Governor LePage to Travel to Edmunds Boat Launch in Cobscook Bay State Park

Feds barricade boat launch, but local fishermen still need access

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage announced today that he will travel this week to Cobscook Bay State Park in Washington County after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service barricaded the Edmunds boat launch.

The federal government owns Cobscook Bay State Park. However, the park is run, maintained and staffed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Bureau of Parks and Lands.

Although Cobscook Bay State Park is now closed for the season, USFWS issued warning notices to local fishermen who use the boat launch, which is located in the park. On Tuesday, federal officials placed barricades to block the entrance of the boat launch.

“I am calling on the federal government to remove the barricades,” said Governor LePage. “This ramp is a lifeline for local working fishermen, and it is a disgrace that the federal government is interfering with their livelihoods.

“Cobscook Bay State Park is a state-managed park, and we will continue to support our working fishermen whose livelihoods rely on access to this boat launch. The shutdown is the result of a failure of leadership in Washington, D.C., and it is inexplicable that the Obama Administration would punish local fishermen and any others seeking access to the ocean for it.”

In an effort to resolve the situation, Governor LePage will visit Cobscook State Park Thursday. Meanwhile, the Governor continues to urge USFWS officials to reconsider its decision to barricade the boat launch.

If the federal government demands resources, such as personnel, to assist in the reopening of Cobscook Bay State Park, the civil emergency declared by Governor LePage authorizes him to provide such resources.