AUGUSTA -- Better, but still too big and in the wrong places.

That was the reaction of Maine environmental groups Wednesday to Land Use Regulation Commission recommendations that would shrink the footprint of Plum Creek's Moosehead Lake development plan but allow roughly the same number of housing units.

"They are sort of nibbling away at what the development might look like, but they are not addressing the fundamental question of whether all this development belongs there," said Jody Jones, wildlife ecologist at Maine Audubon.

Plum Creek Timber Co. has proposed putting 975 house lots and two resorts in the heart of Maine's iconic Moosehead Lake area.

In return for zoning changes that would allow development of about 20,000 acres, Plum Creek would permanently conserve over 400,000 acres in the North Woods.

The largest land use plan ever proposed in Maine, the proposal would affect a region that is at the heart of Maine's brand -- the Moosehead Lake region has been a mecca for sportsmen and tourists for centuries.

Proponents say it would allow for controlled growth in an area that is desperately in need of an economic boost, while environmentalists and others argue it would forever change a place with special value for both people and animals.

Since the first version of Plum Creek's plan was submitted in 2005, the plan has been through three major revisions during a marathon review process that could end later this year.

Tuesday, the Land Use Regulation Commission, which serves as the planning board for the unorganized territories, released a series of proposed changes to the plan.

The commission's seven-member citizen board will consider those changes during deliberative sessions scheduled next week.

Catherine Carroll, director of LURC, said the commission staff is not recommending denial or approval of the plan.

The proposed changes include the removal of development from the north shore of Long Pond and a significant reduction in the footprint of development proposed at Lily Bay, said Carroll.

The recommendations also call for guarantees to ensure the 400,000 acres of land Plum Creek has pledged to conserve is managed in a way that protects ecologically sensitive habitat.

Carroll said the recommendations are designed to prevent sprawl but would allow for virtually the same number of housing units.

In addition, new zoning standards would prevent any unnecessary impacts on scenic vistas or sensitive habitat.

About 130 pages long, the recommendations were eagerly awaited by members of the environmental community.

Ecologist Jody Jones said she spent much of Tuesday night reading the recommendations and talked them over Wednesday morning with fellow staff members.

"We have a lot of respect for the (LURC) staff and we wanted to make sure that we responded in a thoughtful way," said Jones.

LURC did a great job of closing loopholes, but even with the recommendations, the plan would still put too much development in sensitive areas, she said.

The area is not only a core habitat for the Canada lynx, listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, it is a place where people from throughout Maine and the Northeast can go and enjoy a remote undeveloped area of great natural beauty, said Jones.

"Unique is an overused word, but in this case, there is nothing like the Moosehead Lake region east of the Mississippi," said Jones.

Cathy Johnson, of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said that while the development footprint would shrink under the LURC proposal, it is still far too big.

"The issue is much more the amount and location of development as opposed to the configuration of any particular development zone," said Johnson.

Lily Bay State Park, on Moosehead Lake, offers Maine people of all incomes a place where they can go and enjoy the remote peace and beauty of the North Woods, said Johnson.

That experience would be degraded by the motorboats, lawnmowers, traffic and lights from 400 homes across the bay from the park, said Johnson.

Alan Crowell -- 474-9534, Ext. 342

acrowell@centralmaine.com