At the end of June, we traveled to Patten to talk with people about the past, present, and future of the land that is now Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. In August of 2016, the Elliotsville Foundation (headed by Roxanne Quimby) donated 87,000 acres of land east of Baxter State Park to the federal government with the intention of it becoming a National Monument. National Monuments are similar to National Parks, but National Parks must be approved by Congress while National Monuments can be signed into law by the president through the Antiquities Act. President Obama did just that on August 23, 2016. This was the culmination of decades of hard work by many people, including Roxanne Quimby, her son, Lucas St. Clair, and people like Susan and Mark Adams, among others.  

This episode is the first in a three part series with Susan Adams. Susan and her husband Mark work for the Elliotsville Foundation, doing community outreach and recreation management. In this first episode, we hop into Susan's truck and she drives us into the monument to the canoe launch. Susan talks about the many hats she wears for the Elliotsville Foundation, her childhood on Penobscot Bay, and working with local schools to connect kids with the land.