I read an interesting op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune last fall about the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah.

The op-ed writer is president of the Escalante-Boulder Chamber of Commerce, and he pointed to the creation of the national monument as a reason why the small town is thriving.

“Business has never been better. My business, Escalante Outfitters, is employing more people with a higher payroll than ever before. Our sales are at record levels, and we are expanding by building new facilities to accommodate this demand,” Dennis Waggoner wrote.

That’s the kind of story I would like to see from Millinocket, East Millinocket, Medway, Patten, Mount Chase or any other town in the Katahdin region. And that’s why I support the creation of a national monument as a first step to a national park and national recreation area near my hometown.

I believe the Katahdin region could have a bright future. We need a diversified economy. If we can come together as a region and utilize a national monument as a resource, our future indeed could be bright.

Now is the time for our congressional representatives to express their support for a national monument designation and charter our new economic course forward in a way that respects the past while using the beautiful natural resources of the present to ensure our future.

As Waggoner wrote, “The monument has put Escalante on the map as a tourist destination and is attracting entrepreneurs and residents who want to live near protected lands with beautiful scenery and clean water and air. The monument is the city’s biggest asset and is not the source of its problems.”

We could have our own asset like that. All we have to do is say “yes.”

Avern Danforth

Millinocket