Establishment of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 167 (Monday, August 29, 2016)]

[Presidential Documents]

[Pages 59121-59128]

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[FR Doc No: 2016-20786]

Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 167 / Monday, August 29, 2016 /

Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--

The President

[[Page 59121]]

Proclamation 9476 of August 24, 2016

Establishment of the Katahdin Woods and Waters

National Monument

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In north central Maine lies an area of the North Woods

known in recent years as the Katahdin Woods and Waters

Recreation Area (Katahdin Woods and Waters),

approximately 87,500 acres within a larger landscape

already conserved by public and private efforts

starting a century ago. Katahdin Woods and Waters

contains a significant piece of this extraordinary

natural and cultural landscape: the mountains, woods,

and waters east of Baxter State Park (home of Mount

Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian

Trail), where the East Branch of the Penobscot River

and its tributaries, including the Wassataquoik Stream

and the Seboeis River, run freely. Since the glaciers

retreated 12,000 years ago, these waterways and

associated resources--the scenery, geology, flora and

fauna, night skies, and more--have attracted people to

this area. Native Americans still cherish these

resources. Lumberjacks, river drivers, and timber

owners have earned their livings here

ciers

retreated 12,000 years ago, these waterways and

associated resources--the scenery, geology, flora and

fauna, night skies, and more--have attracted people to

this area. Native Americans still cherish these

resources. Lumberjacks, river drivers, and timber

owners have earned their livings here. Artists,

authors, scientists, conservationists, recreationists,

and others have drawn knowledge and inspiration from

this landscape.

Katahdin Woods and Waters contains objects of

significant scientific and historic interest. For some

11,000 years, Native peoples have inhabited the area,

depending on its waterways and woods for sustenance.

They traveled during the year from the upper reaches of

the East Branch of the Penobscot River and its

tributaries to coastal destinations like Frenchman and

Penobscot Bays. Native peoples have traditionally used

the rivers as a vast transportation network, seasonally

searching for food, furs, medicines, and many other

resources. Based on the results of archeological

research performed in nearby areas, researchers believe

that much of the archeological record of this long

Native American presence in Katahdin Woods and Waters

remains to be discovered, creating significant

opportunity for scientific investigation. What is known

is that the Wabanaki people, in particular the

Penobscot Indian Nation, consider the Penobscot River

(including the East Branch watershed) a centerpiece of

their culture and spiritual values.

ers

remains to be discovered, creating significant

opportunity for scientific investigation. What is known

is that the Wabanaki people, in particular the

Penobscot Indian Nation, consider the Penobscot River

(including the East Branch watershed) a centerpiece of

their culture and spiritual values.

The first documented Euro-American exploration of the

Katahdin region dates to a 1793 survey commissioned by

the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. After Maine achieved

statehood in 1820, Major Joseph Treat, guided by John

Neptune of the Penobscot Tribe, produced the first

detailed maps of the region. The Maine Boundary

Commission authorized a survey of the new State in

1825, for which surveyor Joseph C. Norris, Sr., and his

son established the ``Monument Line,'' which runs

through Katahdin Woods and Waters and serves as the

State's east-west baseline from which township

boundaries are drawn.

By the early 19th century until the late 20th century,

logging was a way of life throughout the area, as

exemplified by the history of logging along the

Wassataquoik Stream. To access the upstream forests, a

tote road was built on the Wassataquoik's north bank

around 1841; traces of the old road can still be seen

in places. The earliest loggers felled enormous white

pines and then ``drove'' them down the tumultuous

stream. Beginning in the 1880s, after the choice pines

were gone, the loggers switched to spruce

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d was built on the Wassataquoik's north bank

around 1841; traces of the old road can still be seen

in places. The earliest loggers felled enormous white

pines and then ``drove'' them down the tumultuous

stream. Beginning in the 1880s, after the choice pines

were gone, the loggers switched to spruce

[[Page 59122]]

long logs, and built camps, depots, and many dams on

the Wassataquoik to control its flow for the log

drives. Remnants of the Dacey and Robar Dams have been

found, and discovery of more logging remnants and

historic artifacts is likely. Log driving was

dangerous, and many men died on the river and were

buried nearby. A large fire in 1884 damaged logging

operations on the Wassataquoik, and an even larger fire

in 1903 put an end to the long log operations. Pulpwood

operations resumed in 1910 but ceased in 1915. Other

streams, like Sandy Stream, have similar logging

histories.

The East Branch of the Penobscot River and its major

tributaries served as a thoroughfare for huge log

drives headed toward Bangor. Log drives ended (based

primarily on environmental concerns) in the 1970s,

after which the timber companies relied on trucking and

a network of private roads they started to build in the

1950s.

bscot River and its major

tributaries served as a thoroughfare for huge log

drives headed toward Bangor. Log drives ended (based

primarily on environmental concerns) in the 1970s,

after which the timber companies relied on trucking and

a network of private roads they started to build in the

1950s.

In the 1800s, the infrastructure that developed to

support the logging industry also drew hunters,

anglers, and hikers to the area. In the 1830s, within 2

miles of one another on the eastern side of the

Penobscot East Branch, William Hunt and Hiram Dacey

established farms to serve loggers, which soon also

served recreationists, scientists, and others who

wanted to explore the Katahdin region or climb its

mountains. Just across the East Branch from the Hunt

and Dacey Farms (the latter now the site of Lunksoos

Camps) lies the entrance to the Wassataquoik Stream. In

1848, the Reverend Marcus Keep established what is

still called Keep Path, running along the Wassataquoik

to Katahdin Lake and on to Mount Katahdin. From that

time until the end of the 19th century, the favored

entryway to the Katahdin region started on the east

side of Mount Katahdin with a visit to Hunt or Dacey

Farm, then crossed the East Branch and ascended the

valley of the Wassataquoik Stream.

k

to Katahdin Lake and on to Mount Katahdin. From that

time until the end of the 19th century, the favored

entryway to the Katahdin region started on the east

side of Mount Katahdin with a visit to Hunt or Dacey

Farm, then crossed the East Branch and ascended the

valley of the Wassataquoik Stream.

Henry David Thoreau--who made the ``Maine Woods''

famous through his publications--approached from the

headwaters of the East Branch to the north. With his

Penobscot guide Joe Polis and companion Edward Hoar in

1857, on his last and longest trip to the area, he

paddled past Dacey Farm with just a brief stop at Hunt

Farm. He wrote about his two nights in the Katahdin

Woods and Waters area--the first at what he named the

``Checkerberry-tea camp,'' near the oxbow just upriver

from Stair Falls, and the second on the river between

Dacey and Hunt Farms where he drank hemlock tea.

During his 1879 Maine trip on which he summited Mount

Katahdin, Theodore Roosevelt followed the route across

the East Branch and up the Wassataquoik. As Roosevelt

later recalled, he lost one of his hiking boots

crossing the Wassataquoik but, undaunted, completed the

challenging trek in moccasins. Many including Roosevelt

himself have observed that his several trips to the

Katahdin region in the late 1870s had a significant

impact on his life, as he overcame longstanding health

problems, gained strength and stamina, experienced the

wonder of nature and the desire to conserve it, and

made friends for life from the Maine Woods.

himself have observed that his several trips to the

Katahdin region in the late 1870s had a significant

impact on his life, as he overcame longstanding health

problems, gained strength and stamina, experienced the

wonder of nature and the desire to conserve it, and

made friends for life from the Maine Woods.

Native Mainer Percival P. Baxter, too, followed this

route on the 1920 trip that solidified his

determination to create a large park from this

landscape. Burton Howe, a Patten lumberman, organized

this trip of Maine notables, who stayed at Lunksoos

Camps before their ascent via the established route. As

a State representative, senator, and governor, Baxter

had proposed legislation to create a Mount Katahdin

park in commemoration of the State's centennial, and

the 1920 trip cemented his profound appreciation of the

landscape. Spurned by the Maine legislature, Baxter

devoted his life to acquiring 28 parcels of land,

largely from timber companies who had heavily logged

them, and donated them to the State with management

instructions and an endowment, resulting in the

establishment of Baxter State Park.

Artists and photographers have left indelible images of

their time spent in the area. In 1832, John James

Audubon canoed the East Branch and sketched natural

features for his masterpiece Birds of America. Frederic

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instructions and an endowment, resulting in the

establishment of Baxter State Park.

Artists and photographers have left indelible images of

their time spent in the area. In 1832, John James

Audubon canoed the East Branch and sketched natural

features for his masterpiece Birds of America. Frederic

[[Page 59123]]

Edwin Church, the preeminent landscape artist of the

Hudson River School, first visited the area in the

1850s, and in 1877 invited his landscape-painter

colleagues to join him on a well-publicized expedition

from Hunt Farm up the Wassataquoik Stream to capture

varied views of Mount Katahdin and environs. In the

early 1900s, George H. Hallowell painted and

photographed the log drives on the Wassataquoik Stream,

and Carl Sprinchorn painted logging activities on the

Seboeis River.

Geologists were among the earliest scientists to visit

the area. While surveys were done in the 1800s, in-

depth geological research and mapping of the area did

not begin until the 1950s. These mid-20th century

geologists found bedrock spanning over 150 million

years of the Paleozoic era, revealing a remarkably

complete exposure of Paleozoic rock strata with well-

preserved fossils. The lands west of the Penobscot East

Branch are dominated by volcanic and granitic rock from

the Devonian period, mostly Katahdin Granite but also

Traveler Rhyolite, a light-colored volcanic rock that

is similar in composition to granite

complete exposure of Paleozoic rock strata with well-

preserved fossils. The lands west of the Penobscot East

Branch are dominated by volcanic and granitic rock from

the Devonian period, mostly Katahdin Granite but also

Traveler Rhyolite, a light-colored volcanic rock that

is similar in composition to granite. The oldest rock

in Katahdin Woods and Waters, a light greenish-gray

quartzite interlayered with slate from the early

Cambrian period (over 500 million years ago), can be

observed along the riverbank of the Penobscot East

Branch for over 1,000 feet at the Grand Pitch (a river

rapid). This rock is part of the Weeksboro-Lunksoos

Lake anticline, a broad upward fold of rocks originally

deposited horizontally, which is evidence of mountain-

building tectonics. The fold continues north along the

river and then turns northeast toward Shin Pond,

exposing successive bands of younger Paleozoic rock of

both volcanic and sedimentary origin on either side of

the structure.

Various formations in the area provide striking visual

evidence of marine waters in Katahdin Woods and Waters

during the geologic periods that immediately followed

the Cambrian period. For example, Owen Brook limestone,

an outcrop of calcareous bedrock west of the Penobscot

East Branch containing fossil brachiopods, is of coral

reef origin. Pillow lavas, such as those near the

summit of Lunksoos Mountain, were produced by

underwater eruptions

iately followed

the Cambrian period. For example, Owen Brook limestone,

an outcrop of calcareous bedrock west of the Penobscot

East Branch containing fossil brachiopods, is of coral

reef origin. Pillow lavas, such as those near the

summit of Lunksoos Mountain, were produced by

underwater eruptions. Haskell Rock, the 20-foot-tall

pillar in the midst of a Penobscot East Branch rapid,

is conglomerate bedrock that suggests a time of dynamic

transition from volcanic islands to an ocean with

underwater sedimentation. This conglomerate, deposited

about 450 million years ago, contains volcanic and

sedimentary stones of various sizes, and occurs in

outcrops and boulders in several locations.

The area's geology also provides prominent evidence of

large and powerful earth-changing events. During the

Paleozoic era (541 to 252 million years ago), mountain-

building events contributed to the rise of the

primordial Appalachian Mountain range and the

amalgamation of the supercontinent Pangaea. Following

the last mountain-building event, significant erosion

reshaped the topography, helping to expose the cores of

volcanoes, the Katahdin pluton, and the structure of

the previous mountain-building events. About 200

million years ago, Pangaea began splitting apart as the

Atlantic Ocean appeared and North America, Europe, and

Africa formed

ificant erosion

reshaped the topography, helping to expose the cores of

volcanoes, the Katahdin pluton, and the structure of

the previous mountain-building events. About 200

million years ago, Pangaea began splitting apart as the

Atlantic Ocean appeared and North America, Europe, and

Africa formed. Today, the International Appalachian

Trail, a long-distance hiking trail, seeks to follow

the ancestral Appalachian-Caledonian Mountains on both

sides of the Atlantic, starting at Katahdin Lake in

Baxter State Park near the northern end of the domestic

Appalachian Trail, traversing Katahdin Woods and Waters

for about 30 miles, and proceeding through Canada for

resumption across the Atlantic.

In more recent geological history, during the

approximately 2.5 million year-long Pleistocene epoch

that ended approximately 12,000 years ago, repeated

glaciations covered the region, eroding bedrock and

shaping the modern landscape. Glacial till from the

most recent glaciations underlies much of the area's

soil, moraines occur in several locations, and glacial

erratics are common. Prominent eskers--long, snaking

ridges of sand and gravel deposited by glacial

meltwater--occur along most of the Penobscot East

Branch and the Wassataquoik Stream. Glacial landforms,

glacial scoured

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bedrock, and the lake sediments in the area, deposited

only since the retreat of the last glaciers, record a

history of intense climate change that gave rise to the

modern topography of the area.

Penobscot East

Branch and the Wassataquoik Stream. Glacial landforms,

glacial scoured

[[Page 59124]]

bedrock, and the lake sediments in the area, deposited

only since the retreat of the last glaciers, record a

history of intense climate change that gave rise to the

modern topography of the area.

This post-glacial topography is studded with attractive

small mountains, including some like Deasey, Lunksoos,

and Barnard, that offer spectacular views of Mount

Katahdin. Katahdin Woods and Waters abuts much of

Baxter State Park's eastern boundary, extending the

conservation landscape through shared mountains,

streams, corridors for plants and animals, and other

natural systems.

Among the defining natural features of Katahdin Woods

and Waters is the East Branch of the Penobscot River

system, including its major tributaries, the Seboeis

River and the Wassataquoik Stream, and many smaller

tributaries. Known as one of the least developed

watersheds in the northeastern United States, the

Penobscot East Branch River system has a stunning

concentration of hydrological features in addition to

its significant geology and ecology. From the northern

boundary of Katahdin Woods and Waters, the main stem of

the East Branch drops over 200 feet in about 10 miles

through a series of rapids and waterfalls--including

Stair Falls, Haskell Rock Pitch, Pond Pitch, Grand

Pitch, the Hulling Machine, and Bowlin Falls.

its significant geology and ecology. From the northern

boundary of Katahdin Woods and Waters, the main stem of

the East Branch drops over 200 feet in about 10 miles

through a series of rapids and waterfalls--including

Stair Falls, Haskell Rock Pitch, Pond Pitch, Grand

Pitch, the Hulling Machine, and Bowlin Falls.

After Bowlin Brook, the main stem declines more gently

south toward Whetstone Falls and below, embroidered

with many side channels and associated floodplain

forests and open streamshores. Of the two major

tributaries, the Seboeis River flows in from the east,

and the Wassataquoik Stream from the west, the latter

dropping over 500 feet in its approximately 14-mile

wild run from the border of Baxter State Park to its

confluence with the Penobscot East Branch main stem.

The extraordinary significance of the Penobscot East

Branch River system has long been recognized. A 1977

Department of the Interior study determined that the

East Branch of the Penobscot River, including the

Wassataquoik Stream, qualifies for inclusion in the

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System based on its

outstandingly remarkable values, and a 1982 Federal-

State study of rivers in Maine determined that the

Penobscot East Branch River System, including both the

Wassataquoik Stream and the Seboeis River, ranks in the

highest category of natural and recreational rivers and

possesses nationally significant resource values.

tandingly remarkable values, and a 1982 Federal-

State study of rivers in Maine determined that the

Penobscot East Branch River System, including both the

Wassataquoik Stream and the Seboeis River, ranks in the

highest category of natural and recreational rivers and

possesses nationally significant resource values.

In recent years, a multi-party public-private project

has taken steps to reconnect the Penobscot River with

the sea through the removal and retrofitting of

downstream dams. This river restoration will likely

further enhance the integrity of the Penobscot East

Branch river system, and provide opportunities for

scientific study of the effects of the restoration on

upstream areas within Katahdin Woods and Waters. It

will also allow federally endangered Atlantic salmon to

return to the upper reaches of the river known in the

Penobscot language as ``Wassetegweweck,'' or ``the

place where they spear fish.'' The return of ocean-run

Atlantic salmon to this watershed would complement the

exceptional native brook trout fishery for which

Katahdin Woods and Waters is known today.

return to the upper reaches of the river known in the

Penobscot language as ``Wassetegweweck,'' or ``the

place where they spear fish.'' The return of ocean-run

Atlantic salmon to this watershed would complement the

exceptional native brook trout fishery for which

Katahdin Woods and Waters is known today.

Katahdin Woods and Waters possesses significant

biodiversity. Spanning three ecoregions, it displays

the transition between northern boreal and southern

broadleaf deciduous forests, providing a unique and

important opportunity for scientific investigation of

the effects of climate change across ecotones. The

forests include mixed hardwoods like sugar maple,

beech, and yellow birch; mixed forests with hardwoods,

hemlock, and white pine; and spruce-fir forests with

balsam fir, red spruce, and birches. In wetland areas,

black spruce, white spruce, red maple, and tamarack

dominate.

Although significant portions of the area have been

logged in recent years, the regenerating forests retain

connectivity and provide significant biodiversity among

plant and animal communities, enhancing their

ecological resilience. With the complex matrix of

microclimates represented, the area likely contains the

attributes needed to sustain natural ecological

function in the

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sts retain

connectivity and provide significant biodiversity among

plant and animal communities, enhancing their

ecological resilience. With the complex matrix of

microclimates represented, the area likely contains the

attributes needed to sustain natural ecological

function in the

[[Page 59125]]

face of climate change, and provide natural strongholds

for species into the future. These forests also afford

connections and scientific comparisons with the forests

on adjacent State land, including Baxter State Park,

which was logged heavily before its parcel-by-parcel

purchase by former Governor Percival Baxter between

1931 and 1963.

Of particular scientific significance are the number

and quality of small and medium-sized patch ecosystems

throughout the area, tending to occur in less common

topography that is often relatively remote or

inaccessible. Hilltops and barrens often protect rare

flora and fauna, such as the blueberry-lichen barren

and associated spruce-heath barren found between Robar

and Eastern Brooks, and the three-toothed cinquefoil-

blueberry low summit bald atop Lunksoos Mountain, where

rattlesnake hawkweed can be found. Cliffs and steep

slopes, like those present along the ridge from Deasey

Mountain to Little Spring Brook Mountain and on the

eastern sides of Billfish and Traveler Mountains,

harbor exemplary rock outcrop ecosystems that often

include flora of special interest, such as fragrant

cliff wood-fern and purple clematis

p

slopes, like those present along the ridge from Deasey

Mountain to Little Spring Brook Mountain and on the

eastern sides of Billfish and Traveler Mountains,

harbor exemplary rock outcrop ecosystems that often

include flora of special interest, such as fragrant

cliff wood-fern and purple clematis. Ravines and coves

can support enriched forests like the maple-basswood-

ash community found below the eastern cliffs of

Lunksoos Mountain, with trees over 250 years old and

associated rare plants including squirrel-corn. The

Appalachian-Acadian rivershore ecosystems of the

Penobscot East Branch and its two major tributaries are

considered exemplary in Maine, with occurrences of

beautiful silver maple floodplain forest and hardwood

river terrace forest--rare and imperiled natural

communities, respectively, in the State. A nationally

significant diversity of high quality wetlands and wet

basins occurs throughout Katahdin Woods and Waters,

including smaller streams and brooks, ponds, swamps,

bogs, and fens. Patch forests of various types also

occur throughout the area, such as a red-pine woodland

forest on small hills and ridges amid the large Mud

Brook Flowage wetland in the southwestern section.

basins occurs throughout Katahdin Woods and Waters,

including smaller streams and brooks, ponds, swamps,

bogs, and fens. Patch forests of various types also

occur throughout the area, such as a red-pine woodland

forest on small hills and ridges amid the large Mud

Brook Flowage wetland in the southwestern section.

The expanse of Katahdin Woods and Waters, augmented by

its location next to other large conservation

properties including Baxter State Park and additional

State reservations, supports many wide-ranging wildlife

species including ruffed grouse, moose, black bear,

white-tailed deer, snowshoe hare, American marten,

bobcat, bald eagle, northern goshawk, and the federally

threatened Canada lynx. Seventy-eight bird species are

known to breed in the area, and many more bird species

use it. Visitation and study of the area have been

limited to date, as compared with other areas like

Baxter State Park, and many more species of birds and

other wildlife may be present.

Certain wildlife species are known to occur in specific

patch ecosystems in the area, such as the short-eared

owl in hilltops and barrens, and the silver-haired bat

and the wood turtle in floodplain forests. Mussels such

as the tidewater mucket and yellow lampmussel live in

some of the brooks and streams, and rare invertebrates

like the copper butterfly, pygmy snaketail dragonfly,

Tomah mayfly, and Roaring Brook mayfly inhabit some of

its bogs and fens.

d bat

and the wood turtle in floodplain forests. Mussels such

as the tidewater mucket and yellow lampmussel live in

some of the brooks and streams, and rare invertebrates

like the copper butterfly, pygmy snaketail dragonfly,

Tomah mayfly, and Roaring Brook mayfly inhabit some of

its bogs and fens.

Katahdin Woods and Waters's daytime scenery is awe-

inspiring, from the breadth of its mountain-studded

landscape, to the channels of its free-flowing streams

with their rapids, falls, and quiet water, to its

vantages for viewing the Mount Katahdin massif, the

``greatest mountain.'' The area's night skies rival

this experience, glittering with stars and planets and

occasional displays of the aurora borealis, in this

area of the country known for its dark sky.

WHEREAS, section 320301 of title 54, United States Code

(known as the ``Antiquities Act''), authorizes the

President, in his discretion, to declare by public

proclamation historic landmarks, historic and

prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic

or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands

owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be

national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof

parcels of land, the limits of which shall be confined

to the smallest area compatible with the proper care

and management of the objects to be protected;

[[Page 59126]]

terest that are situated upon the lands

owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be

national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof

parcels of land, the limits of which shall be confined

to the smallest area compatible with the proper care

and management of the objects to be protected;

[[Page 59126]]

WHEREAS, for the purpose of establishing a national

monument to be administered by the National Park

Service, Elliotsville Plantation, Inc. (EPI), has

donated certain lands and interests in land within

Katahdin Woods and Waters to the Federal Government;

WHEREAS, the Roxanne Quimby Foundation has established

a substantial endowment with the National Park

Foundation to support the administration of a national

monument;

WHEREAS, Katahdin Woods and Waters is an exceptional

example of the rich and storied Maine Woods, enhanced

by its location in a larger protected landscape, and

thus would be a valuable addition to the Nation's

natural, historical, and cultural heritage conserved

and enjoyed in the National Park System;

WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to preserve and

protect the historic and scientific objects in Katahdin

Woods and Waters;

r protected landscape, and

thus would be a valuable addition to the Nation's

natural, historical, and cultural heritage conserved

and enjoyed in the National Park System;

WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to preserve and

protect the historic and scientific objects in Katahdin

Woods and Waters;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the

United States of America, by the authority vested in me

by section 320301 of title 54, United States Code,

hereby proclaim the objects identified above that are

situated upon lands and interests in lands owned or

controlled by the Federal Government to be the Katahdin

Woods and Waters National Monument (monument) and, for

the purpose of protecting those objects, reserve as a

part thereof all lands and interests in lands owned or

controlled by the Federal Government within the

boundaries described on the accompanying map entitled,

``Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument,'' which

is attached to and forms a part of this proclamation.

The reserved Federal lands and interests in lands

encompass approximately 87,500 acres. The boundaries

described on the accompanying map are confined to the

smallest area compatible with the proper care and

management of the objects to be protected.

is attached to and forms a part of this proclamation.

The reserved Federal lands and interests in lands

encompass approximately 87,500 acres. The boundaries

described on the accompanying map are confined to the

smallest area compatible with the proper care and

management of the objects to be protected.

All Federal lands and interests in lands within the

boundaries described on the accompanying map are hereby

appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry,

location, selection, sale, or other disposition under

the public land laws, from location, entry, and patent

under the mining laws, and from disposition under all

laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing.

The establishment of the monument is subject to valid

existing rights, including the November 29, 2007,

``Access Agreement'' between EPI and the State of

Maine, Department of Conservation that provides for

certain public snowmobile use on specified parcels, and

certain reservations of rights for Elliotsville

Plantation, Inc., in specified parcels. If the Federal

Government acquires any lands or interests in lands not

owned or controlled by the Federal Government within

the boundaries described on the accompanying map, such

lands and interests in lands shall be reserved as a

part of the monument, and objects identified above that

are situated upon those lands and interests in lands

shall be part of the monument, upon acquisition of

ownership or control by the Federal Government.

the boundaries described on the accompanying map, such

lands and interests in lands shall be reserved as a

part of the monument, and objects identified above that

are situated upon those lands and interests in lands

shall be part of the monument, upon acquisition of

ownership or control by the Federal Government.

The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) shall manage

these lands through the National Park Service, pursuant

to applicable authorities and consistent with the valid

existing rights and the purposes and provisions of this

proclamation. As provided in the deeds, the Secretary

shall allow hunting by the public on the parcels east

of the East Branch of the Penobscot River in accordance

with applicable law. The Secretary may restrict hunting

in designated zones and during designated periods for

reasons of public safety, administration, or resource

protection. This proclamation will not otherwise affect

the authority of the State of Maine with respect to

hunting.

The Secretary shall prepare a management plan to

implement the purposes of this proclamation, with full

public involvement, within 3 years of the date of this

proclamation. The Secretary shall use available

authorities, as appropriate, to enter into agreements

with others to address common interests and promote

management needs and efficiencies.

[[Page 59127]]

implement the purposes of this proclamation, with full

public involvement, within 3 years of the date of this

proclamation. The Secretary shall use available

authorities, as appropriate, to enter into agreements

with others to address common interests and promote

management needs and efficiencies.

[[Page 59127]]

Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge

or diminish the rights of any Indian tribe. The

Secretary shall, to the maximum extent permitted by law

and in consultation with Indian tribes, ensure the

protection of Indian sacred sites and cultural sites in

the monument and provide access to the sites by members

of Indian tribes for traditional cultural and customary

uses, consistent with the American Indian Religious

Freedom Act (42 U.S.C. 1996) and Executive Order 13007

of May 24, 1996 (Indian Sacred Sites).

Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke

any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation;

however, the monument shall be the dominant

reservation.

Nothing in this proclamation shall preclude the use of

existing low level Military Training Routes, consistent

with applicable Federal Aviation Administration

regulations and guidance for overflights of military

aircraft, consistent with the care and management of

the objects to be protected.

Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not

to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature

of this monument and not to locate or settle upon any

of the lands thereof.

e for overflights of military

aircraft, consistent with the care and management of

the objects to be protected.

Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not

to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature

of this monument and not to locate or settle upon any

of the lands thereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord

two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the

United States of America the two hundred and forty-

first.

(Presidential Sig.)

Billing code 3295-F6-P

[[Page 59128]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TD29AU16.000

[FR Doc. 2016-20786

Filed 8-26-16; 8:45 a.m.]

Billing code 4310-10-C