MEDWAY (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says his goal while visiting a national monument that’s under federal review in Maine is to ensure local communities had a “proper voice.”
He called his visit Wednesday to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument “a learning trip.”
President Donald Trump has ordered the review of more than two dozen national monuments, including the one in Maine.
Zinke’s visit began after he met Tuesday night with Republican Gov. Paul LePage, a critic of the 87,500-acre monument created by President Barack Obama.
Lucas St. Clair, whose family donated the land, said opposition is driving interest in the National Park Service-managed property. It’s located next to Baxter State Park, which includes Mount Katahdin, the state’s highest peak.
In this photo taken April 26, 2017, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke speaks at the Interior Department in Washington. Ryan Zinke is recommending that the new Bears Ears National Monument in Utah be reduced in size and says Congress should step in to designate how selected areas of the 1.3 million-acre site are categorized. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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