Governor LePage to Dedicate Trail at Haystack Mountain

October 4, 2011

Looking out from the summit of Haystack Mountain.
Photo courtesy:Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands

AUGUSTA, Maine – Governor Paul LePage will help dedicate a summit trail and park bench to the memory of a fallen Iraq veteran from Aroostook County who was killed in 2006.

The summit hiking trail at Haystack Mountain in Castle Hill, an area under the management of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL), under the Maine Department of Conservation (MDOC), will be dedicated to Cpl. Dustin J. Libby, a Presque Isle native.

Gov. LePage, members of the Libby family, MDOC Commissioner Bill Beardsley, BPL staff and other guests are expected to attend the special event. The dedication is the result of a bill passed in March by the Maine Legislature.

“We are very pleased to be able to honor the memory of a dedicated Maine marine who gave his life in service to his country and our state,” Will Harris, BPL director, said. “It is very appropriate that this trail, which offers one of the best 360-degree views of Aroostook County, should be dedicated to Cpl. Libby’s memory.”

The details of the event are:

Cpl. Dustin J. Libby Summit Trail Dedication, 8:30 a.m., Friday, Oct. 7, Haystack Mountain, Castle Hill.

Libby, 22, of Castle Hill, fell in action while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was a squad leader in the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Born in Presque Isle, the young marine was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq at the time of his death. His first tour was in 2004. Between his two Iraq tours, Libby was stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

The legislation directing that the dedication be made was sponsored by State Rep. Alexander Willette (R-Mapleton) and seven other Republicans and passed in both the Maine House and Senate. Gov. LePage signed the resolution in April.

Maynard Brothers General Contracting of Presque Isle donated the stone on which the engraving has been placed for the trailhead stone marker. The donated engraving was completed by Aroostook Monuments of Presque Isle. A bronze commemorative plaque will be placed on a park bench at the trail summit.

“The sense of community in The County always comes through in such special occasions,” said Park Manager Scott Thompson of Aroostook State Park. “These two businesses are truly appreciated and respected by the community for their unselfish offering towards this dedication project.”

Haystack Mountain, a Castle Hill landmark with an elevation of 1,142 feet, is located about 10 miles west of Presque Isle. The 215-acre area is owned and managed by BPL and maintained by the Town of Castle Hill.

According to the Maine Trail Finder, “[t]he views are spectacular and will not disappoint.” They include views of Mount Katahdin and the Scopan Lake Public Land Unit, wooded forests of the North Maine Woods, farmlands, Maine’s first wind mill project on Mars Hill and Aroostook State Park, Maine’s first state park.

Photos : ( Click for full size )

Looking up at Haystack from the parking area.
Photo courtesy:Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands