My wife and I just returned from a vacation in Texas. What drew us to that part of the country was the 800,000-plus-acre Big Bend National Park. We helped the local economy through the purchase of meals and lodging, and we hired a local birding guide. We learned that this park was created on June 12, 1944, following a deed from the state of Texas to the federal government on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Wouldn’t it be great for Maine’s economy to have a national park that would showcase our woods and waters and help revitalize the economy of a rural section of our state? And wouldn’t it be even better to have the leaders of Maine’s government recognize the advantages as Texas did in 1944?

Howard Lake

Readfield