An Act Authorizing Changes to the Ownership and Leases of Certain Public Lands
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1789
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: DAVIS
Amends: 12 MRSA §1852

Legislative Document
No. 1789
S.P. 668
In Senate, January 16, 2018
An Act Authorizing Changes to the Ownership and Leases of 
Certain Public Lands
Submitted by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry pursuant to Joint 
Rule 203.
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed.
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator DAVIS of Piscataquis.
Preamble.  The Constitution of Maine, Article IX, Section 23 requires that real 
estate held by the State for conservation or recreation purposes may not be reduced or its 
uses substantially altered except on the vote of 2/3 of all members elected to each House; 
and
Whereas, the real estate authorized for conveyance by this legislation is under the 
designations described in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 598-A; and
Whereas, the Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry may sell or exchange lands with the approval of 
the Legislature in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, sections 1837 
and 1851; now, therefore,
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §1852, sub-§10 is enacted to read:
10.  Leases granted by act of the Legislature transferred to the management of 
the bureau.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, those leases of public reserved 
lands that were granted to lessees by an act of the Legislature prior to the establishment of 
an agency in the executive branch of State Government for managing leases of public 
reserved lands are transferred to and are managed by the bureau; the bureau shall manage 
these leases in accordance with this section.
Sec. 2.  Director of Bureau of Parks and Lands authorized, but not 
directed, to convey certain lands in Adamstown Township, Oxford County.  
The Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry may by quitclaim deed without covenant convey to a buyer for 
appraised fair market value and other compensation and on such other terms and 
conditions as the director may direct a certain parcel of land in Adamstown Township, 
described as Parcel 0008W on the southwest side of West Richardson Pond, comprising 
approximately 3.54 acres and a camp, which was previously a camp lot lease and which 
was surrendered by the leaseholder to the Bureau of Parks and Lands by written 
agreement.  The sale of the lot constitutes a revocation of its designation as public 
reserved lands under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 598-A.
Sec. 3.  Director of Bureau of Parks and Lands authorized, but not 
directed, to convey certain land in Township 12, Range 13 WELS in 
exchange for other land in Township 11, Range 10 WELS.  The Director of the 
Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and 
Forestry may by quitclaim deed without covenant convey to Clayton Lake Woodlands 
Holdings, LLC all of the State's common and undivided interest in T.12 R.13 WELS, 
which is approximately 6,000 acres, in exchange for all right, title and interest in and to 
approximately 6,000 acres in T.11 R.10 WELS or T.12 R.13 WELS, which is currently 
owned by Clayton Lake Woodlands Holdings, LLC.  The resulting state fee ownership is 
subject to the tax applied to forest land in Aroostook County under the Maine Tree 
Growth Tax Law.
Sec. 4.  Resolve 2013, c. 56, §4 is amended to read:
Sec. 4.  Director of Bureau of Parks and Lands authorized, but not 
directed, to convey certain land in Adamstown Township, Oxford County.  
Resolved:  That the Director of the Division Bureau of Parks and Public Lands within 
the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry may by quitclaim deed without 
covenant convey for an appraised fair market value that is the higher of 2 appraisals or 
the highest of more than 2 appraisals and on such other terms and conditions as the 
director may direct certain lots or parcels of land, with a total of approximately 24 acres, 
to the West Richardson Pond Public Lot Association individual camp lot lessees.  The 
sale of each lot constitutes a revocation of its designation as public reserved lands under 
the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 598-A.
The parcels to be conveyed are located on a 24-acre lease lot subdivision portion of 
the Richardson Lake public reserved lands.  The 12 lots are on the southwestern shoreline 
of West Richardson Pond and extend from the Lincoln Plantation and Adamstown 
Township town line south to Route 16 and are also located between the Richardson Lake 
public reserved lands access road and the shoreline of West Richardson Pond.  The 
parcels are currently leased to 10 camp lot lessees who are members of the West 
Richardson Pond Public Lot Association.  To ensure that the State retains public access to 
West Richardson Pond, the director may not convey ownership of Lot 4-W as depicted on 
the Richardson Pond cottage lots plan developed by Seven Islands Land Company.
Sec. 5.  Resolve 2015, c. 29, §1 is amended to read:
Sec. 1.  Director of Bureau of Parks and Lands authorized, but not 
directed, to convey certain interests in lands in Aroostook County in 
exchange for other interests or properties.  Resolved:  That the Director of the 
Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and 
Forestry may by quitclaim deed without covenant, for negotiated value, and on such other 
terms and conditions as the director may direct, convey or release all interests held by the 
bureau in the following properties described under subsection 1 to Prentiss and Carlisle 
Company, Inc. and Prentiss and Carlisle Management Company, McCrillis Timberland, 
LLC and Greentrees, Inc., collectively referred to in this section as "the partitioners," in 
exchange for conveyance of property or interests in properties described under subsection 
or other consideration of equivalent value from Prentiss and Carlisle Company, Inc. and 
Prentiss and Carlisle Management Company the partitioners.
1.  The property interests to be conveyed by the Department of Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry, by and through the Bureau of Parks and Lands, to Prentiss 
and Carlisle Company, Inc. and to Prentiss and Carlisle Management Company on behalf 
of other minority interests the partitioners are all of the State's minority common and 
undivided interest in forested acres without flowage easements in T.10 R.4 SE/4, which is 
approximately 1,329 equivalent acres a tract in T.10 R.4 WELS SE/4, Maine Revenue 
Services Tax Map AR018, Plan 01, Lot 1.2, comprising approximately 3,970 acres of 
upland and 270 acres of flowed land in Scopan Lake, depicted as Parcel B on the March 
28, 2017 Survey Plan by Plisga & Day Land Surveyors, the State's undivided interest 
being approximately equivalent to 1,222 acres.
The Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry is authorized to reconfigure the tracts described in this 
subsection as may be needed to adjust the equivalent value of undivided interests in T.10 
R.4 WELS land being released by the State and the interests being released by the 
partitioners to the State, as described in subsection 2.
2.  The property interests to be conveyed by Prentiss and Carlisle Company, Inc. and 
Prentiss and Carlisle Management Company on behalf of other minority interests the 
partitioners to the State acting by and through the Department of Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Parks and Lands are:
A.  All of Prentiss and Carlisle Company, Inc.'s the partitioners' common and 
undivided interests in forested acres without flowage easements in T.10 R.4 SE/4 
north of Scopan Lake and all of the remaining minority common and undivided 
interests in forested acres without flowage easements in T.10 R.4 SE/4 north of 
Scopan Lake by and through Prentiss and Carlisle Management Company, which is 
together approximately 16 equivalent acres; the following tracts in T.10 R.4 WELS:
(1)  SE/4 north of Scopan Lake, part of Maine Revenue Services Tax Map 
AR018, Plan 01, Lot 1.2, comprising approximately 23 acres of upland and 221 
acres of flowed land in Scopan Lake;
(2)  SE/4 setoff, part of Maine Revenue Services Tax Map AR018, Plan 01, Lot 
1.2, comprising approximately 605 acres of upland and 240 acres of flowed land 
in Scopan Lake, depicted as Parcel A on the March 28, 2017 Survey Plan by 
Plisga & Day Land Surveyors;
(3)  NE/4 west of Scopan Lake, Maine Revenue Services Tax Map AR018, Plan 
01, Lot 2.1, comprising approximately 995 acres, including portions flowed by 
Scopan Lake; and
(4)  NE/4 east of Scopan Lake, Maine Revenue Services Tax Map AR018, Plan 
01, Lot 2, comprising approximately 5,462 acres, including portions flowed by 
Scopan Lake.
The partitioners' undivided interest in the T.10 R.4 WELS tracts described in this 
paragraph is approximately equivalent to 1,296 acres; and
B.  All of Prentiss and Carlisle Company, Inc.'s minority common and undivided 
interests in forested acres without flowage easements in T.10 R.4 NE/4 by and 
through Prentiss and Carlisle Management Company, which is approximately 309 
equivalent acres;
C.  All of the minority common and undivided interests in T.11 R.4 E/2 by and 
through Prentiss and Carlisle Management Company, which is together 
approximately 254 equivalent acres; and
D.  All or a portion of Prentiss and Carlisle Company, Inc.'s interests in T.13 R.5, 
T.13 R.13 and T.12 R.13, or other parcels or other consideration from Prentiss and 
Carlisle Company, Inc. as may be needed in combination with the foregoing to be of 
equivalent value, as determined by the director, to the conveyance of the State to 
Prentiss and Carlisle Company, Inc. in T.10 R.4 SE/4 as described in subsection 1; 
and be it further
E.  Two parcels in T.13 R.5 WELS, Maine Revenue Services Tax Maps AR027, Plan 
01, Lot 1.1 and AR027, Plan 01, Lot 1.2, owned solely by Prentiss and Carlisle 
Company, Inc. and McCrillis Timberland, LLC and totaling approximately 192 acres, 
or other parcels or reconfigurations of the parcels described in this subsection, or 
other consideration from the partitioners as may be needed in combination with the 
foregoing to be of equivalent value, as determined by the director, to the conveyance 
of the State to the partitioners in T.10 R.4 WELS SE/4 as described in subsection 1; 
and be it further
Sec. 6.  Resolve 2015, c. 29, §6 is amended to read:
Sec. 6.  Director of Bureau of Parks and Lands authorized, but not 
directed, to convey Halfway Rock Island in Casco Bay, Cumberland County.  
Resolved:  That the Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry may convey, for fair market value and on such 
other terms and conditions as the director may direct, Halfway Rock Island in Casco Bay 
in the Town of Chebeague Island, being approximately 1.5 acres, to the United States 
General Services Administration or its assignee.; and be it further
Sec. 7.  Resolve 2015, c. 29, §7 is enacted to read:
Sec. 7.  Director of Bureau of Parks and Lands authorized, but not 
directed, to acquire certain interests in lands in Aroostook County.  
Resolved:  That the Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry may negotiate to acquire and acquire all of the 
minority common and undivided interests in T.11 R.4 WELS E/2 owned by parties whose 
interests are managed by Prentiss and Carlisle Management Company.
SUMMARY
This bill transfers those leases of public reserved lands granted by an act of the 
Legislature before the establishment of an agency in the executive branch of State 
Government for managing leases of public reserved lands to the Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Parks and Lands.
It authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands to sell certain parcels of 
public reserved lands on the southwest side of West Richardson Pond to the individual 
lessees, sell another lot in that area via public sale and enter into a land exchange to 
separate common and divided interests in a parcel of land in Aroostook County.
It amends Resolve 2015, chapter 29, which authorized the partitioning and 
consolidation of common and undivided interests in the Scopan Unit and other locations.  
Chapter 29 involved lands in Township 11, Range 4 WELS, Township 13, Range 13 
WELS and Township 12, Range 13 WELS, which are not owned by the same group of 
owners as those lands involved in the proposed partition of interests in Township 10, 
Range 4 WELS and Township 13, Range 5 WELS.  At present, the partitioning and 
exchange of interests in Township 10, Range 4 WELS and Township 13, Range 5 WELS 
are ready to move forward.  The bill amends chapter 29 to allow the Township 10, Range 
WELS and Township 13, Range 5 WELS transaction to take place and further 
authorizes negotiations by the bureau for the State's acquisition of all of the minority 
common and undivided interests in Township 11, Range 4 WELS E/2 owned by parties 
whose interests are managed by Prentiss and Carlisle Management Company.