, outdoor recreation and rural economic development are at our doorstep.”

Rep. Marean is one of five incumbent legislators on the task force. Other members of the 29-person group represent a broad cross-section of outdoor activities, such as the Maine Snowmobile Association, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine and the Maine Audubon Society. The Maine Farm Bureau, the Maine Potato Board and the Maine Dairy Association also are represented.