Dear Editor:

A proposed amendment to the Alna Shoreland Zoning Ordinance to be decided by town voters in March would have several undesirable outcomes, including:

--Doing nothing to improve public access to the Sheepscot River that residents desire.

--Paving the way for intensified private use of the river by allowing new permanent structures immediately adjacent to the water and within inter-tidal areas.

--Setting the stage for more, not less, controversy by requiring the Planning Board to, in effect, violate the current environmental protection standards of the ordinance by allowing permanent, rather than just seasonal, piers, docks, and other water-dependent structures.

The Alna portion of the Sheepscot River corridor continues to be a largely natural area with minimal disruption by its users. If the proposed shoreland zoning amendment is adopted, it could lead to much more motorized uses of the river and permanent loss of its natural qualities.

Earl Ireland

Alna