FRANKLIN JOURNAL • August 3, 2023
The Board of Selectpersons voted unanimously Tuesday to sign a letter to U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden opposing a potential national wildlife refuge in the High Peaks Region of western Maine. Wilton officials joined Avon and Eustis in signing the letter. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service is studying roughly 200,000 acres straddling the Appalachian Trail, and is looking to establish a refuge of between 5,000 and 15,000 acres, according to Nancy Perlson, a local conservation consultant working with USFWS. The area has 14 of Maine’s highest summits and the largest cluster of peaks over 4,000 feet in the state. The refuge would be in the high peaks region.