Burt's Bees founder wants to donate national park

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press

TOWNSHIP 3, RANGE 8, Maine (AP) - The mere mention of Roxanne Quimby's name used to rile some Maine sportsmen because she wouldn't let them hunt, trap or snowmobile on her vast acreage. But the hard feelings have eased since the multi-millionaire founder of Burt's Bees cosmetics began meeting face-to-face with sportsmen to share her conservation goals.

Quimby says she wants to give more than 70,000 acres next to Maine's cherished Baxter State Park to the federal government, hoping to create a Maine Woods National Park.

In a nod to sportsmen, she envisions allowing another 30,000 acres she owns north of Dover-Foxcroft to be managed like a state park, with hunting and snowmobiling allowed.

George Smith, former director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, says Quimby has gained trust from sportsmen by listening to their concerns.