PTFF members present: Mike Henderson, Patrick Myers, Donna Fichtner, Dennis Lyford, John Simko, Roger Merchant.

PTFF advisory board: Sylvia Black

Roger Merchant opened the meeting by thanking those in attendance. After reviewing the goals for the meeting as set forth in the agenda, it was emphasized that this task force will follow a very collaborative model with every member expected to take leadership roles and to be "weavers" creating the final product together.

The Piscataquis Tourism Task Force (PTTF) was created out of discussions surrounding the large body of surveys, research, and other work that has been generated around tourism issues in Piscataquis County. In this body of work there have been numerous suggestions and recommendations and the question becomes, what do we do with all this useful information. The specific tasks of the PTTF include:

1. Review existing tourism studies; summarize the key findings and recommendations into a tourism issues and opportunities blueprint for the county.

2. Address these summarized findings in terms of their "implementation implications' for towns, the county and/or region. Highlight and evaluate specific "implementation recommendations" put forth in any of the county tourism studies.

3. Develop collaborative stakeholder maps around specific, high priority implementation actions in the PTTF tourism blueprint.

4. Address any information gaps that may exist, or that may come up in the course of the work of the PTTF. Identify key partners who may be able to fill these gaps.

5. Given this key finding in the UM Tourism Attitudes Research Project for Piscataquis County… 'residents and business owners are open to expanding and developing niche tourism opportunities; at the same time, they want this done in ways that do not erode or compromise rural quality of life… PTTF will address and suggest policies and practices that support tourism development while protecting rural quality of life via "managed sustainable tourism".

6. At year end, the PTTF will present to PCEDC and other tourism stakeholders, its findings, the tourism implementation blueprint, collaborative and organizational structures that will be needed to move tourism development forward for the county beyond 2005.

The work of the PTTF will have long-term implications for County-Wide tourism practices. The County is in a good place with organizations such as the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC), County Commissioners, Highlands Corporation, and many others, representing an existing capacity to implement the tourism blueprint. This existing infrastructure is something that does not exist in many other areas.

Traditionally, the Maine tourism model has been that of promoting "Vacationland" to those outside the state. In contrast, the Tourism Development model looks inward at what exists within the state and how to create a framework of resources and how to develop that framework. There has never been a clear mandate for Tourism Development, but it is hoped that the work of the PTTF will be a first step in that direction.

It was agreed that the first step in this process is to generate a list of the key studies and sources of information with which to work. The following is the complete list of items generated during the ensuing discussion:

• University of Maine Tourism Attitudes Research
• Piscataquis and Penobscot Discovery Research
• The LDR Study
• The Piscataquis Cultural Heritage Micro & Home-Based Business Report
• The work of Tom Carrell and Fanny Hardy Eckstrom
• The reports on Tourism Marketing Strategies for:
  • Southern Piscataquis County Chamber of Commerce
  • Moosehead Region Chamber of Commerce
• The Moosehead Lake Study by Maine Tomorrow
• Initial research and studies completed for the Natural Resources Education Center
• Milo/Brownville studies currently in progress
• The two Longwood Studies from 1998 and 2004
• Studies underway by the Appalachian Mountain Club surrounding their land acquisition
• Nature-based Tourism Survey completed by Fermata
• Plans completed by the Maine Bureau of Public Lands regarding their holdings
• The 100 Mile Wilderness Study and Access Task Force Report
• The Natural Resource Indicators report
• The work of historian Nathan Hamilton
• The work of geologist Dee Caldwell
• The endangered species work of the Audubon Society
• The Dover-Foxcroft Lodging Study of 1996/1997
• Feasibility study for the C.A. Dean & EMDC Conference Center

During this discussion the following points were noted:

• The organized towns act as gatekeepers to the tourism opportunities within the unorganized territories
• Wyoming has had success in capitalizing on its geological resources through wayside interpretive information
• There is a need for a county-wide lodging survey
• Genealogical research is bringing tourists to the area. The need for a county-wide cemetery list was mentioned.

Given the above list of resources available the discussion then turned to the next steps for the PTTF. After a good dialogue on the different ways to approach this data the following steps were agreed upon:

• 1. The above listed resources will be collected and brought together to serve as a reference library for the PTTF.
• 2. Four key studies will be used to construct a framework for further discussion. These key studies will be:
  • The reports on Tourism Marketing Strategies for:
    • Southern Piscataquis County Chamber of Commerce
    • Moosehead Region Chamber of Commerce
  • The LDR Study
  • The Maine Highlands Strategic Plan
• 3. PTTF members will outline these studies and distribute them prior to the next PTTF meeting.

Next, issues of Organization, Roles, and Communication were discussed.

It was agreed that the PTTF and Advisory Board must represent both the public and private sector and must represent the entire Piscataquis County region. It was also agreed that there must be as much communication as possible between the PTTF, Advisory Board, and the General Public. Resources such as the Town of Greenville's Newsletter and the Newsletter of the Southern Piscataquis County Chamber of Commerce, as well as the internet were mentioned.

The role and responsibilities of the PTTF's Advisory Board was then discussed. The need for private sector representatives on the Advisory Board was contrasted with the demands for time already present for those in the private sector. To try to balance this discrepancy, the following responsibilities for the Advisory Board were agreed upon:

• Advisory Board members will be contacted on an as-needed basis for advice and consultations regarding their particular area of expertise
• They will be kept informed of all decisions and meetings of the PTTF They will be asked to commit to attending three meetings over the course of 2005

Beyond these core requirements, the members of the Advisory Board will be encouraged to attend as many regular PTTF meetings as they desire and to take as active a roll as they are able.

The three Advisory Board meetings are seen as a chance to report on the progress of the PTTF up to that point, present the Advisory Board with questions that require their input, and to present opportunities for additional input from the Advisory Board.

The members of the PTTF will recruit 5 members from each of the three County districts for the Advisory Board.

The meeting schedule for the PTTF and Advisory Board was then set. The meeting schedule is as follows:

PTTF Advisory Board:
Tuesday, May 3rd, 6:30pm, Down Home Bed and Breakfast, Milo
Tuesday, August 23rd, 6:30pm, Moosehead Marine Museum, Greenville
Tuesday, November 1st, 6:30pm, Guilford Bed and Breakfast, Guilford

PTTF Monthly Meetings
PTTF monthly meeting will be scheduled for the 4th Wednesday of every month at 10:00 am. The meetings for March and April will be held at the Penquis Higher Education Center. There is an expectation that several of the monthly meetings will be held at various locations around the County.

The Piscataquis County Economic Development Council will be approached to create a web-space for the PTTF where information can be posted and comments can be received.

The PTTF meeting concluded at 11:45 am.