I’m opposing the proposed 145-mile Central Maine Power line going over the western mountains region and the Kennebec River.

I’ve been a Maine Guide since 1987 and hold designations in whitewater, recreation and sea kayaking. Now in my 20th year as an adventure-based counselor, I’ve led countless wilderness adventures. Personally, as a Mainer, I’ve enjoyed our wilderness since the 1960s. Hence, I have a thorough understanding and appreciation for our wilderness, and I have serious concerns over the risks of this power line proposal.

This project will negatively affect the environment and Maine’s economy, and I’m gravely concerned about the devastating impact the power line would have on the therapeutic value of Maine’s wilderness. As an adventure-based counselor, I intentionally take clients into the wild to expose them to the therapeutic nature of wilderness settings because contact with nature offers a wide range of health benefits.

A comprehensive 2017 review of the literature by Howard Frumkin, a physician with a background in environmental medicine, provides an evidence-based summary of 20 health benefits from human contact with nature. This study outlines the benefits of exposure to nature and provides supporting research for each claim, including:

• Reduced stress.

• Improved mental health by reducing depression and anxiety.

• Better sleep.

• Greater happiness and well-being.

• Reduced aggression.

• Increased prosocial behavior and connectedness.

• Reduced attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms.

• Improved pain control.

• Reduced obesity.

• Reduced diabetes.

If we allow Central Maine Power to scar our wilderness with this power line, the western mountains region will lose its therapeutic value. We need to save our wilderness to preserve its therapeutic value.

This proposal is a short-sighted sale of our wilderness for short-term gain and a long-term devastating loss. Once the wilderness is carved up, it’s lost for generations, if not forever. Please keep Maine wild, scenic and therapeutic for generations to enjoy!

Rod Nadeau

North Yarmouth