Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. V I M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 5 6 MTI director nominee gets two key nods Brian Whitney has received two key approvals to become the Maine Technology Institute's new head after being unanimously endorsed by the state Senate on March 17 and by a legislative panel the day before. A vote by MTI's board of directors will be the final step in the hiring process. e board next meets in April and likely will complete the process at that time, Whitney told Mainebiz in an email. Whitney, who was nomi- nated by Gov. Paul LePage to lead MTI, has been the technology group's interim leader since former president Robert Martin was abruptly fired by LePage in August 2014. Growth in Maine exports led by fresh lobster Maine exports grew by 3.4% last year, an increase that was led by a surge in prices for fresh lobster. e Bangor Daily News reported that seafood exports in 2014 increased 22% to $472.8 million, while wood products decreased 14% to $690.8 million. An unusually high increase in the price- per-pound for fresh lobster, combined with a catch that yielded more than 120 million pounds, led Maine fisher- men to break a new record last year for catch value, reaching an estimated $456.9 million. Wood products con- tinued to account for a majority of the state's exports. Janine Bisaillion-Cary, president of the Maine International Trade Center, told the newspaper that a slowdown in China's economy last year also slowed exports of Maine wood products. Down East partners with Dispatch magazine Down East magazine has formed a cooperative publishing agreement with Dispatch, a publication cover- ing music and events in southern Maine and coastal New Hampshire. e two publishing companies announced the agreement on March 16, saying the deal is part of Down East's "long range plan for engag- ing its readers in more ways." Down East and Dispatch will share sales staff to sell advertisements for both maga- zines and also will work together on editorial content. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. State to audit Downeaster operator e state's Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability has been ordered to audit the quasi- governmental agency that runs the Amtrak Downeaster. e Portland Press Herald reported that the state Legislature's Government Oversight Committee on March 13 unanimously voted for the audit of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority. OPEGA's audit will include an inde- pendent analysis of the taxpayer funds the Downeaster operator receives, which includes $8 million from the federal government and $2 million from the state. Sen. Roger Katz, R-Augusta, co-chairman of the Government Oversight Committee, told the news- paper that while he doesn't think "there is anything improper going on at this agency," he said the agency should be audited occasionally because it "doesn't get a lot of scrutiny from any committee of jurisdiction in the Legislature." Maine Senate creates business council Maine Senate President Michael ibodeau, R-Winterport, has created a new advisory council composed of business leaders from various sec- tors across the state, the Associated Press reported. Citing the importance of hearing input from Maine's busi- ness community, ibodeau said the group will advise on legislation and help develop regulations and policies. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E The People's United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People's United Bank in Portland, awarded $47,500 in grants to 10 nonprofit organizations throughout the communities it serves in Maine. Maine Cancer Foundation in Falmouth announced that seven Maine-based nonprofit organizations were selected to receive $61,000 in grant funding to support critical patient transportation needs across the state. Recipients included the Beth C. Wright Center, Ellsworth; Penquis Community Action Program, Rockland; Lake Region Senior Service, Bridgton; Community Concepts, Lewiston; Patrick Dempsey Center for Hope & Healing, Lewiston; York County Community Action Program, York; and the Dean Snell Foundation, Brunswick. B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E AMC adds 4,311 acres to Maine Woods Initiative The Appalachian Mountain Club, partnering with The Nature Conservancy, has purchased 4,311 acres in two parcels on and around Baker Mountain in the 100-Mile Wilderness region near Greenville. The two parcels abut almost 70,000 acres of AMC's conservation and recre- ation land in its Katahdin Iron Works property and conserve the second-highest peak in Maine between Bigelow Mountain and Katahdin. The purchase lies within an unfragmented, roadless area of mature hardwood and softwood forest and includes the habitat of the rare Bicknell's thrush and the headwaters of the West Branch of the Pleasant River, which is a vibrant wild brook trout fishery. The purchase — including land acquisition, establishment of a stewardship endowment fund and related expenses — cost about $2.4 million, according to AMC Senior Vice President Walter Graff. "Baker Mountain was surrounded by conservation lands, but the Baker Mountain tract itself was not protected. It was 'the hole in the doughnut,' and with this purchase, AMC and its conservation partner, The Nature Conservancy, have ensured that this ecologically significant land will be protected," Graff said in a press release announcing the purchase. The land will be managed for a variety of uses, including recreation, habitat protection, and sustainable forestry. AMC will be providing pedestrian access to the land. Graff noted that The Nature Conservancy was a key partner in the acquisition of the 3,111-acre parcel from Prentiss & Carlisle Group and holds a "forever wild" conservation easement covering about 75% of Baker Mountain, including its 3,521-foot summit. The second parcel, comprising 1,200 acres, was purchased from Plum Creek Timber Co. and is permanently protected by the Moosehead Regional Conservation Easement, held by the Forest Society of Maine. Michael Tetreault, director of The Nature Conservancy in Maine, said the purchase conserves "an important ecological gem in Baker Mountain, within a mosaic of working forest lands." AMC also used proceeds from the sale of verified carbon emission offset credits from its ecological reserve lands as an important funding source for this land acquisition effort. The Portland law firm Drummond Woodsum did the legal work enabling AMC to qualify its reserve as a carbon offset project, which provides an additional revenue stream through the sale of Climate Action Reserve-registered credits in the voluntary market. Donations from Steven C. Leuthold and his family and other AMC donors also helped AMC and the Nature Conservancy acquire the parcels, which are the latest milestones in AMC's Maine Woods Initiative, land conservation plan in the 100-Mile Wilderness region that AMC says "addresses regional ecological and economic needs through outdoor recreation, resource protection, sustain- able forestry and community partnerships." The transactions bring AMC's conservation and recreation land holdings in the 100-Mile Wilderness region to some 70,000 acres. — J a m e s M c C a r t h y P H O T O / N O A H K L E I N E R Appalachian Mountain Club acquired Baker Mountain as part of a major purchase. Conservation easements cover about 75% of the mountain, including the summit.

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