10th Anniversary of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

WHEREAS, on August 24, 2016, the eve of the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, President Barack Obama officially designated 87,500 acres of Maine’s North Woods as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument; and

WHEREAS, for thousands of years, this land has been home to Wabanaki people who traversed the Penobscot’s waterways and negotiated the deep woods in search of food, furs, medicines and other resources; and

WHEREAS, countless others have come to know the beauty and serenity of this land that native peoples had already known for centuries – those like Henry David Thoreau, Theodore Roosevelt and Percival Baxter – who helped share this special place with the world and commanded us to preserve it; and

WHEREAS, this land has also been vital to generations of Maine people who make their living by logging and working in the forest products industry; and

WHEREAS, the establishment of the monument would not have been possible without the lifelong dedication of Roxanne Quimby and her family to preserve this precious piece of Maine, along with the conservationists, philanthropists, and advocates who continue supporting it, including the Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters; and

WHEREAS, since its creation, the monument has greatly benefited neighboring communities as visitors from in and out of Maine travel to experience its beauty, and in 2024 alone, visitors spent $2.7 million in local communities near the park; and

WHEREAS, with the Katahdin Woods and Waters Monument, we have safeguarded this place that has meant so much to so many people, ensuring that everyone can come camp, hike, fish, take in a night sky, or just enjoy nature in its purest form for generations to come;

NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim August 24, 2026 as the

and I urge everyone to visit the monument, embrace the raw beauty of Maine, and do their part in protecting and preserving our natural environment.

In testimony whereof, I have caused
the Great Seal of the State to be
hereunto affixed GIVEN under my
hand at Augusta this twentieth day
of August Two Thousand Twenty-Six